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Matheson Fire

The great Matheson Fire was a deadly forest fire that passed through the region surrounding the communities of Black River-Matheson[1] and Iroquois Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 29, 1916. As was common practice at the time, settlers cleared land using the slash and burn method. That summer, there was little rain and the forests and underbrush burned easily. In the days leading up to July 29, several smaller fires that had been purposely set merged into a single large firestorm. It was huge; at times its front measured 64 kilometres (40 mi) across. The fire moved uncontrollably upon the towns of Porquis Junction, Iroquois Falls, Kelso, Nushka, Matheson, and Ramore - destroying them completely - while causing extensive damage to Homer and Monteith. A separate fire burned in and around Cochrane. In all, the fires burned an area of approximately 2,000 square kilometres (490,000 acres). Because of forest fire smoke that had covered the region for several weeks and the absence of a forest fire monitoring service, there was almost no warning that the conflagration was upon the communities. Some people escaped on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (now the Ontario Northland Railway), while others were saved by wading into the nearby Black River or one of the small lakes in the area. 223 people were killed according to the official estimate. [2][3] The Matheson Fire led to the creation of the Forest Protection Branch of the Department of Lands, Forests and Mines (now known as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry) and the Forest Fires Prevention Act in Ontario. [4] [5] An Ontario Heritage Foundation historical plaque stands in Alarie Park near Matheson and reads: THE GREAT FIRE OF 1916 On July 29, 1916, fires that had been burning for some weeks around settlers’ clearings along the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway were united by strong winds into one huge conflagration. Burning easterly along a 40-mile (64 km) front, it largely or completely destroyed the settlements of Porquis Junction, Iroquois Falls, Kelso, Nushka, Matheson and Ramore. It also partially razed the hamlets of Homer and Monteith, while a smaller fire caused widespread damage in and around Cochrane. The 500,000-acre (2,000 km2) holocaust took an estimated 223 lives, more than any other forest fire in Canadian history, and led to the development of improved techniques and legislation for the prevention and control of forest fires.

Fire

The Killers concert at Bell Auditorium, which had COVID vaccine requirements, is cancelled

American rock band The Killers have cancelled their concert at Bell Auditorium that was scheduled to take place Sept. 30. In an email sent to ticket buyers, Augusta Entertainment Complex announced the cancellation, but no official reason was given. Refunds will be issued to those who purchased tickets. The band, which recently released a new album, is set to still have shows in Newport, Ky., on Sept. 20; in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sept. 21 and at Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del., on Sept. 24, according to the band's website. Concerts in Richmond, Va., on Sept. 25; in Raleigh, N.C., on Sept. 27; in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 28 and in St. Augustine, Fla., on Oct. 1 have also been cancelled by the band. More:The Killers to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, negative test to see Augusta concert The concert was set to be the first one in Augusta to require those wishing to attend to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative test. The decision for the COVID-19 requirements was made by the band and the event organizers, Live Nation Entertainment. “We are taking every precaution we can during a difficult time for all involved,” Robert Reynolds, The Killers manager, said in an email to The Augusta Chronicle in August. “The band wants to perform. We don't want to have to cancel, and above all we want people safe.” No statement has been released regarding the cancellations. The cancellation comes after the latest increase in area COVID infections, with area hospitals reporting record numbers of COVID patients, exceeding the surge in January. More:Georgia hits COVID-19 high as Augusta hospitals break overall records More:Two events canceled in Augusta due to COVID surge, but venues don't expect more to follow The concert is the second one to be cancelled in Augusta after Drivin N Cryin, a hard-rock band based in Atlanta, decided to postponed their concert at the Imperial Theater to a later date. According to the Augusta Entertainment Complex website, the following events are still scheduled to take place with no COVID-related requirements:

Organization Closed

Eagle Airways Flight 2279 crash

Air New Zealand Flight 2279 (also known as Eagle Airways Flight 2279) was a commuter flight operated by Air National on behalf of Eagle Airways, a regional carrier division of Air New Zealand. [1] The flight was the subject of an unsuccessful hijack attempt on 8 February 2008 during which both pilots and a passenger suffered knife wounds. Ten minutes after takeoff from Woodbourne Airport in Blenheim, at about 7:40 a.m.,[2] Asha Ali Abdille attacked both of the pilots and demanded the plane be flown to Australia. One pilot was cut in the arm, the other in the leg. Abdille also tried to wrestle the controls from the pilot. There were six other passengers (four New Zealanders, one Australian and one Indian) on board. One female passenger was also injured. The copilot managed to restrain Abdille eventually. Abdille also claimed to have two bombs on board, but no explosives were found. [3] The plane landed safely at Christchurch International Airport at 8:06 a.m.[2] Asha Ali Abdille, a 33-year-old living in Blenheim, New Zealand, originally a refugee from Somalia, was arrested after the plane landed. [4] There were fears among the New Zealand Somali community that they would be branded terrorists. The government quickly stated "the government will not tolerate any racial or religious intolerance". [4] Abdille moved to New Zealand in 1994. [5] TVNZ did an interview with her in 1996, during which she said she was not coping with New Zealand society, and would like to go back to Somalia. [6] On 1 March 2005, the then-Immigration Minister Paul Swain was questioned in Parliament regarding unrelated incidents whether he was confident that Abdille "is not a threat to the New Zealand community". The minister answered in the affirmative. [7] Abdille was charged with one count of attempted hijacking, one count of wounding one of the pilots with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and two counts of injuring with intent. She was remanded for a psychiatric report. [8] On 22 February 2008, Abdille was charged in the Christchurch District Court with a further 11 charges, including threatening to kill, possessing an offensive weapon, and taking a dangerous weapon onto an aircraft. At her trial in 2010 where she was represented by prominent human rights and criminal Barrister Antony Shaw, Abdille pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to hijack an aircraft, and was sentenced to 9 years in jail. [9][10][11] Christchurch International Airport was evacuated after the incident. Among those caught up were Transport Minister Annette King, Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven and the England Cricket Team. [12] This incident prompted a review of aviation security in New Zealand. Released on 23 April 2009, it found domestic flights of fewer than 90 seats with unscreened passengers and carry-on baggage were a high-risk situation. [13] As of 2019,[update] there has been no change and domestic flights of fewer than 90 seats continues to be unscreened. [14]

Air crash

Ten years on, grief never subsides for some survivors of Japan’s tsunami

Yoshihito Sasaki, who lost his wife, Mikiko, and his son Jinya in the 2011 tsunami, rarely walks along the coast near his home in Rikuzentakata, Japan. The sea took away those he loved. REUTERS/Issei Kato . After the 2011 disaster, Japan built new neighborhoods, parks and schools. But the scale of loss is beyond any policy response. Today, many of those who remain in hard-hit coastal towns are haunted by all that was lost. By MARI SAITO in RIKUZENTAKATA, JAPAN Filed March 10, 2021, midnight GMT Migaku-san, I’ve left your dirty gloves and your holey shoes by the door. I’m worried you’ll kick up a fuss when you return and ask where I put your shoes, so I’ve left them by the door without polishing them. Letter from Sachiko Kumagai to her husband after he was lost in the tsunami When the tide finally receded, the world had changed. Trucks and houses had been swept aside like children’s toys, leaving the living to comb through a wasteland of mud and debris for their dead. Ten years on, the living are still searching, their grief never subsiding. A father lives alone in a house at the end of a long driveway lined with cherry trees. He surrounds himself with books on the disorder that isolated his younger son in his room, unable to flee even when his mother begged him to evacuate as the tsunami roared toward them. A mother is haunted still by the cries of stranded children, maybe even her own, calling out for help in the darkness. Even now she carries around a laminated schedule of her daughter’s kindergarten bus, as if to prove that her 6-year-old should still be alive. A wife never gave up hope that her husband would return to her. In scribbled letters on the back of calendars, she chided her husband for staying away, sometimes writing his imagined response encouraging her to go on without him. The 10th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami will be a nationally televised event, with dignitaries in black suits gathering at a theater in Tokyo, where they will bow their heads and mark the moment of the disaster. For many survivors, the day will be marked by quiet prayers and family visits to gravesites. A giant wave tosses large vehicles like children’s toys in the Japanese city of Miyako City after an earthquake struck the area March 11, 2011. Mainichi Shimbun/via REUTERS/File Photo Some cities in the region have built fortress-like walls at the sea to hold back any future tsunami. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon The earthquake and tsunami and their aftermath killed nearly 20,000 people on a stretch of Japan’s Pacific coast more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo. REUTERS/Issei Kato Massive walls built to withstand a future tsunami can obscure any view of the ocean in the hard-hit coastal towns. REUTERS/Issei Kato But for others, the day will feel little different than any other date on a calendar. They remain suspended, trapped in those frantic hours a decade ago. The earthquake and tsunami killed nearly 20,000 people on a stretch of Japan’s Pacific coast more than 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of Tokyo. The disasters also triggered multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents. The central government pledged to rebuild the region and has spent around 31 trillion yen ($286 billion) on reconstruction. In the span of a few years, Japan built new neighborhoods, parks and schools. But the scale of loss here is beyond any policy response. Thousands of residents have moved away from the hardest-hit cities, with many of those who remain haunted by all that was lost. While some survivors look backward, the larger Japanese public is preparing to celebrate the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, an event the government is intent on using to showcase its recovery from the disaster. Related content WIDER IMAGE: Japan's tsunami survivors call lost loves on the phone of the wind In Rikuzentakata, a city that lost almost a tenth of its population in the tsunami, a 12.5-meter (41-foot) sea wall encircles the coastline, a project designed to protect residents from future floods. Instead, the city can feel like a fortress where the concrete wall obscures any view of the ocean. On a chilly night in March, a howling wind drowned out any sound of lapping waves. In the darkness, only a slither of the sea was visible above the slabs of concrete, its serene surface concealing the noiseless churn of water below. Yoshihito Sasaki, 70, can see the ocean from his front room, but he has long ago given up fishing or taking walks by the sea. He moved into his current home after the tsunami swept away his old house here, where he lived with his wife and two sons. In March 2011, Sasaki was a few weeks shy of retirement, working as a principal in an elementary school built on higher ground in Hirota, a fishing village half an hour’s drive from his family’s home. After making sure that all of his students were safe, and learning that his older son, Yoichi, had survived, Sasaki began searching for the rest of his family. He had already assumed the worst about his other son, 28-year-old Jinya, who had been a “hikikomori” for a decade, a Japanese term for people who withdraw from society. When the disaster hit, Jinya hadn’t left their house for two years. “I thought maybe my wife had survived, so when I went to shelters, I asked them if they saw a woman who had lost her mind,” Sasaki said quietly, averting his eyes. He knew that leaving her son behind in the tsunami would have destroyed Mikiko, his wife. Sasaki was unable to find Mikiko in any of the evacuation centers. Her body was recovered weeks later. Yoshihito Sasaki, who lost his wife, Mikiko, and his younger son, Jinya, in the tsunami, says: “I thought maybe time would solve things, but I know now that’s not the case. Some memories, those key memories in your mind, are actually more vivid now.” REUTERS/Issei Kato Sasaki cradles photos of his family that were damaged in the disaster and recovered by volunteers. He now lives alone after his surviving son moved out recently. They finally talked about what happened the day of the tsunami, 10 years later. REUTERS/Issei Kato Later, he learned that his wife had tried to coax their son out of the house as the water kept rising. Jinya refused to leave, saying until the end that he didn’t want to see other people. Mikiko finally ran out of the house, taking shelter on a neighbor’s roof with their elder son. From there, they watched the wave swallow their home. Sasaki took off his glasses and busied himself with a pile of newspaper clippings on his table. A warm orange light filled the room, which was still cluttered with boxes his surviving son left behind when he moved out in December. For almost a decade after the disaster, Sasaki and his son lived together but never discussed the day of the tsunami. The two men finally talked over sushi a few months ago, when his son was preparing to move away. “I asked my son what my wife said to him at the end,” Sasaki said. The last time his son saw her, she was holding onto a piece of wreckage in a black tide, yelling out to him. “He told me that she was screaming for him to live,” he said, sighing. “She told him to survive.” Yoichi held onto wreckage and drifted for hours in the tsunami’s waters before he was finally rescued. After the tsunami, Sasaki bought dozens of books about his late son’s condition, out of regret that he had not done more to support his late wife. Turning on the fluorescent light in his room, Sasaki pulled out a folder full of newsletters that he has written in the past decade about the hikikomori. He also moderates a support group for parents every month where he listens to others vent and cry about their reclusive children. Even so, Sasaki is plagued by regret. Several times, he repeats that his surviving son may still blame him for not doing more to help his wife with Jinya. “I thought maybe time would solve things, but I know now that’s not the case. There are things you want to forget but can’t,” he said, with a pause. “Some memories, those key memories in your mind, are actually more vivid now.” The coastline has changed so much, I’m worried you won’t know how to come back. But you lived here for 72 years, so maybe you’ll be okay. I’m always waiting, but please do come back while I’m still well (and before I forget). Letter from Sachiko Kumagai to her lost husband In Ishinomaki, a coastal city in neighboring Miyagi prefecture, nearly 3,200 people died in the disaster. One of them was Airi, Mika Sato’s daughter, who loved playing with her little sister and wanted to be a TV presenter when she grew up. Airi was at a local kindergarten when the earthquake struck. Shortly after, teachers put Airi and four others on a bus, which took them down the hill and closer to the coast. It took three days for Sato to find Airi. She walked through a field of rubble where thin plumes of smoke still smoldered between bits of plywood and metal. One of the other parents eventually found the charred remains of a yellow school bus hidden under what had been the metal roof of a house. “By the time we found them, all that was left of her was as small as a baby’s,” said Sato, cradling her arms as if she were holding her daughter. “We were so afraid the wind would blow them away.” Sato said it wasn’t until later that she heard from neighbors that they could hear children calling for help until midnight, hours after a 28-foot tsunami swept into Ishinomaki. Sato and other parents kept asking the school for an explanation of what exactly happened on the day of the tsunami. Five months after the disaster, Sato and three other families filed a lawsuit against the operator of the kindergarten. “We thought we would find the truth in court,” said Sato, 46. “It was completely different from what we expected; we didn’t get anywhere near the truth.” Sato had hoped that the school would explain why it had decided to put the children on a bus toward the coast after a massive quake, but school staff repeated in court that they had not heard the tsunami siren, she said. Mika Sato, who lost her daughter Airi in the tsunami, heard from neighbors that they could hear children calling for help hours after the wave hit her town. REUTERS/Issei Kato Sato shows a photo of Airi, who loved playing with her little sister and wanted to be a TV presenter when she grew up. REUTERS/Issei Kato Sato and other plaintiffs reached a settlement with the school in 2014. As part of the settlement, the school took legal responsibility and promised to provide a “heartfelt apology” to the families, Sato and her lawyer, Kenji Kamada, said. Though the school has sent flowers, Sato said she has never received a formal apology. A lawyer who represented the school, which is now closed, said it continued to send flowers to the families involved in the case every year. He declined to comment further on the matter, referring questions on the details of the settlement to the plaintiffs. Sighing, Sato walked to a memorial built along a busy coastal road, close to where she had found her daughter. Taking off her mask, she touched Airi’s name carved into stone. “The anger doesn’t go away,” she said, adding that as a naturally shy person, she had never wanted to be a public figure embroiled in such a court case. “Our precious daughter died and the fact that …,” she started to say, before a local man approached her, saying he recognized her from TV interviews. After reminiscing about the disaster, the man told her it was shameful that people went to court for money after the disaster. “Didn’t you get like 300 million yen?” the man asked. “Actually no, we didn’t,” Sato answered calmly, before the man cut her off. “We all suffered and it’s time to move on,” he mumbled before walking away. Afterward, Sato said most locals had been supportive, but others believe survivors like her shouldn’t have pursued their cases in court. The family members of four of the children who died on the bus shared a settlement of 60 million yen ($550,000), Sato’s lawyer said. Civil lawsuits like the one filed by Sato are much less common in Japan compared to in the United States. “I’ve gotten kind of used to it by now,” Sato said sadly, walking back to her parked car. She wondered aloud how the man would react if he had lost his own child or grandchild in such a devastating disaster. “Some people say heartless things, but people who don’t understand will never understand, no matter what you say.” Migaku san, everyone is working towards a “recovery,” but what am I supposed to work towards? Hurry and come back to me as you were then … This disaster messed up our life completely. I hate, hate it. We didn’t do anything wrong! From Sachiko. Letter from Sachiko Kumagai to her lost husband Across Japan’s northeast region, more than 2,500 people are still reported missing from the disaster. In Iwate Prefecture, police officers hold monthly walk-in sessions at local shopping malls and community centers for families who haven’t stopped searching for their loved ones. At these meetings, police officers take down identifying details about the missing and sometimes collect DNA samples from family members. The lack of remains and the difficulty of the search have prolonged the sense of limbo for some families. Three months after the tsunami, Sachiko Kumagai began writing letters to Migaku, her husband, who went missing in the tsunami. His body was never recovered, and she never gave up hope he would return. REUTERS/Handout courtesy of Hitoshi Tsurizaki Three months after the tsunami, Sachiko Kumagai began writing letters to Migaku, her husband, a beloved local fisheries worker who went missing after he left his hillside home on the day of the disaster. He was 71, and she was 69. Her letters, hundreds of them, usually written with a magic marker, start with the weather and a description of the breakfast she had set out for him, and are interspersed with her gnawing questions about where he might be. In several, Kumagai responds as her husband.

Tsunamis

Chinese port company warns Australian review increases sovereign risk

A Chinese company with a 99-year lease in Darwin has warned that its treatment in the hands of the Australian government may scare investors from other countries. Landbridge, a company founded by billionaire Ye Cheng in Shandong, learned of the security review of its Northern Territory business last month, which the company acquired in 2015 for 506 million Australian dollars (380 million US dollars).This development is a sharp deterioration in the relationship between Canberra and Beijing as well as Collapse Since 2016, when the inflow peaked, a $16.5 billion investment in Chinese companies has been in Australia. “As a foreign investor, my problem is that the government approved us and we have experienced very painful [review] No one has ever come up with any specific questions about the process and five years,” Mike Hughes, Landbridge Australia The managing director told the Financial Times. “We are not the Chinese government, we are a private company. If we look back at having to sell the port lease, it will definitely raise sovereign risks to any foreign investors looking for Australia, not just Chinese investors.” This controversy sparked a fierce controversy debate The conflict between Australian security hawks and pro-business forces. The latter feared that Landbridge’s decision to force the sale of leases would threaten foreign investment. The hawks countered that allowing a Chinese company to control important infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific region is risky. A group of 15 right-wing parliamentarians also targeted China Merchants Group, a state-owned enterprise that owns a 50% stake in Newcastle Port, the world’s largest coal port. Last week, the organization asked the government to pay close attention to the port, saying that the stake gives “the Chinese Communist Party a geopolitical advantage in Australian coal exports”. As the anger against Chinese investment intensified, the opposition Labor Party criticized the conservative government’s handling of Sino-Australian relations, believing that it was inciting “nationalist sentiment” for the benefit of the election. “Federal rhetoric about conflict and trade retaliation can and must stop,” Western Australia Labour Party-led state government Prime Minister Mark McGowan told business leaders last week. In May, Canberra announced Review Whether to cancel the controversial lease of Darwin Port, which is close to the US Marine Corps base in Australia’s sparsely populated Far North. It follows the April decision to cancel the two belt and road plan agreements between Victoria and Beijing, a core of Xi Jinping’s foreign policy. “My thought is that when a decision is made in 2015 [on the port lease] The situation is very different from 2021,” said Peter Dutton, the Australian Minister of Defense, when announcing the review. The decision to lease Darwin Port to Landbridge caused concerns in Washington, while the Australian Institute of Strategic Policy, a think tank, claimed Landbridge had links to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Communist Party. Landbridge said it is a commercial entity, and this criticism is unfair. Many analysts believe that the government will require changes to the lease. “For example, Canberra can conduct a six-month security review of the lease,” said Richard McGregor, an analyst at the Lowe Institute. “Or, they can take the nuclear option, which will also be an expensive, high-risk one, completely tearing up the lease.” McGregor said Beijing will almost certainly take retaliatory action, although there are limited Australian investments of similar nature within China. Sanctions have been imposed on a series of Australian exports. McGregor said: “Compared with the decision to introduce foreign investors into Australia’s sovereign risk, retaliation is more important.” Chinese companies have developed a cautious attitude due to more stringent reviews of transactions and the deterioration of bilateral relations is a deal in Australia. Chinese investment fell 61% To A$1 billion by 2020, which is $2.6 billion lower than the same period last year, according to the Australian National University. Landbridge’s Hughes said the mandatory divestment could weaken Asian investment in Australia. “Obviously, if you are an American company, you won’t be so troubled. But, you know, from some other countries, who knows how things can change in ten years or more for foreign investors,” Hughes said. Whether analysts tear up the Darwin Port lease will significantly change the sovereign risk environment of non-Chinese companies. “As far as Darwin Port is concerned, there are obviously special and external factors at work,” said Jeffrey Wilson, research director of the Perth American Asia Center. Nonetheless, business leaders urged caution and urged Canberra to readjust its relationship with China, which is the country’s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade valued at 251 billion Australian dollars in 2019-20. Some people worry that tearing up port leases could fatally damage bilateral relations and disturb overseas investors. “The consequences will be outside of China,” said Andrew Robb, the former Australian Trade Minister, who oversaw the negotiations for the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement reached in 2015. Rob was a paid consultant for Landbridge and other Chinese companies when he stepped down from political office. He said Canberra has every right to reassess port leases in light of the changing strategic environment. But he warned that Australia-China political relations have “turned to cream,” and commercial relations may follow. “In some cases, the tone did not take into account the sensitivity of the Chinese side,” Rob said. “For China, some things have been brewing for thousands of years, such as face.”

Tear Up Agreement

2018 Ionian Sea earthquake

A strong earthquake measuring magnitude Mw 6.8 occurred in the Ionian Sea near the coasts of Greece during the night between 25 and 26 October 2018 at 22:54:51 UTC (01:54:51 in Greece). [1] Sea level changes were predicted,[2] and a tsunami advisory was issued. [3] Reports of sea level change of up to 20 centimeters were reported in Greece and Italy. [4] The epicenter was located about 133 km from Patras. The earthquake occurred 14 km below the surface. [4] Power outages were reported on the island of Zakynthos, and a 15th century monastery was also damaged on the islands of Strofades. The port of Zakynthos also sustained major damage, and a state of emergency was declared in the municipality. [6] Services around Zakynthos were affected, and schools were closed on October 26. [7] Tax relief was also extended into January in order to support the local tourism industry. [8] Other structures were damaged, but despite the magnitude of the event, there were no reported serious injuries or casualties. [9] About 120 homes were left uninhabitable, and the town laterally shifted 5 centimeters as a result of the earthquake. [10] A strict building code was cited as a possible reason for the limited amount of damage, as Zakynthos suffered major damage from a 1953 earthquake. The event was felt in eight countries, including in the Balkans, Italy, Malta as well as coasts of Africa and Turkey. The main shock was followed by multiple aftershocks in the following days, including undersea aftershocks of magnitude 4.4 and 5 over a week after the initial earthquake. [13] The largest reported aftershock was of magnitude 5.6 the day of the initial earthquake. [14]

Earthquakes

1898 Mare Island earthquake

The 1898 Mare Island earthquake occurred in Northern California on March 30 at 23:43 local time with a moment magnitude of 5.8–6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII–IX (Severe–Violent). Its area of perceptibility included much of northern and central California and western Nevada. Damage amounted to $350,000 (about $10,700,000 inflation adjusted to 2018) and was most pronounced on Mare Island, a peninsula in northern San Francisco Bay. While relatively strong effects there were attributed to vulnerable buildings, moderate effects elsewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area consisted of damaged or partially collapsed structures, and there were media reports of a small tsunami and mostly mild aftershocks that followed. The mechanism of the shock is unknown, but several independent investigations focused on different aspects to gain a better understanding of the intensity, magnitude, source fault, and epicenter of this pre-instrumental event. Most investigators placed it under or to the north of San Pablo Bay, though two earthquake catalogs gave specific coordinates that place it within the confines of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. One of the numerous strike-slip faults of the San Andreas Fault System in the North Bay are most often named as the source fault, but one seismologist's paper detailed how an unnamed dip-slip fault may have been responsible. Several more recent studies gave alternate perspectives that named specific faults as the origin. The San Andreas Fault system (SAF) is a network of right-lateral strike-slip faults that form a portion of a complex and diffuse plate boundary. The faults span on and off shore along the California portion of the Pacific Rim, and in the area near San Francisco Bay, the extent of the various fault strands are limited to about 80 kilometers (50 mi) wide from east to west. This system of faults terminates in the north at the Mendocino Triple Junction where the north-northwest trending SAF meets the east trending Mendocino Fracture Zone. It terminates in the south in a more gradual fashion at the Salton Sea where displacement transitions to a series of transform faults and spreading centers along the Gulf of California Rift Zone. [6] The shock was felt over an area of 120,000 km2, from Chico in the north to Monterey in the south, and to Carson City in western Nevada. Toppozada et al. 1992 compared the isoseismal map from the event to those of earthquakes that occurred during the instrumental period to resolve the magnitude. The intensity VI isoseismals for the 1969 Santa Rosa and 1984 Morgan Hill earthquakes were markedly smaller; only the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake covered a larger area than that of the 1898 event. The isoseismals for intensity V, VII, and VIII were also compared for additional calibration, and 6.7 was presented as the magnitude of the event, which was presumed to have occurred on the southern Rodgers Creek Fault. This estimate was later reduced to M6.4 in Toppozada & Branum 2002. [1][4][7] Bakun 1999 also analyzed intensity details to resolve for magnitude and location, resulting in M6.3 and a location at the northeast end of San Pablo Bay. A technique called Bayesian inference used by Wesson, Bakun, & Perkins 2003 showed that the northern Hayward Fault was the most likely source, with the Rodgers Creek, southern Green Valley, Concord, and northern Green Valley faults as the next most likely. Media reports of a small non-destructive tsunami led Parsons et al. 2003 to conclude that a normal fault (rather than a strike-slip fault) may have been responsible for the shock. Another viewpoint from Hecker et al. 2005 was that the Rodgers Creek Fault was not likely the source because their trench investigation showed that its most recent event had a maximum slip of 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and that the 1898 event was too small to result in that much displacement. [8] Another seismologist re-examined the event following the 2014 South Napa earthquake and found that the heavy effects on Mare Island were the result of weak or deficient buildings. Comparing the intensity distribution of the two shocks revealed that it was indeed severe on Mare Island as it was likely close to the rupture, which may have involved both strands of the Franklin Fault (between the West Napa and Rodgers Creek Faults). Although surface rupturing events have been documented on the Hayward–Rodgers Creek Fault System just to the west, no surface rupture was associated with this earthquake. A magnitude range of 5.8–6.4 Mw was given, with the lower bound representing an average stress drop event and the higher bound for a lower stress drop event. [3] The isoseismal map from Toppozada & Real 1981 places the epicenter to the north of San Pablo Bay and shows elongated rings aligned NNW–SSE. The innermost intensity VIII (Severe) ring encompasses Vallejo, Mare Island, and much of San Pablo Bay, and also includes three instances of intensity IX (Violent), but the locations cannot be determined with accuracy due to a lack of map resolution. While San Francisco is within the intensity VII (Very strong) ring, Santa Cruz and San Jose are labeled intensity VI (Strong) exceptions within the intensity V (Moderate) ring. Ukiah, Stockton, Sacramento, and Gilroy also lay in the intensity V ring. [9] Toppozada et al. 1992 presents an updated isoseimal map that focuses on the near field rather than an extended perspective, with slightly more conservative maximum intensities, and locations that are clearly labeled with specific intensities. The innermost isoseismal shows only one location that is an exception to intensity VIII. Tubbs Island, to the northwest of Mare Island, lists VIII–IX. Schellville, Lakeville, and Mare Island all show intensity VIII. A large number of locations are marked VI–VII, including Santa Rosa, San Rafael, Oakland, and San Francisco. As opposed to showing a specific epicenter, the newer, enhanced map shows that it may have been anywhere within a broad swath centered on the southern Rodgers Creek Fault. [4] While the National Geophysical Data Center categorizes the overall effects of the event as moderate, significant damage occurred at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where several buildings suffered partial or total collapse and some equipment was damaged. Other strong effects occurred at Vallejo and to the southeast in Benicia, where a cannery was damaged and in Martinez where the courthouse was damaged. Other locations in Sonoma County that were severely affected included Schellville, Greenwood Estate, and near Petaluma Creek. The effects were less severe in San Francisco, but one building partially collapsed, a girls high school suffered damage valued at several thousand dollars, and soil conditions contributed to damage at the Whittier School. [1][10] Bay Area newspapers reported on aftershocks that were felt in a number of locations. These shocks were only reported at locations that were within the intensity VII or higher isoseismals. The Sonoma Index-Tribune reported that at Sonoma there were four strong aftershocks and more than twenty lighter shocks (that at most just rattled windows) later that night. The San Francisco Call stated that while the aftershocks were heaviest near Tubbs Island, they were more frequent near Lakeville at the Petaluma marshes, and this was interpreted as the alluvium under the island suppressing the lighter shocks. Analysis of the severity, location, and frequency of the aftershocks bolstered Toppozada et al. 1992's stance that the origin of the mainshock was the southern Rodgers Creek Fault. [4] Numerous bay area newspapers reported on various disturbances that were experienced by mariners.

Earthquakes

Mecca's Grand Mosque plagued by swarm of locusts - The ...

A massive swarm of locusts plagued Mecca, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week, prompting authorities at Islam’s holiest site to launch a cleaning operation to remove them. Videos posted to social media showed the insects swarming around cleaners and worshipers in the city’s Grand Mosque, where millions of Muslim pilgrims congregate every year. “Specialized teams have been directed to work in the fight to eliminate these insects,” authorities in Mecca said, according to the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news site. “We have harnessed all efforts available to speed up the eradication of the insects in the interest of the safety and comfort of guests of God’s house,” the authorities said. According to CNN, officials identified the locusts as migratory “black grasshoppers” and said that 22 teams consisting of 138 people were dispatched to deal with the infestation.

Insect Disaster

Trump Withdraws U.S. From INF Treaty

The Trump administration announced that it will formally suspend the United States’ obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, effective February 2nd. This crucial treaty requires the United States and the former Soviet Union (now Russia) to eliminate all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Russia may decide to suspend compliance as well. If nothing changes, the Treaty will be dead on August 2, 2019. (The U.S. withdrawal can be revoked until that time.) The INF Treaty was the first agreement between the two nuclear superpowers that eliminated entire categories of nuclear weapons. As a result of the INF Treaty, the U.S. and the Soviet Union destroyed a total of 2,692 missiles by the treaty deadline of June 1, 1991 (1,846 Soviet missiles and 846 U.S. missiles). David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, commented on the imminent withdrawal, saying, “This is a massive mistake. The withdrawal moves the world closer to sounding a death knell for humanity. Rather than withdrawing from the treaty, U.S. leaders should be meeting with the Russians to resolve alleged treaty violations. Rather than destroying arms control and disarmament agreements, the U.S. should be taking the lead in bolstering such agreements, including providing support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.” Since July 2014, the U.S. has alleged that Russia was in violation of its INF Treaty obligation not to “possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile having a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers” or “to possess or produce launchers of such missiles.” In late November 2017, a senior U.S. national security official stated that the Novator 9M729, a land-based cruise missile, was the weapon that the United States believed violates the INF Treaty. The Russian Foreign Ministry asserts there is absolutely no evidence to support these claims. For its part, Russia alleges that the U.S. has violated the INF Treaty by deploying a component of a missile defense system — the Mark 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS) — that is capable of launching offensive missiles. It also claims that the U.S. has used prohibited missiles in defense tests and that some U.S. armed drones are effectively unlawful cruise missiles. To date, the U.S. has not made public any evidence to disprove these claims. Where does this leave us? It brings us to the brink of a new and dangerous arms race. Russia could move to deploy new short-range and intermediate-range cruise missiles and ballistic missiles on its territory as well as on that of its allies, such as Belarus. If the U.S. were to respond with new intermediate-range missiles of its own, they would be based either in Europe or in Japan or South Korea to reach significant targets in Russia. This would spell the beginning of a new arms race in Europe on a class of especially high-risk nuclear weapons. The INF Treaty is just the latest treaty the Trump administration will have walked away from. He has been systematically undermining the longstanding framework of European and global security. He has withdrawn the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Agreement) and The Paris Accord (on climate change). He has also contemplated withdrawing the U.S. from NATO. Krieger went on to say, “The country would be well-served to look at what Trump is doing with regard to withdrawing from the INF treaty, and do the opposite – that is, strengthening the treaty and building upon it.” ### Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons, and to empower peace leaders.

Withdraw from an Organization

Report: 150 starved to death in Ethiopia's Tigray in August

Tigray forces in Ethiopia say at least 150 people starved to death last month in the Tigray region amid a near-complete blockade of food aid by federal and allied authorities On Location: November 17, 2021 NAIROBI, Kenya -- A least 150 people starved to death last month in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region amid a near-complete blockade of food aid by federal and allied authorities, the Tigray forces say, while close to half a million people face famine conditions. The starvation deaths occurred in six communities as well as in camps for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people in the town of Shire, according to a briefing late Monday by the Tigray External Affairs Office. It is the largest public assessment yet of starvation deaths, though The Associated Press reported at least 125 deaths in a single district earlier this year. Food aid ran out last month in Tigray, a region of 6 million people, as the United Nations has described intense searches and delays of humanitarian cargo by Ethiopian authorities who fear aid will reach the Tigray forces who have been fighting Ethiopian and allied forces for the past 10 months after a political falling-out. “The complete depletion of food stocks has meant that IDP camps are receiving no aid and host communities, now running out of food themselves, are no longer able to support them,” the Tigray statement says. A spokeswoman for Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government has asserted that aid is reaching Tigray and has blamed Tigray forces and insecurity for any problems. The International Organization for Migration, which says more than 2 million people are displaced in Tigray, did not immediately respond to a question about starvation deaths, but the agency last month noted that “hosting capacity appears to have reached its limit” by the local population who support the majority of them. The first aid convoy in over two weeks arrived in the Tigray regional capital, Mekele, on Monday, but the World Food Program has said such a convoy of some 100 trucks is needed to arrive every day to meet the urgent needs of more than 5 million people. Telecommunications, electricity and banking services have again been cut off to Tigray since the Tigray forces retook much of the region in June. While witnesses have told the AP that access inside the region is safer and easier, they say dwindling supplies of food, fuel and cash make it increasingly impossible to help the hungry. The war has since spread into Ethiopia’s neighboring Amhara and Afar regions, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Health facilities supported by the International Committee for the Red Cross in those regions “have been receiving an increasing number of wounded people in the past few weeks," the ICRC said Tuesday. “Unless the fighting dies down, we can only see the situation deteriorating extensively in the next weeks or months,” WFP spokesman Gordon Weiss told the AP. “We knew that there were around 400,000 people on the edge of famine-like conditions (in Tigray) in June. We have not really managed to assess the situation since then, it has been too difficult to do so, but we can expect that that population has grown and that their conditions have deteriorated.” The U.N., the United States and others urge the warring sides to stop the fighting and find a way to negotiate for peace, but Ethiopia’s government this year declared the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which once dominated the national government, a terrorist group. Tigray leader Debretsion Gebremichael in a letter dated Sept. 3, seen by the AP, and sent to more than 50 heads of state and government and multilateral organizations calls for pressure on Ethiopia for the “immediate and unconditional lifting of the siege on Tigray” and “an internationally sponsored and all-inclusive negotiation” for a cease-fire.

Famine

Ways of control the spread of the pandemic

Hardball is the wrong technique to get China to open up about the early spread of the pandemic. A successful but little-known global disease program offers a much smarter approach. The team the author led to board the second cruise ship infected with Covid, in March 2020, off the coast of California. | Courtesy of Michael Callahan By MICHAEL CALLAHAN 09/15/2021 07:55 PM EDT Michael Callahan, an infectious disease doctor and director of clinical translation at the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, is the former biosafety physician for the U.S. State Department’s Bio-Industry Initiative in the former Soviet Union and Bio-Engagement Program in Asia. He has deployed to nine international outbreaks including Marburg, Ebola and SARS-1. Where did Covid-19 really come from? The origins of the pandemic have huge importance to science, to medicine and to global security, but nearly two years after the first known infection, the search is stalled. The high-profile release last month of the U.S. intelligence community’s report to President Joe Biden only confirmed how little progress has been made: After a 90-day investigation, it offered two long-familiar theories . Either the virus originated from natural human exposure to an infected animal, or it escaped from a biocontainment laboratory. There was no consensus on which was more likely. There’s a good reason we don’t know more: The government of China has consistently obscured the events around the early coronavirus outbreak and resisted providing key information to American investigators and even to the World Health Organization. This doesn’t automatically mean China was a malicious actor. Its leaders may simply be worried about what else turns up along the way. Perhaps it was human error in the Wuhan lab, which would injure national pride in China’s top new biocontainment facility. And Chinese leaders are right when they complain that early finger-pointing at Beijing, and especially the accusations of bioweapon development, was nothing more than baseless political posturing. Right now the impasse shows every sign of continuing. The World Health Organization is launching a second global investigation of Covid’s origins, this one led by more qualified investigators than the first, but China continues to reject further inquiries into what happened. In Washington, there’s now increasing pressure on the White House to play hardball with China — to force cooperation by imposing serious new penalties, like sanctions on Chinese laboratories. There’s little reason to think these might work. And even if they did, the hardball approach would be a huge mistake in the long run. Covid-19 is only one of many pandemics we’re likely to see this century, and — given China’s vast animal and human population, extensive surveillance network, unparalleled virus sequencing capabilities and its massive biomanufacturing capability — we’ll need China in the future, both to investigate and to help fight the next one, and the one after that. Like it or not, Joe Biden and his successors in the White House need China as a long-term partner far more than they need it as a scapegoat. President Joe Biden visits the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory at the NIH in Bethesda, Md., in Feb. 2021. | AP Photo/Evan Vucci So now what? Given the current impasse, is there a way to work productively with China on the kinds of problems we’ll need to tackle in the future? I’ve been involved in global disease outbreak operations for 22 years, isolating dangerous viruses in the field and treating infected patients, and have worked inside three U.S. federal agencies under presidents of both parties. And I can say the answer is yes. It requires, however, more than hastily assigned and executed intelligence reports. It requires more than complaining about an uncooperative China, or cooking up saber-rattling diplomatic pressure schemes. A more promising solution would involve following the successes of a little-known 30-year U.S. government effort to root out bioweapons in dangerous parts of the world, and to secure dangerous pathogens in foreign laboratories. That effort built a field corps of U.S. experts skilled in virology, foreign biocontainment practices and the care of patients infected with highly dangerous pathogens. Their direct “glove-to-germ” experience, often in politically inhospitable settings, has generated a range of successful approaches for sleuthing out human factors that contribute to an accident, a lab infection or an outbreak. Their experiences would expand the breadth of any renewed investigation into the origins of Covid-19 — and more importantly, their style of cooperation-building would likely preserve China’s willingness to help the West in future, possibly more dire, pandemics. The roots of this success story lie in America’s approach to another adversarial power, the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the USSR, the U.S became alarmed about the security of that country’s biological weapons program. The U.S. was concerned what might come out of its biological weapons facilities and stockpiles — and who might hire the 60,000 scientists trained to produce these living munitions. Following the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, and the American anthrax attacks soon afterward, the U.S. increased efforts to prevent Soviet biological weapons, and the skills to make them, from being acquired by terrorists. Many U.S. efforts involved redirecting former bioweapons labs to peaceful purposes like vaccine production. This leveraged both the Soviets’ scientific expertise and the preexisting biocontainment infrastructure. The risk wasn’t gone, though. These labs were still handling dangerous pathogens, and pathogen escape and infection of laboratory workers remained a concern of western security agencies. To counter the risk of laboratory leak or infection, the U.S. didn’t turn to security forces, satellites or spies. It used infectious disease experts. The idea to develop a “special forces” for foreign lab biosecurity garnered bipartisan support in Congress. In 1991, Sens. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and Richard Lugar (R-In.) co-sponsored a law to counter the proliferation of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, and over the years the Nunn-Lugar programs expanded under an umbrella program called Cooperative Threat Reduction, known simply as “CTR.” Sens. Richard Lugar, right, and Sam Nunn, center, are pictured with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, left, at the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction symposium in Washington in 2012. | AP Photo/Charles Dharapak The CTR mission had 3 basic parts: to prevent the proliferation of biological weapons and the skills to produce them; to redirect foreign pathogen research to improve global health; and to prevent the escape of dangerous pathogens from foreign biocontainment laboratories. Over the next 30 years, CTR expanded from the former Soviet Union into politically unstable regions where dangerous pathogens existed alongside groups capable of weaponizing them. By 2003, U.S. biosecurity experts were deployed throughout the Middle East and Africa. In 2004, following the Bali nightclub bombing, concern that the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah might turn pathogens obtained from local veterinary, hospital and vaccine laboratories into crude biological weapons prompted the State Department to expand CTR into Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand . The dispersed, field-based approach wasn’t just by necessity — it was also strategic. These field scientists were infectious disease doctors, veterinarians and microbiologists recruited from leading U.S. hospitals and universities such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard, as well as one of the U.S Navy’s oldest international infectious disease labs in Jakarta, Indonesia. They built partnerships in each country not just with governments, but with vaccine companies, local physicians and public health officials, many of whom had trained in the U.S. Part of the mission was to help each biocontainment facility develop a business plan to support peaceful jobs and produce valuable products. The goal was to ensure that weapons scientists weren’t tempted to wander, and to keep pathogens secure behind locks, fences and freezers. CTR scientists were routinely the first foreigners to access some of the world’s most secretive biological laboratories — and to initiate productive collaborations in countries of concern. For example, in the former Soviet Union, State Department senior scientist Jason Rao secured $30 million in emergency appropriations to launch his novel capacity-building program, the BioIndustry Initiative . Over a four-year period, the BII secured pathogen repositories across the Ukraine and Russia, awarded grants for drug and vaccine development, assisted former weapons laboratories to develop commercially valuable services such as diagnostic tests and helped fledgling drug companies address unmet medical needs. When the CTR playbook expanded to Asia, Rao retooled the program for the region in the form of the Biosecurity Engagement Program. Where the program in the Soviet Union focused on retraining weaponeers to peaceful professions, BEP worked to build Asian capability to increase disease surveillance, to control disease outbreaks — and to secure pathogen collections. Within 5 years, it had dramatically improved outbreak surveillance, made bird flu vaccines safer and helped to build one of world’s leading bat virus research laboratories in Bangkok. That program continued to pay off in 2020, as the new coronavirus spread: Asia’s BEP-affiliated hospitals, universities and companies include the first public health laboratory to isolate Covid-19 outside of China . And they helped preserve communication links between American and Chinese physicians after the Wuhan cases became an embarrassment, and the risk of Chinese government censorship made communication with U.S. doctors dangerous. The basis of the whole CTR model was collaboration, and it was built on doctor-to-doctor contacts. It paired Western scientific partners directly with local scientists to help them develop new diagnostic tests, or vaccines, or disease treatments. It prioritized working with younger scientists willing to train in the U.S. and then return to their home laboratories. It used American labs to confirm the work being done overseas, and small grants from American agencies to seed larger local investments. This trust-building model proved extremely effective in dealing with very sensitive, and potentially very dangerous, biological programs. Examples of early collaborations include Ebola and HIV vaccine projects at a former biological weapon laboratory in Siberia, and a program to find new treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria at Obolensk, a lab near Moscow where weapons scientists had previously engineered anthrax to be antibiotic-resistant. These programs could have clear payoffs in the host country: In 2003, the same Obolensk team that made anthrax resistant to antibiotics in the 1990s worked with CTR to open Russia’s first insulin production facility . One partnership, the Russian Flu Surveillance program, was a triple success: It gave the U.S. critical flu surveillance in a denied area, reduced the probability of laboratory escape by centralizing dangerous flu work, and offered a local payoff by giving animal producers better diagnostic tests for veterinary diseases. (It was also featured in a Discovery documentary, Flu Time Bomb .) Transforming biocontainment facilities into public health labs, or biotech companies, wasn’t always easy or smooth. U.S. scientists traveling in Russia were harassed by the FSB, always received the same hotel room and were required to receive Russian vaccines in order to work in Russian laboratories. Laboratories had their own dangers; a virus lab had already been suspected as the cause of one pandemic: In 1977 a flu outbreak appeared in northern China and swept the globe, killing more than 700,000 people, very likely stemming from an escaped virus from the 1950s that had existed only in laboratory freezers for two decades. The author at the Ebola biocontainment facility in Novosibirsk, Russia, in May 2004. | C/O. Michael Callahan But payoffs have come both from partnerships and new on-the-ground knowledge. One key finding from CTR work, over the years, may be directly relevant to the Covid outbreak: In many cases, infections attributed to biocontainment laboratory activities actually occurred outside the lab, often during field collection of viral samples. Squirming, clawed and toothy animals bite and scratch during collection of body fluids. Teeth and talons easily penetrate the thin gloves required to maintain dexterity when handling fragile wildlife. And overhead, angry bats release a fine patina of virus-laden urine aerosols. As part of CTR field surveillance programs, I have collected viruses from Asian bats carrying coronaviruses, and from birds infected with bird flu, and can attest that the margins for personal protection during these expeditions are razor thin. The fact that researchers are not infected every time they do a field collection is a question that continues to stump us. In cases like this, the actual point when infection occurred in the field can go unnoticed. In two Asian cases, for instance, “lab-acquired infections” among researchers were actually acquired during field collection, but symptoms were delayed for 2 and 3 days, after the researchers had returned to their home city and gone back to work in the lab. And there are other human factors at work: In China, if a researcher develops symptoms and suspects lab infection, they are inclined to hide the mistake from their superiors. In the case of the Covid origins investigation, the timing of Wuhan Institute of Virology field collection trips, which we know occurred several times during 2019, need to be carefully tracked to pinpoint opportunities for more intensive clinical investigation. As of now, we simply don’t have enough information to know whether these might have been connected to the pandemic outbreak — and China has told its researchers not to share any data on field collection with WHO. But this scenario suggests a new target for research into Covid’s origins: Focus on hospital lab data from anyone who came in contact with the Wuhan field virologists up to 4 weeks following their return from field collections. Given what we still need to learn about Covid-19, how might the U.S. collaborate with China on health security? The answer may not lie with China’s leaders, who are disinclined to cooperate with the West for bigger reasons. Over the last decade, China has fueled an aggressive expansion of its domestic biotechnology research and its drug and vaccine manufacturing capacity, and keeps data and practices secret for competitive reasons. This secrecy also extends to biosecurity. I’ve been told directly by a Chinese official: The Communist Party views biosecurity — including oversight to prevent dual-use research, where biotechnology could be used to make either life-saving products or biological weapons — as detrimental to its aspirations to dominate global biotechnology markets . Beijing’s strategic priorities help explain why U.S. health security programs do not exist in China. In fact, with the exception of a small U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presence in Beijing, there is no significant U.S. government health presence in China. This does not mean, however, that there is no U.S. medical presence to build on. For more than 100 years, the U.S. and Chinese medical education communities have been closely linked, and their connections remain strong to this day. Yale University, for instance, has ties with China that reach back to 1835, when alumnus and medical missionary Peter Parker opened the first western hospital in present day Guangzhou. In 1917, the Rockefeller Foundation built the world-famous Peking Union Medical College, which trained numerous medical leaders in China and whose graduates have helped modernize Chinese medicine. Massachusetts General Hospital, where I work, has a relationship with PUMC that started in the 1970s, after President Richard Nixon’s trip to China. The results of a century of U.S. Chinese medical collaborations is that members of the Chinese medical community, unlike the Chinese government, have deep relationships with their U.S. partners. And the relationships are now multigenerational and run in both directions, with U.S.-born, Mandarin-speaking scientists rotating through Chinese laboratories. These relationships prove invaluable when the U.S. needs to learn about a new outbreak in China. For example, U.S. physicians from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and MGH were collaborating on influenza research when H5N1 and SARS-1 outbreaks occurred in Hong Kong. Colleagues at Prince of Wales Hospital and virologists at the University of Hong Kong were first to share clinical and virologic data on SARS with their U.S. colleagues. Later, during the deadly 2013-2014 H7N9 outbreak, it was Nanjing physicians that shared disturbing data regarding the high fatality rates in Nanjing’s modern intensive care units — and the futility of treatments proposed by me and other U.S. colleagues. And in very early January 2020, the same Nanjing doctors, working with colleagues at Central Hospital of Wuhan, would share the first evidence that the novel coronavirus was spreading from person to person. Medical workers in protective suits at a coronavirus detection lab in Wuhan in Feb. 2020. | Cheng Min/Xinhua News Agency via AP This news came as the Chinese government was vehemently denying community transmission. The information was shared at significant personal and professional risk to our Chinese colleagues: In the early weeks of the pandemic, the Chinese government was actively censoring medical data sharing between Boston and Chinese clinicians, eventually stopping the flow of data from Wuhan entirely. Can this kind of collaboration move up the ladder from individual doctors to Chinese authorities? To be successful, the international community must first incentivize Beijing to fully participate in the origins investigation. And although it is clear from China’s statements and behavior that such participation holds no attraction to the Party right now, that’s not the end of the story. Discussion between U.S and Chinese drug and vaccine developers and their colleagues at Chinese medical centers suggest some possibilities. Major Chinese biotechnology companies, many with deep connections to the Party, are interested in selling products in Western markets. One option proposed to U.S. biotechnology developers, in a meeting I attended for Chinese investors, was to give provincial health authorities their own incentives to participate in the origins investigation — rewarding them, for instance, with access to medical technologies currently unavailable in China. There’s reason to believe China has data that lies outside of Beijing’s control — for instance, blood and serum samples from drug trials analyzed and stored in labs across the country, which might yield important clues about when and where the new pathogen appeared.

Disease Outbreaks

U.N. asks for $29.2 mln to help after Caribbean volcano eruption

Ash covers roads a day after the La Soufriere volcano erupted after decades of inactivity, about 5 miles (8 km) away in Georgetown, St Vincent and the Grenadines April 10, 2021 in a still image from video. REUTERS/Robertson S. Henry NEW YORK, April 20 (Reuters) - The United Nations launched an appeal on Tuesday for $29.2 million to help some 15,000 people displaced when the La Soufriere volcano on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent erupted earlier this month. "We are in a dire situation frankly ... We're not out of the woods," St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves told reporters, adding that scientists had warned eruptions could last another six months. The volcano erupted on April 9 after decades of inactivity, spewing dark clouds of ash some 10 km (6 miles) into the air and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people. The volcano has continued to rumble and vent ash. Didier Trebucq, the U.N. Resident Coordinator for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, visited the affected areas two days ago with Gonsalves and described the scene as "apocalyptic." He said the U.N. appeal was to scale up assistance for six months. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which has a population of just over 100,000, has not experienced volcanic activity since 1979, when an eruption resulted in about $100 million in damages. An eruption by La Soufriere in 1902 killed more than 1,000 people. The name means “sulfur outlet” in French.

Volcano Eruption

UK finally left EU after three and a half years of political turmoil

The United Kingdom has finally left the European Union after three and a half years of political turmoil. There were celebrations and protests across the country as the clock counted down to 11 p.m. GMT on Friday, bringing an end to almost half a century of Britain’s membership of the EU. In a speech broadcast on Facebook an hour before Britain’s exit, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the moment represented a “new dawn” for the country after three years of division, delay, and parliamentary deadlock. “The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning,” Johnson said in a video message filmed inside his 10 Downing St. residence. “This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act. It is a moment of real national renewal and change.” The UK government projected a countdown clock onto the front of Downing Street in the hour leading up to 11 p.m., while “leave” voters celebrated outside the Houses of Parliament with pro-Brexit politicians like Nigel Farage. Here we go, the countdown is on in Downing Street… pic.twitter.com/OwEEYh0ioZ — Paul Brand (@PaulBrandITV) January 31, 2020 Britain formally left the EU hours after Johnson and his Cabinet met in Sunderland. The city in northeast England was famously the first area of the country to declare a “leave” vote in the 2016 referendum. This meeting of Johnson and his most senior ministers was designed as a public display of the government’s commitment to improve the lives of voters in Brexit-voting areas of the UK outside London and the southeast of England. Meanwhile, in Brussels, there were historic scenes as EU officials took down Union Jack flags in preparation for Britain’s formal departure. The UK will now enter an 11-month transition period, during which it will continue to follow EU rules and laws. This means life won’t feel any different for UK citizens until January 2021, when the UK’s relationship with the EU will change significantly. In the meantime, the UK government plans to negotiate a new free-trade deal with the EU, as well as free-trade agreements with countries like the US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Georgina Wright from the Westminster-based Institute for Government think tank told Business Insider that negotiating a new trade deal with the EU would be the “greatest and arguably most complex negotiation” of the entire Brexit process. “February 1 is the end of the beginning; it’s not the beginning of the end,” Wright said. “The scale of the task is massive. … If you look at how long other trade negotiations have taken, it’s basically a couple of years, especially if you’re looking at something very comprehensive.” Multiple senior EU figures have said a deal will take much longer than the 11 months allowed by the transition period. Johnson said he would not extend the transition period beyond December. Experts have warned that this creates a new cliff edge at the end of the year, in which the UK could switch to costly new trading terms with the EU. Perhaps the most controversial element of the trade negotiations will be with US President Donald Trump’s administration, where issues such as food standards, pharmaceuticals, taxation on US tech firms, and vehicle tariffs will dominate. Former Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to hold a referendum on the UK’s EU membership in June 2016 triggered a period of chaos and instability unseen in Britain for decades. Cameron’s failure to persuade the nation to stay in the EU triggered his resignation and eventually led to his replacement by Theresa May. However, May’s decision in 2017 to hold a snap general election, in which she lost the Conservative Party’s majority in Parliament, handed legislative power to opposition MPs, and left the UK in an extended period of political deadlock. MPs rejected May’s Brexit deal with the EU on numerous occasions, forcing her to delay Britain’s exit twice. May resigned as prime minister and Conservative Party leader in 2019, triggering a leadership contest that Johnson went on to win convincingly. He promised to deliver Brexit as soon as possible. Despite Johnson’s victory, MPs voted again to block a no-deal Brexit in October, leading the new prime minister to seek a fresh delay to Britain’s exit and push it back to January. Johnson then called a general election in which he successfully won an 80-seat majority, ensuring that Britain would finally leave the EU.

Withdraw from an Organization

New Zealand, Australia cancel tsunami alerts after Pacific quake

WELLINGTON – A 7.7 magnitude undersea earthquake struck the South Pacific region on Thursday, triggering a brief tsunami warning for Australia and New Zealand that was canceled, with no immediate reports of damage. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake’s epicenter was 258 miles east of Tadine, New Caledonia, and at a depth of 6.2 miles. Tsunami centers across the region sent alerts for the public to stay off beaches and shore areas due to risks of unexpected currents and unusual waves. Those warnings were later canceled, and authorities said any tsunami threat to mainlands in Australia and New Zealand had passed. “Based on the most recent modeling and decreasing tsunami amplitudes at North Cape, Great Barrier Island and the East Cape, the tsunami threat has passed for New Zealand,” the National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. “There could still be large unexpected currents and the public are advised to continue to take precautions in coastal zones for the rest of today,” it added. Australia canceled a marine tsunami warning it had issued for residents of Lord Howe Island, a marine reserve more than 700 kilometers northeast of Sydney. There was no threat to the mainland, it said. The quake followed at least three other tremors in the region with magnitudes ranging from 5.7 to 6.1 in a span of just over an hour. There were no immediate reports of damage near the epicenter in New Caledonia, John Ristau, a seismologist from New Zealand-based GNS Science, told NewsHub’s The AM Show. “It’s most likely that damage would have been minimal if anything at all,” he said, adding that Thursday morning’s earthquake could trigger more tremors. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said a tsunami watch was in effect for American Samoa and cited a potential for tsunamis in other regions including Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand. Waves reaching up to a level of 1 meter (3.3 feet) above the normal tide level were possible for some coastal areas, it added.

Tsunamis

Palaeolithic cave paintings found in corner of NCR could be among oldest

Archaeologists have discovered cave paintings in a rocky and forested corner of Haryana, not far from the national capital, that they believe belong to the Upper Palaeolithic age, which could potentially make them one of the oldest cave arts in the country. The caves are nestled amid a maze of quartzite rocks in the Aravalli mountain ranges, just outside the national capital, and a stone’s throw from the region’s only surviving patch of primary forest, a holy grove called Mangar Bani. While the residents of Manger village, and adjoining villages such as Selakhari, say generations have been aware of the paintings, it is only recently that the Haryana government’s museum and archaeology department took note of them. It sent a fact-finding team to the area in the last week of June. “So far, cave paintings in Delhi-NCR have only been found here. Most pre-historic sites have been traced in the Aravalli region. The paintings are yet to be dated but at least some of them belong to the Upper Palaeolithic period in all likelihood. We are viewing the paintings in continuation with the Soanian culture which has been found in Shivalik hills, Narmada and Aravallis,” said Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of the department of archaeology and museums. The team encountered cave paintings comprising images of human figurines, animals, foliage, and geometric, some that have paled over time, but others that are still very visible. It also encountered rock art and open-air ceremonial sites. While some could be spotted in the open air, a majority of them are on the ceilings of the rock shelters. The findings may well change the history of Haryana. The Upper Paleolithic Age began around 40,000 years ago and lasted till around 10,000 years ago. Bhattacharyya, who was part of the team, said the discovery is extremely significant. “Though tools from the Palaeolithic Age have been identified earlier in parts of the Aravallis, it is for the first time that cave paintings and rock art of a large magnitude have been found in Haryana.” To be sure, the findings have to be validated, dated, reviewed, and published. The department plans to undertake further explorations in the area. The caves and the paintings themselves are reminiscent of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, which is home to the oldest known cave art in India, dating back to the Mesolithic Age (around 10,000 years ago). The Mangar cave art is 20,000-40,000 years old, according to Bhattacharyya, but this is something that can be established through archaeological dating. Experts also use qualitative techniques, by comparing the cave art to other cave art, and that found in other excavations. While explorations and excavations in the Aravallis have been undertaken in the past, it is for the first time that cave paintings at the current site have caught the attention of researchers. Bhattacharyya believes the site may have possibly remained relatively undiscovered over the years due to thick vegetation. “Stone age tools and technology dates to a particular time period. We explore what tool belongs to which time period. In sites such as these, we can conduct dating by studying the pigment. The pigment contains proteins (mainly organic material) which can be dated. At present, we are dependent on typo-technological dating. Tools such as hand cleaver, blade, evolve with types. Starting from the Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic then Upper Palaeolithic, we see the evolution here. We have found significant remains from Lower Palaeolithic till Middle and Upper Palaeolithic period too,” she explained. Most of the paintings are ochre, but some are white. Experts say cave paintings in white are usually from a later stage (early contemporary era), while Stone Age paintings are more often than not, ochre. “Stone age paintings generally use red and ochre colours. Stones of these colour used to be available locally and inhabitants crushed the stones for preparing the colour for paintings,” said Bhattacharyya. Palaeolithic artefacts have been reported earlier from various parts of Delhi and Haryana. In 1985-86, Dilip Kumar Chakrabarty and Nayanjot Lahiri surveyed and mapped prehistoric sites in Delhi and Haryana. They traced 43 sites. In 1986, AK Sharma discovered the Palaeolithic site of Anangpur in Faridabad. ASI later undertook excavation at the site. Sharma was accompanied by former joint director general of ASI SB Ota and other experts from ASI’s prehistoric branch. Ota said that while the Aravallis are known for prehistoric remains starting from the Lower Palaeolithic period, unlike Central India and other places that are rich in rock paintings, no rock paintings have been found in Aravallis until now. “That engravings formed part of Aravallis was known through earlier publications but what was not known so far was the presence of paintings in rock shelters. The paintings never got washed away due to these rock shelters. We do not know the date at the moment but this is a clear indication that there must have been many more paintings which might have been destroyed over time,” he said. Ota emphasized the need for conservation after investigations and assessment of the importance of the paintings. “The Aravallis demonstrate the earliest evidence of the stone age which we call the Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean culture. The area can be easily protected since the Aravalli hills also derive protection from various Supreme Court orders. This can be done after experts assess the cultural and archaeological value of the site.” The Aravalli’s are India’s and the world’s oldest mountain range, and have been ravaged by time, the elements, and increasingly over the past few decades, man. Ashok Khemka, principal secretary to government, archaeology and museums department, Haryana, said that while a team from the department has conducted a preliminary study, further investigations will be undertaken since the site requires extensive documentation. He said the department will grant protection status to Mangar forest. “We will definitely be giving the Mangar Bani forest state protection under the archaeological act because of the presence of a large number of stone age cave paintings that have been found there. The paintings date back roughly 20-30,000 years. We will be issuing orders for protecting the entire Mangar Bani forest under section 4 of Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964.” Khemka said his department plans to hire scholars from the region for an extensive survey. “We will be hiring a team of research scholars who are experts in prehistoric cave paintings. Locals and a few research scholars from the nearby universities will also be involved in the extensive survey.” Shalaish Baisla, an archaeology student and independent researcher, said he had spotted tools and cave paintings from the prehistoric age in Mangar. He added that the area needed immediate protection. “There are individuals who have commercial interests in the area. It is crucial that the site is granted protection, even before any research is undertaken.” Residents of Mangar and other villages in the area say they know of the paintings, but that their historical importance eluded them. Hamid, a resident of Selakheri, said: “We know that these paintings must be quite old. It’s evident if you look at them. However, one can’t understand or make sense of symbols or the writing. They have gathered dust over the years.” He uses only one name. Shaukat Ali, a septuagenarian, said that he has seen the paintings over years. “People go there regularly, particularly women -- for grazing goats or routine walks. The caves are a part of our lives...” Sunil Harsana, an activist from Mangar village, said that while the forest needed protection, it was crucial to ensure that protection did not remain on paper alone. “A heritage site has been found here. It is crucial that experts conduct the necessary investigations and ensure that people are made aware of the significance of the site. These sites need to be protected so that future generations are able to understand the history of the region,” said Harsana.

New archeological discoveries

1943 Detroit race riot

The 1943 Detroit race riot took place in Detroit, Michigan, of the United States, from the evening of June 20 through to the early morning of June 22. It occurred in a period of dramatic population increase and social tensions associated with the military buildup of U.S. participation in World War II, as Detroit's automotive industry was converted to the war effort. Existing social tensions and housing shortages were exacerbated by racist feelings about the arrival of nearly 400,000 migrants, both African-American and White Southerners, from the Southeastern United States between 1941 and 1943. The new migrants competed for space and jobs, as well as against European immigrants and their descendants. The Detroit riots were one of five that summer; it followed ones in Beaumont, TX, Harlem, NY, Los Angeles, CA (the Zoot Suit Riot), and Mobile, AL. The rioting in Detroit began among youths at Belle Isle Park on June 20, 1943; the unrest moved into the city proper and was exacerbated by false rumors of racial attacks in both the black and white communities. It continued until June 22. It was suppressed after 6,000 federal troops were ordered into the city to restore peace. A total of 34 people were killed, 25 of them black and most at the hands of the white police force, while 433 were wounded (75 percent of them black), and property valued at $2 million ($30.4 million in 2020 US dollars) was destroyed. Most of the riot took place in the black area of Paradise Valley, the poorest neighborhood of the city. [1] At the time, white commissions attributed the cause of the riot to black people and youths. But the NAACP claimed deeper causes: a shortage of affordable housing, discrimination in employment, lack of minority representation in the police, and white police brutality. A late 20th-century analysis of the rioters showed that the white rioters were younger and often unemployed (characteristics that the riot commissions had falsely attributed to blacks, despite evidence in front of them). If working, the whites often held semi-skilled or skilled positions. Whites traveled long distances across the city to join the first stage of the riot near the bridge to Belle Isle Park, and later some traveled in armed groups explicitly to attack the black neighborhood in Paradise Valley. The black participants were often older, established city residents, who in many cases had lived in the city for more than a decade. Many were married working men and were defending their homes and neighborhood against police and white rioters. They also looted and destroyed white-owned property in their neighborhood. [1] By 1920, Detroit had become the fourth-largest city in the United States, with an industrial and population boom driven by the rapid expansion of the automobile industry. [2] In this era of continuing high immigration from southern and eastern Europe, the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s established a substantial presence in Detroit during its early 20th-century revival. [3] The KKK became concentrated in midwestern cities rather than exclusively in the South. [2] It was primarily anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish in this period, but it also supported white supremacy. The KKK contributed to Detroit's reputation for racial antagonism, and there were violent incidents dating from 1915. [1] Its lesser-known offshoot, Black Legion, was also active in the Detroit area. In 1936 and 1937, some 48 members were convicted of numerous murders and attempted murder, thus ending Black Legion's run. Both organizations stood for white supremacy. Detroit was unique among northern cities by the 1940s for its exceptionally high percentage of Southern-born residents, both black and white. [4] Soon after the U.S. entry into World War II, the automotive industry was converted to military production; high wages were offered, attracting large numbers of workers and their families from outside of Michigan. The new workers found little available housing, and competition among ethnic groups was fierce for both jobs and housing. With Executive Order 8802, President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 25, 1941, had prohibited racial discrimination in the national defense industry. Roosevelt called upon all groups to support the war effort. The Executive Order was applied irregularly, and blacks were often excluded from numerous industrial jobs, especially more skilled and supervisory positions. In 1941 at the beginning of the war, blacks numbered nearly 150,000 in Detroit, which had a total population of 1,623,452. Many of the blacks had migrated from the South in 1915 to 1930 during the Great Migration, as the auto industry opened up many new jobs. By summer 1943, after the United States had entered World War II, tensions between whites and blacks in Detroit were escalating; blacks resisted discrimination, as well as oppression and violence by the Detroit Police Department. The police force of the city was overwhelmingly white, and the black population resented this. In the early 1940s, Detroit's population reached more than 2 million, absorbing more than 400,000 whites and some 50,000 black migrants, mostly from the American South, where racial segregation was enforced by law. [1] The more recent African American arrivals were part of the second wave of the black Great Migration, joining 150,000 blacks already in the city. The early residents had been restricted by informal segregation and their limited finances to the poor and overcrowded East Side of the city. A 60-block area east of Woodward Avenue was known as Paradise Valley, and it had aging and substandard housing. White American migrants came largely from agricultural areas and especially rural Appalachia, carrying with them southern prejudices. [5] Rumors circulated among ethnic white groups to fear African Americans as competitors for housing and jobs. Blacks had continued to seek to escape the limited opportunities in the South, exacerbated by the Great Depression and second-class social status under Jim Crow laws. After arriving in Detroit, the new migrants found racial bigotry there, too. They had to compete for low-level jobs with numerous European immigrants or their descendants, in addition to rural southern whites. Blacks were excluded from all of the limited public housing except the Brewster Housing Projects. They were exploited by landlords and forced to pay rents that were two to three times higher than families paid in the less densely populated white districts. Like other poor migrants, they were generally limited to the oldest, substandard housing. [6] After the Civil War, slavery became illegal. Former slaves and their descendants still faced severe discrimination.

Riot

Gigantic new locust swarms hit East Africa, threatening ...

Gigantic new locust swarms hit East Africa New invasions are hitting just as growing season gets underway, threatening millions with hunger. An adult desert locust is one of the most destructive migratory pests in the world: It can eat its own bodyweight, or about 0.07 ounces, in vegetation every day. Since January, Kenya has experienced its worst locust invasion in 70 years. As the pests continue to multiply and East Africa moves further into its growing season, when crops are particularly vulnerable, experts are concerned the infestation could push up to 25 million East Africans into hunger. Photograph by David Chancellor, National Geographic ByHaley Cohen Gilliland Tweet Email “These...swarms...are terrifying,” Albert Lemasulani narrated breathlessly as he recorded a video of himself swatting his way through a crush of desert locusts in northern Kenya this April. The insects, more than two inches long, whirred around him in thick clouds, their wings snapping like ten thousand card decks being shuffled in unison. He groaned: “They are in the millions. Everywhere…eating...it really is a nightmare.” Lemasulani, 40, lives with his family in Oldonyiro, where he herds goats that survive on shrubs and trees. He’d previously heard of locusts only from stories passed down in the community. That changed earlier this year when the largest invasion of the voracious insects in decades descended on East Africa. With their seemingly bottomless appetites, locusts can cause devastating agricultural losses. An adult desert locust can munch through its own bodyweight , about 0.07 ounces, of vegetation every day. Swarms can swell to 70 billion insects —enough to blanket New York City more than once—and can destroy 300 million pounds of crops in a single day. Even a more modest gathering of 40 million desert locusts can eat as much in a day as 35,000 people . A large swarm of locusts descends on acacia trees in northern Kenya in April. Swarms can swell to 70 billion insects—enough to cover New York City 1.5 times—and to decimate 300 million pounds of crops in a single day. Photograph by David Chancellor, National Geographic Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. This is the worst “upsurge” —the category of intensity below “plague” —of desert locusts experienced in Ethiopia and Somalia for 25 years and in Kenya for 70 years. The region’s growing season is underway, and as the swarms have grown while the coronavirus complicates mitigation efforts, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates up to 25 million East Africans will suffer from food shortages later this year. Some 13 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, and Eritrea already suffer from “severe food insecurity,” according to the FAO, meaning they may go without eating for an entire day or have run out of food altogether. “We fear for our future because these kinds of swarms will mean we don’t have anything to feed our animals,” Lemasulani says. Farmers are equally worried about their crops. “We pray God will clear the locusts for us. It’s as terrifying as COVID-19.” In the beginning Desert locusts flourish when arid areas are doused with rain, because they seek to lay their eggs in damp , sandy soil near vegetation that can sustain the young until their wings develop enough for the insects to forage farther afield. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: A dead locust sits on a tree branch. Desert locusts can grow to about four inches long and live for three to five months. Their life cycle consists of three phases: egg, hopper, and adult. Locusts are often solitary, but under the right conditions, they breed exponentially and transform into social, or “gregarious,” creatures, which change color and form large, destructive swarms. Until 1921, people believed that gregarious locusts and solitary desert locusts were two different species. Right: Desert locusts tend to feed on green vegetation and can pick plants bare, including this bush in northern Kenya. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization warns that if they migrate further into agricultural areas, millions of people could face hunger. Photographs by David Chancellor, National Geographic Albert Lemasulani, a Kenyan pastoralist, has voluntarily tracked locust swarms for the Kenyan government and the FAO since the insects appeared near his hometown of Oldonyiro, in northern Kenya, in January. They’re typically controlled with pesticides, but because locust swarms can move up to 80 miles a day, simply finding them can be a challenge. Photograph by David Chancellor, National Geographic Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Usually, when locusts have space to spread out, they actively avoid one another . But in favorable circumstances, desert locust populations can multiply 20-fold every three months . Crowding together as a result of this increased breeding triggers a behavior change. No longer loners, they turn into social or “gregarious” creatures, forming large swarms. Recently, conditions for procreation and migration have been not just favorable— but ideal . In 2018 and 2019, a series of cyclones that scientists link to unusually warm seas rolled in off the Indian Ocean and soaked a sandy desert in the Arabian Peninsula known as the Empty Quarter. A locust boom followed . “We often think of deserts as environments that are very harsh and low productivity, which they are a lot of the time,” says National Geographic grantee Dino Martins , an entomologist, evolutionary biologist, and executive director of the Mpala Research Centre in northern Kenya. The center is working to sequence the desert locust’s genome to to learn what environmental and genetic factors may prompt the locusts’ transformation from solitary to gregarious. “When [deserts] have the right conditions, they can flip, and you can move to a situation with lots of biological activity. That's basically what we're seeing now,” he says. This valley is on the locusts’ route, which is largely determined by the wind. Photograph by David Chancellor, National Geographic Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. By June 2019 , large swarms were on the move, traveling over the Red Sea to Ethiopia and Somalia. Aided by uncommonly heavy rains that buffeted East Africa from October to December , the insects spread south to Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Left: Frozen desert locusts stored at the Mpala Research Centre are kept on hand to study. Scientists there are working to help sequence the insect’s genome. “The desert locust is an enigmatic creature who leads a two-faced life,” says Dino Martins, executive director of the research center. On the one hand, it’s “a pretty unremarkable, ordinary grasshopper struggling to survive, and, when better conditions allow…[it’s] a voracious, upwardly, and onwardly mobile beast.” Desert locusts have one one of the largest genomes known of any animal, he says. Right: Ivy Ngiru, the center's research lab manager, inspects frozen desert locusts. Scientists hope that sequencing the desert locust’s genome will allow them to better understand what genetic and environmental variables prompt the locusts’ transformation from solitary to wildly social, swarming creatures. Photographs by David Chancellor, National Geographic Since the locusts first reached East Africa, favorable breeding conditions have continued, and the swarms have expanded. “I can’t tell you if it’s by 20 times, but [the population] is much bigger,” says Cyril Ferrand, Resilience Team Leader for East Africa at the FAO, which monitors the desert locust situation globally. (Find out how locust plagues begin.) Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. When the first wave of locusts arrived in the region in late 2019, most of last year’s crops had reached maturity or been harvested. But the timing of the current, so-called “second generation”—an even more massive wave—is especially worrisome. That’s because East Africa’s primary growing season begins around mid-March, and the emerging plants are particularly vulnerable to locusts, says Anastasia Mbatia, the technical manager of agriculture at Farm Africa, a charity that works with farmers, pastoralists, and forest communities in East Africa. “When [locusts] feed on the germinating leaves, the crop cannot grow,” she says. “Farmers would need to sow seeds again.” But a second planting in the weeks ahead likely would not be successful, as the best growing weather has already passed. Spraying for relief To stem the explosion of locusts, governments often spray pesticides—either from the air or directly on the ground. FAO’s Ferrand says sourcing such chemicals during the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenge. “We have had delays in supply. That means managing the [pesticide stocks] today is a very different reality because there are fewer planes moving globally,” he says. Desert locusts tend to fly during the daytime and roost in the evening. Lemasulani says he tries to locate them in the afternoons, so pesticide sprayers have the best chance of finding them. Photograph by David Chancellor, National Geographic Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Even more difficult in places such as Kenya that have little experience with gigantic locust invasions is deciding where to spray. Depending on the winds, which largely determine locust flight patterns, a swarm might travel 80 miles in a day. (In 1988, desert locusts were found to have crossed from West Africa to the Caribbean in just 10 days .) To chase down these highly mobile swarms, the FAO is relying increasingly on information provided by local people, including Lemasulani, who began voluntarily tracking locust swarms in January. Drawing on an extensive network of contacts who call him when they spot pockets of the insects, Lemasulani hires motorbike taxis to speed him to swarms. When he finds them, he enters their coordinates in a mobile phone app called elocust3m that was released in late February by David Hughes and his colleagues at Penn State University’s PlantVillage program, an open access public resource for smallholder farmers. Hughes developed the app at the request of the FAO, whose field staff have operated a similar tracking program on specialized tablets since 2014 . The data are then shared with the government, which can decide how best to react. Until recently, when PlantVillage began paying him a stipend to cover his transport and telephone costs, Lemasulani paid for his locust scouting out of his own pocket. (His travels have been exempted from COVID-19 restrictions, as are training sessions for new elocust3m volunteers—residents in areas where swarms are expected—who nonetheless must wear masks and stay six feet apart.) As Lemasulani wraps a red shawl around his shoulders to protect himself from the rain that has begun to fall outside his home, he says over video chat, “I come from a poor family background and got sponsored by the Catholic church in Oldonyiro though my primary and high school years. I was sponsored by a person I have never met. There is no way I can pay my sponsor back, but I feel noble giving back to my community.” Share

Insect Disaster

Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, belched smoke and ashes in a new eruption on Tuesday

ROME (AFP) - Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes, belched smoke and ashes in a new eruption on Tuesday (Feb 16), but Italian authorities said it posed no danger to the surrounding villages. "We've seen worse," the head of the INGV National Institute for Geophysics and Vulcanology in the nearby city of Catania, Stefano Branco, told Italian news agency AGI. Estimating that the eruption from Etna's southeastern crater began late on Tuesday afternoon, Branco insisted that the latest burst of activity was "not at all worrying". Nevertheless, with small stones and ashes raining down, authorities decided to close Catania's international airport. The emergency authorities said on their Twitter account that they were monitoring the situation closely in the three villages at the foot of the volcano - Linguaglossa, Fornazzo and Milo. Images showed a spectacular rose-coloured plume of ashes above the snow-capped summit, but the cloud had largely dissipated by nightfall, while lava flows continued to glow. At 3,324 metres, Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe and has erupted frequently in the past 500,000 years.

Volcano Eruption

A dam collapse in Brazil

Updated on: January 27, 2019 / 1:16 AM / AP Brumadinho, Brazil - Hope that loved ones had survived a tsunami of iron ore mine waste from a dam collapse in Brazil was turning to anguish and anger over the increasing likelihood that many of the hundreds of people missing had died. By Saturday night, when authorities called off rescue efforts until day break, the death toll stood at 40 dead with up to 300 people estimated to be missing. Throughout the day, helicopters flew low over areas buried by mud and firefighters worked to get to structures by digging. "I'm angry. There is no way I can stay calm," said Sonia Fatima da Silva, as she tried to get information about her son, who had worked at Vale mining company for 20 years. "My hope is that they be honest. I want news, even if it's bad." Da Silva said she last spoke to her son before he went to work on Friday, when around midday a dam holding back mine waste collapsed, sending waves of mud for kilometers (miles) and burying much in its path. Employees of the mining complex owned and operated by Brazilian mining company Vale were eating lunch Friday afternoon when the dam gave way. Throughout Saturday, scores of families in the city of Brumadinho desperately awaited word on their loved ones as Romeu Zema, governor of Minas Gerais state, said that at this point most recovery efforts would entail pulling out bodies. The flow of waste reached the nearby community of Vila Ferteco and an occupied Vale administrative office. On Saturday, rooftops poked above an extensive field of the mud, which also cut off roads. After the dam collapse, some were evacuated from Brumadinho. Other residents of the affected areas barely escaped with their lives. "I saw all the mud coming down the hill, snapping the trees as it descended. It was a tremendous noise," said a tearful Simone Pedrosa, from the neighborhood of Parque Cachoeira, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from where the dam collapsed. Pedrosa, 45, and her parents dashed to their car and drove to the highest point in the neighborhood. "If we had gone down the other direction, we would have died," Pedrosa said. "I cannot get that noise out of my head," she said. "It's a trauma ... I'll never forget." In addition to the 40 bodies recovered as of Saturday night, 23 people were hospitalized, said authorities with the Minas Gerais fire department. There had been some signs of hope earlier Saturday when authorities found 43 more people alive. The company said in a statement Saturday that while 100 workers were accounted for, more than 200 workers were still missing. Fire officials at one point estimated the total number at close to 300. Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman said he did not know what caused the collapse. About 300 employees were working when it happened. For many, hope was evaporating. "I don't think he is alive," said Joao Bosco, speaking of his cousin, Jorge Luis Ferreira, who worked for Vale. "Right now, I can only hope for a miracle of God." Vanilza Sueli Oliveira described the wait for news of her nephew as "distressing, maddening." "Time is passing," she said. "It's been 24 hours already. ... I just don't want to think that he is under the mud." The rivers of mining waste also raised fears of widespread contamination. According to Vale's website, the waste, often called tailings, is composed mostly of sand and is non-toxic. However, a U.N. report found that the waste from a similar disaster in 2015 "contained high levels of toxic heavy metals." Over the weekend, state courts and the justice ministry in the state of Minas Gerais ordered the freezing of about $1.5 billion from Vale assets for state emergency services and told the company to present a report about how they would help victims. Brazil's Attorney General Raquel Dodge promised to investigate, saying "someone is definitely at fault." Dodge noted there are 600 mines in the state of Minas Gerais alone that are classified as being at risk of rupture. Another dam administered by Vale and Australian mining company BHP Billiton collapsed in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the same state of Minas Gerais, resulting in 19 deaths and forcing hundreds from their homes. Considered the worst environmental disaster in Brazilian history, it left 250,000 people without drinking water and killed thousands of fish. An estimated 60 million cubic meters of waste flooded rivers and eventually flowed into the Atlantic Ocean. Schvartsman said what happened Friday was "a human tragedy much larger than the tragedy of Mariana, but probably the environmental damage will be less." Sueli de Oliveira Costa, who hadn't heard from her husband since Friday, had harsh words for the mining company. "Vale destroyed Mariana and now they've destroyed Brumadinho," she said. Daily Folha de S.Paulo reported Saturday that the dam's mining complex was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to "decreased risk." Preservation groups in the area alleged that the approval was unlawful. On Twitter, President Jair Bolsonaro said his government would do everything it could to "prevent more tragedies" like Mariana and now Brumadinho. The far-right leader campaigned on promises to jump-start Brazil's economy, in part by deregulating mining and other industries. Environmental groups and activists said the latest spill underscored a lack of regulation, and many promised to fight any further deregulation. Da Silva summed up what many felt by saying the accident was clearly "negligence." "This could have been avoided if the company had taken the necessary precautions after the tragedy of Mariana three years ago," she said.

Mine Collapses

President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order to withdraw from the negotiating process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

(CNN) -- President Donald Trump on Monday will start to unravel the behemoth trade deal he inherited from his predecessor, as two sources familiar with the matter told CNN he plans to sign an executive order to withdraw from the negotiating process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That executive order will send signals to Democrats and leaders in foreign capitals around the world that Trump's rhetoric on trade during the campaign is turning into action. Trump vowed during the campaign to withdraw the US from the Pacific trade deal, commonly known as TPP, which he argued was harmful to American workers and manufacturing. The TPP was negotiated under former President Barack Obama, but never ratified by Congress, so withdrawing from it will not have an immediate, real effect on US economic policies, although it does signal a new and very different US outlook on trade under Trump. Two other sources told CNN that other executive orders planned for Monday included reinstating the Mexico City abortion rules and instituting a five-year lobbying ban for anyone who works in administration. The executive order on TPP is expected to be the first Trump will issue Monday, a senior White House official said, and will amount to the administration's first major action on foreign policy. Trump's action comes as the President is looking to change the conversation after a rocky first weekend at the White House, during which, he and his officials feuded with the press and his presidency was greeted with massive protests in the nation's capital and in large cities across the US. The executive action will be just one part of the Trump administration's efforts to focus attention on its plans to radically reshape US trade policies, making good on a central premise of Trump's campaign and its economic nationalist underbelly. Trump on Monday will also meet with union leaders and blue-collar workers several hours after signing the executive order, as well as separate meetings with business leaders. As the Republican nominee, Trump railed against free trade agreements he argued were lopsided against the US and vowed to implement more protectionist trade policies as president, rallying voters to the polls with his "America First" slogan. Trump has also threatened to impose trade tariffs as a way to revive American manufacturing and compel US companies not to take their manufacturing operations abroad. Obama's administration worked with the 11 countries that became signatories for more than two years to formulate the massive free trade deal that was set to reshape commerce throughout the Pacific Rim, triggering movement among multinational companies in the region at the same time. Trump's election swiftly dealt a death knell -- one formalized on Monday -- to the deal, sending shockwaves in Asian capitals that had pinned their economic hopes on the deal. Trump's decision to withdraw the US from TPP is also a first step in the administration's efforts to amass a governing coalition to push the new President's agenda, one that includes the blue-collar workers who defected from Democrats and flocked to Trump's candidacy in November. The move could also put many Democrats -- particularly those who opposed the trade deal -- in a tricky position as they look to hold on to union support, a key constituency in their political coalition. Obama struggled to sell many Democrats on the trade deal, in particular because of concerns about how the trade deal would impact American manufacturers and the US workers in that industry. Even Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee who pushed the TPP deal as secretary of state, backed off her support for the deal during the campaign amid pressure from the left. Democrats with heavy union worker constituencies will either need to get on board with Trump's protectionist trade policies or risk losing reelection. Republican leaders, many of whom supported the TPP trade deal and free trade more broadly, will also be pressed to react Monday -- reactions that could show daylight between top Republicans on Capitol Hill and the White House on a top policy issue. Trump has said that he also plans to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, a free trade deal joining the US, Mexico and Canada.

Withdraw from an Organization

Garnock Court fire

The Garnock Court fire was a fire that took place on 11 June 1999 at Garnock Court, a 14-storey block of flats in Irvine, Scotland, which resulted in one fatality. The fire spread via the external cladding, reaching the 12th floor within ten minutes of the start of the fire, destroying flats on nine floors. [1] A disabled pensioner, William Linton, believed to be in his 80s, dropped his lit cigarette which caused the blaze. He was later found dead. Four people were taken to University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation. [2] The block was owned by North Ayrshire Council, who ordered the precautionary removal of plastic cladding and PVC window frames. [1] There was a Scottish select committee review that reported in January 2000, and this led to the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, which introduced the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 which came into force on 1 May 2005. [1] This act includes this mandatory regulation:[1] Every building must be designed and constructed in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire within the building, or from an external source, the spread of fire on the external walls of the building is inhibited.

Fire

St. Anthony's Hospital fire

St. Anthony's Hospital fire was a disaster that occurred on April 4, 1949[1] in Effingham, Illinois. The disaster killed 74 people at the hospital. It is used as a prime example of possible fire hazards hospitals could and can have. [2] St. Anthony's Hospital in Effingham, Illinois, was operated by the Sisters of St. Francis, who lived in a convent next door. The about 100-bed hospital was constructed mainly out of wood and brick. [3] Parts of the building dated back to 1876. By 1949 the facility was completely outdated. It contained open corridors and staircases. Many walls and ceilings were covered with oilcloth fabrics and combustible soundproof tiles. The building lacked sprinklers as well as fire detection and alarm systems. Shortly before midnight on April 4, 1949, a fire broke out at St. Anthony's Hospital. It spread rapidly through the building because of the open construction of the building and the combustible building materials. One of the victims; Frank Ries, was alerted about the fire shortly after it was detected after a hospital switchboard operator, Sister Anastasia Groesch, telephoned him to the hospital. He was called prior to the fire department and attempted to extinguish the fire by spraying a fire extinguisher down the laundry chute on each floor. [4] The fire had been reported to Sister Groesch by Sister Mary Edmunda Hiersig, who reported that she smelled smoke in the first floor around 11:30 pm as she was going off duty. [5] There were 116 patients and ten staff on duty when the fire started. Many of them were trapped on the upper floors by the rapid spread of the fire. These included eleven newborn infants in the nursery and the nurse who stayed behind with them. [6] Many who were on the first floor were able to either walk out or escape via low windows, however many who jumped to escape from the fire from the second or third floors had long lasting injuries. [7] Others were rescued by doctors and nurses who returned into the building multiple times until they were overcome by the fire or their injuries and unable to return into the building. [8] The twenty-six men and three pumpers of the Effingham Volunteer Fire Department were under prepared for the rapidly spreading fire, that had already burned through the building roof within ten minutes of the fires being detected and the department arriving. The department was small and only had three pumping engines and no ladder trucks or other equipment to rescue patients trapped on the second or third floors. [8] Eleven mutual aid departments also responded. A total of 74 people died, including patients, nurses, nuns, a priest and Frank Ries, the hospital engineer who ran into the flames to try to rescue his wife. [9] A historian for the Effingham County Museum stated that about 88% of the victims were either female or under the age of 12 years-old. [7] The Red Cross set up an inquiry bureau in the town to help victims and survivors family and friends identify and locate them. Blood plasma, blankets and other medical and relief supplies were also donated to victims by the Red Cross. [10] Funds were raised to build a new hospital, through a letter campaign which sent about 293,500 letters that referenced the death of Nurse Fern Riley. Within two weeks the campaign raised $300,000 and ended with a total of $563,000 by the end of the summer. [11] The cause of the fire remains unknown. However, investigators quickly identified the many safety deficiencies at St. Anthony's Hospital. In response to the fire, Governor Adlai Stevenson ordered the evaluation of all the hospitals in the state to identify and mitigate fire hazards. [7] The impact of the fire went beyond Illinois as hospitals across the United States made many of the fire protection improvements that are standard today. Coordinates: 39°7′32.3″N 88°33′2.5″W / 39.125639°N 88.550694°W / 39.125639; -88.550694

Fire

Death toll in Brazil mining disaster reaches 84

The list of the number of people missing in the disaster was pared from 279 to 276 on Tuesday, Efe news reported. RIO DE JANEIRO: Nineteen more bodies have been found amid the sludge of mine waste, mud and water that buried homes and vehicles in the Brazilian town of Brumadinho when a tailings dam failed last week, raising the death toll from the tragedy to 84, authorities said. The list of the number of people missing in the disaster was pared from 279 to 276 on Tuesday, Efe news reported. The spokesman for the Minas Gerais state fire department, Lt. Pedro Aihara, said that three of the bodies were found among the wreckage of a bus submerged by last Friday`s spill. The mine in Brumadinho is owned by Brazil`s Vale, the world`s largest iron-ore producer. Two other bodies were found in an area which according to experts was the most likely spot for finding the remains of people who were having lunch in the complex`s cafeteria at the time of the tragedy. Most of the victims were Vale employees. Experts managed to identify 41 of the 84 sets of remains found so far. Firefighters said that since they began searching for victims they have managed to rescue 192 people alive and to locate 391 who initially had been considered missing. Five people were arrested on charges of altering the safety audit of the tailings dam. Out of them, two were engineers who did not work directly for Vale but rather for a subsidiary of German company TUV SUD, hired by the mining company. The other three people were employed directly by Vale and were taken into custody in Belo Horizonte, capital of Minas Gerais. Vale has been hit with two fines: One from the Brazilian Environmental Institute for 250 milllion reais ($67.5 million) and the other from the Minas Gerais state government for 99 million reais ($26.7 million). The courts also froze 12 billion reais ($3.18 billion) of Vale funds. The federal government also ordered inspections of all mining dams in the country.

Mine Collapses

1987 Alianza Lima plane crash

The 1987 Alianza Lima air disaster occurred on 8 December 1987, when a Peruvian Navy Fokker F27-400M chartered by Peruvian football club Alianza Lima crashed into the Pacific Ocean seven miles from Jorge Chávez International Airport near the city of Callao. Of the 44 people on board, only the pilot survived. The Peruvian Naval Aviation Commission investigated the accident and created a report but never officially disclosed its content. Eventually, the Navy's accident report was discovered and details of it were released. In the report, investigators cited pilot error as the primary cause of the accident. Alianza was scheduled to play a football match against Deportivo Pucallpa and had organized a charter aircraft, provided by the Air Services branch of the Peruvian Navy for the trip to Pucallpa and back. After the game the aircraft departed Pucallpa at 6:30 p.m. with Peruvian Navy Lieutenant Edilberto Villar as the pilot in command, César Morales as copilot, four cabin crewmembers and 38 players, staff and team supporters. [1] The flight was uneventful until the crew began their descent into Lima. Upon lowering the landing gear, the left and right main gear displayed green lights, indicating down and locked, but the nose gear did not. Villar requested that Morales consult the flight manual for the proper procedure to follow. The manual was written in English and because Morales's foreign language skill was poor he read out the wrong procedure. The crew requested a fly-by of the control tower so that observers could confirm that the nose gear was down. Using binoculars the observers confirmed that the airplane was configured for landing and the crew brought the aircraft around for another attempt at a landing. While over water the aircraft flew too low and the right wing struck the surface of the ocean as the aircraft was lining up with the runway, 11.1 km (6.9 mi) northwest of the airport. The airliner broke up on impact and the forward fuselage sank. [2][1][3] The aircraft involved was a Fokker F27-400M Friendship, registration AE-560. The airliner, with serial number 10548, had first flown in 1977 and had logged a total of 5,908 hours. [1] Alianza lost the majority of its team as a result of the accident. Notable passengers on the flight included:[4] The pilot and sole survivor Villar was able to exit the aircraft from a hole in the fuselage and ascend to the surface where he was joined by footballer Alfredo Tomasini. Villar was able to trap air in some clothing to use as a flotation devise. Tomasini was suffering from a broken leg and other injuries. The pilot and athlete floated together for hours but near sunrise the two became separated in the choppy waters and Tomasini drowned. Shortly after dawn, search and rescue teams discovered the aircraft tail section floating and rescued Villar after more than 11 hours in the water. [5] The accident was announced to a stunned community and over the next several days some bodies were recovered from the sea. [6] Following the crash the Peruvian Navy refused to make any statements concerning the cause of the accident. The Peruvian Naval Aviation Commission allowed no private investigations to take place and began its own investigation. An accident report was made but not released to the public. [6] In 2006 producers working on a story for Peruvian television program La Ventana Indiscreta uncovered the Navy report which had been illegally locked in a Florida deposit box for 18 years. The investigation cited the pilot's lack of night flying experience, the co-pilots misreading of the emergency procedures related to the landing gear issue, and the aircraft's poor mechanical condition as contributing factors to the accident. [3][6] According to the report, dated February 1988, Lieutenant Villar had logged just 5.3 hours of night flying in the 90 days preceding the accident, 3.3 of them in the previous 60 days, and had not flown at night in at least 30 days before the crash. The copilot, First Lieutenant César Morales, had logged only one hour of night flying in the 90 days preceding the accident, half an hour in the preceding 60 days, and had also not flown at night in at least 30 days. Additionally, the F27's maintenance log, which was handed to the pilot before takeoff, showed a series of mechanical defects including lacking an inertial guidance system, poor UHF radio performance, a VOR receiving unit with inadequate reception, a malfunctioning radar altimeter and a worn front landing gear indicator light switch. Lieutenant Villar initially refused to fly the aircraft out of concern for its condition. [3][1][6] In a letter from the Fokker aircraft company, dated October 16, 1986, the manufacturer noted that Lieutenant Villar had failed a special training course which could have prevented “his disorientation while operating under pressure, the excessive demand of work in a cabin”, but was granted permission to fly the aircraft regardless. Copilot César Morales had received no flight training from Fokker. [3][7][6]

Air crash

May 2004 Caribbean floods

The May 2004 Caribbean floods were a flood event that took place in the Caribbean Islands, mainly Hispaniola and some parts of Northern Puerto Rico from May 18, 2004 to May 25, 2004. [1] The storm caused significant rainfall, with over 9.7 inches of rain falling at the most in Haiti, and 10 inches falling at the most in the Dominican Republic. [2] These floods were caused by over two weeks of persistent rain in the Caribbean area, which eventually caused the landslides that killed many people. [3] The floods caused much damage in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with over 1,300 homes being destroyed and about 2,000 people being killed. [2] Due to this destruction, nearly 15,000 people were displaced with nowhere to live. [4] The area that felt the worst of the flooding was the town of Jimaní, near the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. [5] In fact, the destruction present at Jimaní was so bad that Dominican president Hipolito Mejia declared a national day of mourning after seeing the effects of the storm. [4] A broad low pressure area developed over Central America on May 19, accompanied by heavy rainfall. [6] The system drifted eastward into the Caribbean Sea,[7] and by May 23 was located in the central Caribbean, producing rainfall across Jamaica, eastern Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Upper-level winds prevented tropical cyclogenesis of the system. [8] However, the low had characteristics of a subtropical cyclone, with a closed atmospheric circulation and extensive convection extending to the northeast of the system. The interaction between the low and a high pressure area over the southwestern Atlantic Ocean produced winds of around 25 mph (40 km/h) across the region. [7] The system moved slowly across the Greater Antilles. [7] By early on May 24, the low was located south of Haiti and was interacting with a tropical wave. [9] Later that day, the system moved over southwestern Haiti,[10] crossing into the Bahamas by May 25. [11] Later that day, the National Hurricane Center briefly noted the possibility of the system developing into a tropical cyclone, noting its well-defined circulation. Although there was a lack of convection near the center, there was a potential for the shear to diminish. [12] However, by late on May 26, the system no longer had a chance for development after it began moving quickly to the northeast. [13] By May 27, the system was located about 190 mi (305 km) east of Bermuda, connected to a trough that extended to Hispaniola. [14]

Floods

Sainthia train collision

The Sainthia train collision occurred on 19 July 2010, at the Sainthia Junction railway station in Sainthia, India, when the Uttar Banga Express[1][2][3] collided with the Vananchal Express as it was leaving the platform. 66 people died as a result of the accident,[4] and 165 people were reported injured. [5] The collision occurred 191 km from Howrah at 02:00 am (IST) when the Uttar Banga Express, travelling from New Cooch Behar to Sealdah, hit the Bhagalpur – Ranchi Vananchal Express which was just leaving Sainthia railway station. The impact destroyed the 3 rear compartments of the Vananchal Express. Injured people were sent to hospitals in Sainthia and Suri. [5] A need for much faster response to such accidents has been expressed by the Home Minister. [6] Railway officials initially described how there may have been something wrong with the drivers of the Uttar Banga Express, detailing how the train had passed through a red signal at high speed, with no evidence of a brake application and with no apparent attempt by the driver or co-driver to jump clear of the train cab before the collision. Both were found dead in the wreckage, still in their seats. [7] The possibility of the two drivers of Uttar Banga Express being drugged had triggered alarm in the railways. [8] However, the post mortem of the drivers at the Suri hospital did not show any evidence of drugs. [9] As a precaution, drivers and guards have been asked not to buy any food or drink at stations. [8] Sainthia railway station was a scheduled stop for the express, but the train is believed to have passed over a bridge 1.2 km before the accident at three times the line speed. [10] The crew had taken charge of the train at Malda Town 5 hours before the accident, and had appeared fit and well to station staff during a previous unscheduled stop at Gadadharpur, 7 km ahead of the accident site. [11] The signalman in-charge at the station claimed to have heard the station master trying to alert the driver of the Uttar Banga Express via walkie-talkie, but got no response. [12] The enquiry has found no fault with the train's brakes[10] although, the guard, when questioned said that he had applied the emergency brake after the driver did not respond to him on the walkie-talkie, but the brake failed. [13] Also there was no signal failure, the approach signal was red. [10] Probable causal factors found are the drugging of the drivers and not setting a diversion route when the Vananchal Express was standing at the platform. [8] It was too late to operate points and divert the train when the Uttar Banga Express was seen. [11] The driver of the Vananchal Express, said that "even though the green signal was given at 1.54am, we could start the train only at 2.01am because we had not received any signal from the guard". [8] Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced compensation of a total of ₹500,000 for the dead, ₹100,000 for the seriously injured, and ₹25,000 for minor injuries. [14]

Train collisions

Air India Flight 403 crash

Air India Flight 403 was a scheduled Air India passenger flight that crashed at Sahar International Airport in Bombay, India on 21 June 1982. It was likely caused by miscalculated altitude in a heavy rainstorm. On 21 June 1982, Air India Flight 403, a Boeing 707–437 (registered VT-DJJ) named Gauri Shankar, arriving from Kuala Lumpur International Airport via Madras (now Chennai), crashed after a hard landing during a rainstorm. [1] The fuselage exploded after starting a late go-around. Of 111 occupants on the aircraft, 2 of 12 crew members and 15 of 99 passengers were killed. [2][3] The Indian board of inquiry determined the probable cause of the crash to be "Deliberate reduction of engine power by the pilot 12 seconds prior to first impact due to altitude unawareness resulting in a high rate of descent, very heavy landing and the undershooting of the aircraft by 1300 feet. "[4] This article about an aviation accident is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Air crash

Adele Agrees to Shared Custody in Simon Konecki Divorce, Neither Will Pay Spousal Support

According to documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 10, both the Grammy winner, 32, and Konecki, 46, decided to waive “the right to seek or obtain any spousal support from the other party.” The exes also agreed to joint legal and physical custody of their 8-year-old son, Angelo. The “Hometown Glory” artist went public with her romance with the Drop4Drop charity CEO in January 2012. They called it quits in April 2019 after they quietly tied the knot one year earlier. At the time, a rep for Adele told Us that the pair were “committed to raising their son together lovingly,” despite their split. A source later revealed that over time, the twosome “became more like friends than lovers” and “realized the romantic love was no longer there.” Adele officially filed for divorce five months after her breakup made headlines, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Adele and Simon Konecki Admedia/Sipa/Shutterstock; John Connor Press/Shutterstock Us exclusively confirmed in January that the former couple reached a settlement in their divorce, choosing to determine rights to community property and debts through mediation. A judge signed off on the paperwork two months later. Read article Adele’s relationship status isn’t the only thing to go through big changes. The “Chasing Pavements” singer debuted her dramatic weight loss while attending Drake ‘s 33rd birthday party in October 2019 and confessed to a fan on vacation two months later that she had dropped “around 100 pounds.” By the time she rang in her 32nd birthday in May 2020, the British musician’s transformation had become even more significant. Adele celebrated the big day in a little black dress after teaming up with personal trainer Pete Geracimo on her wellness journey. “I just kept things real with her,” Geracimo told Us exclusively of his routine with the “Set Fire to the Rain” singer. “When we had low days, I would alter the workout so that it would ease her into training, get her mind off of what was bugging her and then, before you knew it, we were having a good session and working hard. … As she warmed to the idea of training, she started getting competitive and this created the momentum to wanting to improve her performance from session to session.” Read article The fitness expert “loved watching her transform with each session” and seeing her “really get into the challenges” he set up each day. “The funny thing is, I never treated her any differently than I would any of my other clients,” Geracimo said. “I don’t get starstruck and just trained her as if she was not famous. I loved her sense of humor and we’d laugh a lot of the time.” Listen to Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood as each week the editors of Us break down the hottest entertainment news stories!

Famous Person - Divorce

Pink offers to pay fine issued to Norway's beach handball players for not wearing bikini bottoms

Pink offers to pay fine issued to Norway's beach handball players for not wearing bikini bottoms Follow our live coverage for the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic Pop star Pink has offered to pay the 1,500 euro ($2,407) fine handed to Norway's beach handball team after the women wore bike shorts instead of bikini bottoms at a European championship match.  The European Handball Federation (EHF) said in a statement the shorts worn by the players during the match against Spain in Bulgaria were "not according to the Athlete Uniform Regulations". On Twitter, singer Pink said she was willing to pay for the team's penalty, which was 150 euros per player.  "I’m very proud of the Norwegian female beach handball team for protesting the very sexist rules about their 'uniform'," she wrote.  "The European Handball Federation should be fined for sexism. Good on ya, ladies. I'll be happy to pay for your fines. Keep it up."  The EHF's decision to penalise the team met with criticism from Norwegian Sports Minister Abid Raja, who described it on Twitter as "completely ridiculous", saying the sporting body did not understand equality. He thanked Pink for her offer and said a letter was sent to all Nordic sports ministers for a joint statement "to support our women".  The team responded to support for their uniform choice on Instagram, saying it would continue to fight for equality in sport. Team member Thea Granlund said in a post: "We have shown the whole world that it is possible to play beach handball with shorts!"  Another player, Martine Welfler, said: "This is an important battle, and I'm very proud to be part of this." After the criticism, the EHF said the negative reactions to the penalty were based on "disinformation on the procedure".  It said the issue of female uniforms would be discussed in a meeting in August, but the Norwegian team went ahead with their decision to wear shorts. "The matter was already discussed at the EHF Congress in April 2021 upon a motion of the Norwegian Handball Federation," an online statement read. "The 50 EHF Member Federations including the Norwegian Handball Federation, and in the presence of the President of the International Handball Federation (IHF), decided that the newly elected Beach Handball Commission at their first meeting in August will deal with the topic and will table suggestions which subsequently can be presented to the International Handball Federation." "Such a motion has to be addressed to the IHF Council due to formal reasons." "The Norwegian Handball Federation did not table any motion to the IHF since April 2021, therefore, the foreseen steps apply."  We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Organization Fine

1829 Muckle Spate

The Muckle Spate was a great flood in August 1829, which devastated much of Strathspey, in the north east of Scotland. (Muckle is a word for 'much' or 'great', chiefly used in North East England and Scotland. [2]) It began raining on the evening of 2 August 1829, and continued into the next day when a thunderstorm broke over the Cairngorms. To the south, the River Dee rose rapidly above its normal level - 15 ft (4.6 m) in places (27 ft at Banchory). [3] The Rivers Nairn, Findhorn, Lossie and Spey were affected, to the north. [4] As well as flooding, many bridges were washed away, including those over the Linn of Dee and Linn of Quoich. The original Mar Lodge was affected. Carrbridge's most famous landmark, the old bridge, built in 1717,[5] from which the village is named was severely damaged and left in the condition we see today. Homes were lost in Kingston, Moray, a small village on the Moray Firth coast, at the mouth of the River Spey. Five Findhorn fishing boats rescued residents trapped by the floods on the plain of Forres. [6] Across the north-east between six and eight individuals lost their lives, 22 bridges and 60 houses were destroyed and 600 families were made homeless. [7][1] The Muckle Spate is remembered in a poem of the same name by David Grant, written circa 1851, describing the effect on the parish of Strachan. [8] The spate was a natural disaster unparalleled in the historic record of the north-east of Scotland described as one of "the most severe catastrophic floods in modern UK history". [1] Based on the eyewitness accounts recorded by Sir Thomas Dick Lauder it has been possible to estimate peak flows down the main river of up to 1,484 m3/sec and 451 m3/sec on its tributary the Divie. [1] It is at Randolph's Leap that the Findhorn river is at its most spectacular in spate. Here there are two markers indicating the height the river reached in 1829 and it is said that the butler at nearby Relugas caught a salmon 50 feet (15 m) above the normal river level in his umbrella. [9] This article about a flood is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This Scottish history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Floods

Occupy movement

Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest movement against economic inequality that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district, in September 2011. [7] It gave rise to the wider Occupy movement in the United States and other countries. The Canadian anti-consumerist and pro-environment group/magazine Adbusters initiated the call for a protest. The main issues raised by Occupy Wall Street were social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government—particularly from the financial services sector. The OWS slogan, "We are the 99%", refers to income and wealth inequality in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. To achieve their goals, protesters acted on consensus-based decisions made in general assemblies which emphasized redress through direct action over the petitioning to authorities. [8][nb 1] The protesters were forced out of Zuccotti Park on November 15, 2011. Protesters then turned their focus to occupying banks, corporate headquarters, board meetings, foreclosed homes, and college and university campuses. The original protest was called for by Kalle Lasn and others of Adbusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist publication, who conceived of a September 17 occupation in Lower Manhattan. The first such proposal appeared on the Adbusters website on February 2, 2011, under the title "A Million Man March on Wall Street. "[9] Lasn registered the OccupyWallStreet.org web address on June 9. [10] The website has since been taken down. In a blog post on July 13, 2011,[11] Adbusters proposed a peaceful occupation of Wall Street to protest corporate influence on democracy, the lack of legal consequences for those who brought about the global crisis of monetary insolvency, and an increasing disparity in wealth. [12] The protest was promoted with an image featuring a dancer atop Wall Street's iconic Charging Bull statue. [13][14][15] Individuals associated with Anonymous created a video encouraging its supporters to take part in the protests. [16] The U.S. Day of Rage, a group that organized to protest "corporate influence [that] corrupts our political parties, our elections, and the institutions of government", also joined the movement. [17][18] The protest itself began on September 17; a Facebook page for the demonstrations began two days later on September 19 featuring a YouTube video of earlier events. By mid-October, Facebook listed 125 Occupy-related pages. [19] The original location for the protest was One Chase Manhattan Plaza, with Bowling Green Park (the site of the "Charging Bull") and Zuccotti Park as alternate choices. Police discovered this before the protest began and fenced off two locations; but they left Zuccotti Park, the group's third choice, open. Since the park was private property, police could not legally force protesters to leave without being requested to do so by the property owner. [20][21] At a press conference held the same day the protests began, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg explained, "people have a right to protest, and if they want to protest, we'll be happy to make sure they have locations to do it. "[18] More recent prototypes for OWS include the British student protests of 2010, 2009-2010 Iranian election protests, the Arab Spring protests,[22] and, more closely related, protests in Chile, Greece, Spain and India. Occupy Wall Street, in turn, gave rise to the Occupy movement in the United States. [23][24][25] The Occupy protesters' slogan "We are the 99%" referred to the income disparity in the US and economic inequality in general, which were main issues for OWS. It derives from a "We the 99%" flyer calling for OWS's second General Assembly in August 2011. The variation "We are the 99%" originated from a Tumblr page of the same name. [26][27] Huffington Post reporter Paul Taylor said the slogan was "arguably the most successful slogan since 'Hell no, we won't go!'" of the Vietnam War era, and that the vast majority of Americans saw the income gap as causing social friction. [26] The slogan was boosted by statistics which were confirmed by a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released in October 2011. [28] Income inequality and Wealth Inequality were focal points of the Occupy Wall Street protests. [34][35][36] This focus by the movement was studied by Arindajit Dube and Ethan Kaplan of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who noted that "... Only after it became increasingly clear that the political process was unable to enact serious reforms to address the causes or consequences of the economic crisis did we see the emergence of the OWS movement. "[37] OWS's goals included a reduction in the influence of corporations on politics,[39] more balanced distribution of income,[39] more and better jobs,[39] bank reform[25] (especially to curtail speculative trading by banks[40]), forgiveness of student loan debt[39][41] or other relief for indebted students,[42][43] and alleviation of the foreclosure situation. [44] Some media labeled the protests "anti-capitalist",[45] while others disputed the relevance of this label. [46] Some protesters favored a fairly concrete set of national policy proposals. [47][48] One OWS group that favored specific demands created a document entitled the 99 Percent Declaration,[49] but this was regarded as an attempt to "co-opt" the "Occupy" name,[50] and the document and group were rejected by the General Assemblies of Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Philadelphia. [50] During the occupation in Liberty Square, a declaration was issued with a list of grievances. The declaration stated that the "grievances are not all-inclusive". [51][52] The assembly was the main OWS decision-making body and used a modified consensus process, where participants attempted to reach consensus and then dropped to a 9/10 vote if consensus was not reached. Assembly meetings involved OWS working groups and affinity groups, and were open to the public for both attendance and speaking. [53] The meetings lacked formal leadership. Participants commented upon committee proposals using a process called a "stack", which is a queue of speakers that anyone can join. New York used a progressive stack, in which people from marginalized groups are sometimes allowed to speak before people from dominant groups. Facilitators and "stack-keepers" urge speakers to "step forward, or step back" based on which group they belong to, meaning that women and minorities often moved to the front of the line, while white men often had to wait for a turn to speak. [54][55] In addition to the over 70 working groups,[56] the organizational structure also includes "spokes councils", at which every working group can participate. [57] The People's Library at Occupy Wall Street was started a few days after the protest when a pile of books was left in a cardboard box at Zuccotti Park. The books were passed around and organized, and as time passed, it received additional books and resources from readers, private citizens, authors and corporations. [58] As of November 2011 the library had 5,554 books cataloged in LibraryThing and its collection was described as including some rare or unique articles of historical interest. [59] According to American Libraries, the library's collection had "thousands of circulating volumes", which included "holy books of every faith, books reflecting the entire political spectrum, and works for all ages on a huge range of topics. "[58] There were already libraries in the encampments of Spain[60] and Greece.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Mudslides Devastate Small Alaskan Town

Two people are missing a day after a massive landslide roared through the Alaskan coastal town of Haines amid record rains and wind gusts of up to 65 miles an hour. LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST: In southeast Alaska, climate change has meant more rain, warmer temperatures and melting permafrost. And those are perfect conditions for mudslides. Torrential downpours this week triggered several mudslides that have devastated the tiny town of Haines, Alaska. Claire Stremple reports from member station KHNS. CLAIRE STREMPLE, BYLINE: The mudslides washed out roads throughout town and they left a dark smear down the side of Mount Riley. Debris from destroyed homes floats in the sea below. (SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUSHING) STREMPLE: A Coast Guard helicopter left at dawn on Thursday to resume the search for two missing residents. A local business owner, David Simmons, had a home on the mountainside. His dad, Randall (ph), spoke to him about two hours before the mudslide. RANDALL: He called me and was letting me know that there's a lot of rain going on. And I said, thank God you're up in the hills. You're not down where the flooding is going to be. And I figured he was safe as could be. STREMPLE: A few hours later, Randall got a phone call. The house had been swept away. His son and his tenant, local elementary school teacher Jenae Larson, were missing. Search efforts were called off on Thursday at nightfall around 3 p.m. in Haines to resume at first light Friday. The slide was triggered by record-breaking rain that fell onto the snowpack, saturating the soil. De Anne Stevens is a lead geologist for the state of Alaska. She says there have been mudslides in this region for decades. But... DE ANNE STEVENS: What it seems to be happening, though, is that the frequency, possibly, may be - it functionally seems to be more common. STREMPLE: Only one road runs in and out of Haines. It leads to the closed Canadian border. Emergency supplies must come by boat or small plane. More rain is expected in the area for the next week.

Mudslides

Sydney anti-Islam film protests

On 15 September 2012, a protest against perceived anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims was held in Sydney, New South Wales. While the protest started peacefully, violent confrontations between police and protesters began when protesters reached the United States Consulate General. [2] In resulting clashes, six police officers and 19 protesters were injured. The violence was condemned by Australian political leaders, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Police arrested nine protesters in connection with the violence. [2] The protest, through Pitt Street pedestrian mall and Martin Place, temporarily shut down parts of the city, instilling fear in members of the public (interviewed by live television crews), and was later brought under control by police. The protest started at about midday when approximately 100 people gathered at the Sydney Town Hall before marching along George Street to Martin Place where the US Consulate is located. Conflict between the protesters and the police started when the former tried to enter the US Consulate. [1] The police used capsicum spray to push the protesters back from the consulate. According to one protester this aggravated the crowd, as many had brought their children. [3] The crowd then moved to Hyde Park, where around 300 people had gathered. [3] Further clashes erupted as police used capsicum spray on protesters who at times threw bottles at police. [4] Protesters chanted "Down, down USA"[1] and carried Sunni Islamist flags and signs saying, "Behead all those who insult the prophet", "Our dead are in paradise, your dead are in hell", "Shariah will dominate the world", and "Obama Obama, we love Osama" and threw bottles and objects retrieved from construction sites at police officers. The police responded by spraying capsicum spray into the crowd. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] Six police officers were injured of which two were hospitalized. [12] As the crowd started to leave Hyde Park near St James, Public Order and Riot Squad officers equipped with batons and riot shields had already been stationed at the park exit. [13] Protestors continued to throw stones, sticks and bottles at the police. Riot and mounted police pursued protesters down William Street towards Kings Cross. The already splintered crowd then broke up further, running through the back streets of Darlinghurst[13] with police chasing after them. [14] Police blocked several CBD streets, including the intersection of Martin Place and Castlereagh Street, parts of George Street and Market Street while protestors attempted to move through the city. Nine men were arrested. [15] Police continued to investigate the event using photographs published by news networks to identify people who attended the protest, stating that not all those caught on camera were guilty of offences, but might be able to help identify those who had acted violently. [16][17] The Counter Terrorism Squad reported that they had identified a number of men known to have criminal convictions, although not necessarily linked to terrorist groups. [17] Mohammed Issai Issaka was convicted for riot and assaulting police, and after losing an appeal, was jailed in April 2014. [18] Others received suspended sentences for affray and resisting arrest,[19] fines or good behaviour bonds[20][21] for offenses ranging from assault, damaging property,[22] to offensive language. The Australian reported that several of the protestors were carrying the black flags of an organisation described as al-Qa'ida sympathisers. [16] An unnamed Muslim leader was quoted in the paper as saying that the protest had been hijacked by a group known as "Sixth Pillar", the name being a reference to the "Five Pillars of Islam" with jihad being claimed by some to be the "sixth pillar of Islam". [16] The group may be linked to the controversial Sydney Sheikh Feiz Mohammed. [16] The Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, condemned the violence saying, "Violent protest is never acceptable - not today, not ever." The Premier of New South Wales, Barry O'Farrell, condemned the violence and promised to hold the perpetrators accountable, and that he was "delighted there has been such a strong statement by Islamic leaders and scholars". [23] The Federal Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, also condemned the use of violence and called on the perpetrators to be prosecuted. [24] Leaders of 25 Muslim organisations met on the Monday night and said that the protests over the film were "unacceptable and un-Islamic", and that they did not support even peaceful protest. [25] The Board of Imams Victoria met on 17 September to discuss strategies to prevent riots in Melbourne. [26] The President of the Australian National Imams Council emphasised the importance of correct education of the younger generation. The plan of the Board of Imams Victoria was that the same message of peace should be preached across Australia on Friday 21 September with parents being urged to stay at home with their children after Friday prayers. [26] Sheik Azeim urged all young Muslims in Australia to remember that they are Australians first, and that facilities such as schools, hospitals and the social security organisation Centrelink did not question whether they were Muslim. [26] An ABC Four Corners investigation "Plan of Attack" found that some leaders of the protest and prayers were involved in terrorist recruitment for ISIS and local planned terrorist operations. [27] Among those involved with terrorist links were Khaled Sharrouf and Mohamed Elomar. [28]

Protest_Online Condemnation

2011 Western Saharan protests

The 2011 Western Saharan protests began on 25 February 2011 as a reaction to the failure of police to prevent anti-Sahrawi looting in the city of Dakhla, Western Sahara, and blossomed into protests across the territory. They were related to the Gdeim Izik protest camp in Western Sahara established the previous fall, which had resulted in violence between Sahrawi activists and Moroccan security forces and supporters. The protests also purportedly drew inspiration from the Arab Spring and successful revolts in Tunisia and Egypt,[1] though according to some commentators, the Arab Spring proper did not reach Western Sahara. [2] No significant protests were reported beyond May 2011, though international media coverage of Western Sahara is incomplete at best. There is renewed calls for peaceful protests from the Polisario Front. [3] The Gdeim Izik protest camp was a protest camp in Western Sahara established on 9 October 2010 and lasting into November, with related incidents occurring in the aftermath of its dismantlement on 8 November. While protests were initially peaceful, they were later marked by clashes between civilians and security forces. On 25 February 2011, clashes were reported in Dakhla, the second largest city of Western Sahara. The unrest started late that night after the "Sea & Desert" Dakhla music festival concerts when, according to Sahrawi sources, "hundreds of Moroccan youths armed with sticks, swords, and Molotov cocktails attacked and looted Sahrawi houses, burning their cars". [4] The next day, hundreds of protesters gathered on the city center, protesting against police inaction on the previous night. They attacked government buildings, banks and shops using stones and gas cylinders, without police intervention. [5] The music festival was then suspended. [6] On the night, riots started again without police presence. On Friday, police were deployed in the streets to prevent new protests. [4] According to Mayor Hamid Shabar, "Separatist elements tried to take advantage of a quarrel that occurred among some youths late last Friday night/early Saturday morning in order to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere that this area enjoys." Official Moroccan press agency (MAP) reported that two civilians were intentionally run over by a four-wheel drive vehicle driven by protesters, and that 14 people were injured. [6] According to a Radio France International reporter, at least 100 people were injured, but many were afraid to go to the hospital for treatment. [5] On 2 March, a group of about 500 people, comprising old workers of Bu Craa, fishermen, vocational education student graduates, members of the dialogue committee of the Gdeim Izik camp and families of political prisoners, made a sit-in in front of the Mining and Energy Ministry in Laayoune; they asked for the release of all prisoners of conscience. The Moroccan security forces intervened then and dispersed the demonstration. [citation needed] According to the Polisario,[7][8][citation needed] between 13 and 68 people were injured during the intervention of the Police, including three people carrying Spanish citizenship. [9] On 8 April, families of "political prisoners" held a new protest in the Moroccan-administered city in a bid to draw attention to the alleged poor treatment of Sahrawi detainees and call upon Moroccan authorities for their release, a Sahrawi human rights group said. The group also claimed that though police and intelligence officers kept a close watch on the vigil, protesters were nonviolent and no clashes erupted. Similar to major days of demonstration in other Arab states experiencing concurrent protests, the vigil was held on a Friday, though it was unclear if this was intentional on the part of protest organizers. [10] Later in the month, peaceful protests in Laayoune became tri-weekly events, taking place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, accompanying an "indefinite" sit-in held by unemployed university graduates outside of the Moroccan Ministry of Labour building in the city that started 20 April, according to several Sahrawi interest groups who spoke to media in mid-May. These groups also claimed other protests were being held in solidarity with Laayoune's activists in several more cities and towns in Western Sahara. However, these reports have not been independently verified. [11] A sit-in at the family home of a Sahrawi boy allegedly killed by Moroccan police was dispersed on 19 May, with 30 protesters left injured by security officers, pro-Sahrawi media reported. A handful of activists in Smara also started a sit-in and hunger strike to protest the suspension of their wages for visiting Polisario-administered refugee camps in the Algerian Sahara. [12] Protests were also reportedly held in Guelmim and Assa in southern Morocco proper to protest the death and arrest of several Sahrawi youth activists in late April, though Sahrawi sources claiming knowledge of these events did not specify when they took place and their reports could not be immediately verified by independent media or observers. [11] Media reported in February 2011 that Sahrawis were closely watching the Arab Spring, the popularly dubbed wave of pro-democracy, anti-government protests throughout North Africa and the Middle East that started in December 2010, and celebrated the downfall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution. Some Sahrawis called for organization in protest camps to replicate the events of the Egyptian uprising, though opinion was reportedly divided on whether they believed they could join forces with a protest movement in Morocco proper. [13] According to afrol News, the initial protest in Dakhla appeared to be an isolated reaction to the alleged violence of the night before,[4] though more organized demonstrations had apparently spread to El Aaiun and possibly throughout the territory by March and April. [10][11] While Foreign Policy reported in April that the Arab Spring seemed to have not had much effect in Western Sahara, with the international community not reacting strongly to the 2010 Sahrawi protests and the Moroccan security clampdown in early 2011,[2] Polisario Front official and president of the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic Mohamed Abdelaziz said in early April, "Like our brothers and sisters in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Bahrain, the Saharawi people just want a vote to freely decide their own future. It worked in South Sudan. It will work in Western Sahara too. "[14]

Protest_Online Condemnation

A robbery report about Wells Fargo bank

Just after 4:20 p.m. Monday, officers responded to Wells Fargo bank at 1800 Solano Ave. (at Modoc Street) for a robbery report, said Officer Byron White, BPD spokesman, in response to a Berkeleyside inquiry. The man entered the bank alone and demanded money, White said. He was described as a black man, 40-50 years old, 5’8″-5’9″ tall, wearing a gray shirt and blue sweatpants. White said no one was injured and no weapons were seen during the incident. SUBSCRIBE TO THE DAILY BRIEFING Don’t miss a story. Get Berkeleyside headlines delivered to your inbox. On Wednesday last week, police responded to one bank robbery at the Solano Avenue Mechanics Bank, which is in the same block as Wells Fargo, followed several hours later by a robbery at the downtown Berkeley Wells Fargo at 2144 Shattuck Ave. (at Center Street). White said police do not know whether the incidents are connected. Berkeley has consistently averaged about a robbery a day in recent years. In 2018, the most recent data available, Berkeley had three reported bank robberies during the entire year. That year, about 67% of the robberies were pedestrian robberies, while 30% were commercial. There were also six carjackings and five home-invasion robberies. Of all the robberies, about 63% involved no weapon while about 19% involved a firearm. So far this year, there have been at least 18 robberies in Berkeley through Jan. 23, according to CrimeMapping.com, a repository for basic police data. The BPD robbery detail can be reached at 510-981-5742. Berkeleyside relies on reader support so we can remain free to access for everyone in our community. Donate to help us continue to provide you with reliable, independent reporting.

Bank Robbery

2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup

The 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was an international association football tournament and the world championship for women's national teams under the age of 20, presented by Grant Connell, organized by the sport's world governing body FIFA. It was the seventh edition of the tournament, took place from 5–24 August 2014[1] in Canada, which was named the host nation for the tournament in conjunction with its successful bid for the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup. [2][3] Canada was the first country to stage this tournament twice, after hosting the inaugural edition in 2002. Germany beat Nigeria 1–0 after extra time in the final. Germany won its third title while Nigeria lost their second final. As in 2010, the rights to host the 2014 U-20 Women's World Cup were automatically awarded to the host of the following year's Women's World Cup. Two countries, Canada and Zimbabwe, initially bid to stage the events. However, on 1 March 2011, two days before the official voting was to take place, Zimbabwe withdrew, leaving Canada as the only bidder. [2] FIFA officially awarded the tournaments to Canada on 3 March 2011. [4] The slot allocation was approved by the FIFA Executive Committee in May 2012. [5][6] In July, all Nigeria teams became subject of a FIFA ban due to government interference with the national football association. The team faced exclusion from the tournament[8] until the ban was lifted nine days later. [9] On 2 June 2013, FIFA announced that Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal and Toronto would be the host cities for the tournament. [10] The first three cities had been previously announced as host cities for the 2015 Women's World Cup, along with Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. Toronto did not apply to host the 2015 tournament due to conflicts with the 2015 Pan American Games,[11] but does not face any such conflicts in 2014. Meanwhile, Ottawa indicated in late 2012 that it would not be able to participate in hosting the U-20 tournament due to construction delays on the Lansdowne Park redevelopment. [12] As was the case during the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, BMO Field in Toronto was known as the National Soccer Stadium during the tournament, due to FIFA policies regarding corporate sponsorship of stadiums. A total of 13 referees, 5 reserve referees, and 26 assistant referees were appointed by FIFA for the tournament. [13] Qin Liang Sachiko Yamagishi Ri Hyang-ok (reserve) Fang Yan Allyson Flynn Sarah May Yee Ho Liang Jianping Therese Sango Therese Neguel (reserve) Tempa Justine Fouti N'Da Trhas Gebreyohanis Quetzalli Alvarado Godinez Carol Anne Chenard Margaret Domka Michelle Pye (reserve) Marie-Josée Charbonneau Mayte Ivonne Chavez Garcia Marlene Duffy Suzanne Morisset Shirley Susana Perello Lopez Veronica Perez Jesica Salome Di Iorio Claudia Ines Umpierrez Rodriguez (reserve) Mariana Betina Corbo Odone Maria Eugenia Rocco Finau Vulivuli Jacqueline Stephenson Sarah Walker Kirsi Heikkinen Kateryna Monzul Esther Staubli Bibiana Steinhaus Carina Vitulano Katalin Kulcsár (reserve) Ella De Vries Anu Jokela Chrysoula Kourompylia Sian Massey Anna Nyström Tonja Paavola Yolando Pargo Rodriguez Lucie Ratajova Katrin Rafalski Marina Wozniak Each team named a squad of 21 players (three of whom must be goalkeepers) by the FIFA deadline. [6] The squads were announced by FIFA on 25 July 2014. [14] The final draw was held on 1 March 2014 in Montreal. [15] Confederation champions France, South Korea and United States were put in Pot 1 alongside the hosts Canada, who were automatically assigned to Position A1. The draw then made sure no teams of the same confederation could meet in the group stage. The schedule of the tournament was announced on 6 August 2013. [16] The winners and runners-up of each group advance to the quarter-finals. [6] The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows: If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings are determined as follows: All times are local:[17] The 5–5 draw by Germany and China tied the tournament record for most goals in a match and set a new record for highest scoring draw. [18] In the knockout stages, if a match is level at the end of normal playing time, extra time is played (two periods of 15 minutes each) and followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out to determine the winner, except for the third place match where no extra time is played as the match is played directly before the final. [6] The pairing Nigeria vs Germany is a repeat of the 2010 final which Germany won 2–0. Germany won their third title and joined USA in first place with three titles each. The following awards were given for the tournament:[19] Source: FIFA[20]

Sports Competition

Buddha Air Flight 103 crash

On 25 September 2011, Buddha Air Flight 103, a Beechcraft 1900D commuter aircraft, crashed near Lalitpur, Nepal, while attempting to land in poor weather at nearby Kathmandu Airport. All 19 passengers and crew on board were killed. The aircraft, operated by Buddha Air, was on a sightseeing flight to Mount Everest. [1][2][3] The aircraft was a 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D twin-engine turboprop airliner; it was thirteen years old and registered in Nepal as 9N-AEK. Initial investigations revealed that the aircraft was being operated under VFR (Visual Flight Rules); and two minutes before it was due to land it entered clouds and crashed at 5400 feet. Air traffic controllers and members of the investigation team claim the reason for the crash was pilot error. The sixteen passengers included ten Indian nationals, one Japanese, two Americans and three Nepalese. [4] All but one of the passengers and the three crew died at the scene of the accident; one Nepalese passenger was rescued but died on the way to hospital.

Air crash

2018 Lombok earthquake

On 5 August 2018, a destructive and shallow earthquake measuring Mw 6.9 (ML 7.0 according to BMKG) struck the island of Lombok, Indonesia. It was the main shock following its foreshock, a nearby Mw  6.4 earthquake on 29 July. It was followed by a nearby 6.9 earthquake on 19 August 2018. The epicentre was located inland, near Loloan Village in North Lombok Regency. The fault rupture spread to the north and reached the sea, creating tsunamis. Severe shaking was reported throughout the entire island, while strong shaking was reported on the neighboring islands of Bali and Sumbawa. Widespread damage was reported in Lombok and Bali. Officials stated that at least 80% of structures in North Lombok were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of the sequence of earthquakes in August, a total of 563 people were confirmed killed while more than 1,000 were confirmed injured. More than 417,000 people were displaced. [2][3] This earthquake is the largest and the strongest earthquake to have hit Lombok in recorded history. With more than 560 deaths, it is also the deadliest earthquake in the Lesser Sunda Islands since the 1992 Flores earthquake and tsunami. [4] The earthquake later caused chains of earthquakes in West Nusa Tenggara with significant magnitude, which was deemed by officials as a rare event. [5] Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of significant volcanic and tectonic activity. In particular, the archipelago is located between the Eurasian, Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. [6] The Australian plate subducts beneath the Sunda Plate at 50–75 mm (1.97–2.95 in) a year, forming the Sunda Trench. This activity caused the Mw  9.2 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, one of the strongest and most deadly earthquakes in recorded history. [7][8] Lombok in particular lies on the destructive plate boundary between the Australian Plate and the Sunda Plate. To the east of Bali, the plate boundary starts to involve a collision between the leading edge of the Australian continent and the eastern part of the Sunda Arc and the western end of the Banda Arc, also known as the Flores Back Arc Thrust Zone. The Sunda Arc has produced a large number of powerful and devastating earthquakes in the past, including the 1977 Sumba earthquake, 1994 Java earthquake and the 2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami. [9] In addition, the island also lies between two major geomagnetic anomalies of opposite signs. [10] The Flores Back Arc Thrust system had in the past century produced at least 4 earthquakes stronger than Mw  6.5: a Mw  6.5 event in Bali to the west in 1976, alongside three events (Mw  6.5, 6.5, 6.6 in 2007 and 2009) in Sumbawa to the east. [11] The North Lombok area, where the earthquake occurred, has a track record of earthquakes in the past. One Mw  6.4 earthquake in 1979 killed 37 people, with a more recent Mw  5.7 event in 2013 causing extensive damage but no deaths. Simulations by scientists from the University of Mataram suggested that an earthquake stronger than Mw  6.0 could cause a small tsunami which would be 13–20 cm (5–8 in) in height, reaching Mataram within 18–20 minutes after the earthquake. [12] Geologically, the rocks close to the epicenter are primarily Tertiary to Quaternary volcanic sediments, with pre-Tertiary to Tertiary sedimentary and metamorphic rock. These soft rocks are thought to have caused an increase in the intensity of the earthquake. [13] The earthquake occurred on 19:46 local time, at a depth of 31.0 km (19.3 mi) (USGS)[11] or 15.0 km (9.3 mi) (BMKG). [14] Shaking was felt as far away as Sumbawa in the east[15] and Trenggalek Regency in the west. [16][17] Shaking was also felt in Pacitan Regency, East Java. [18] The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) stated that the epicentre of the earthquake was located inland, on the northeastern slopes of Mount Rinjani at 8°22′S 116°29′E / 8.37°S 116.48°E / -8.37; 116.48. It initially measured the earthquake's intensity at Mw  6.8, before revising it to 7.0. [14][19] The United States Geological Survey initially measured the earthquake at Mw  7.0, before revising it down to 6.9. It placed the epicenter at 8°17′13″S 116°27′04″E / 8.287°S 116.451°E / -8.287; 116.451, somewhat north of the BMKG estimate. [11][20] Caused by a shallow thrust fault on or near the Flores Back Arc Thrust, at which the Australia and Sunda plates underthrusts the Indonesian volcanic island arcs,[11][21] the earthquake struck just a week after the magnitude 6.4 earthquake which had killed 20. According to BMKG, this earthquake was a foreshock to the Mw  6.9 earthquake. [22] Despite the earthquake, no increase in activity was recorded for the nearby volcanoes of Rinjani and Agung. [23] At certain areas in the northwestern parts of the island, the earthquake caused the ground to rise by as much as 25 centimetres (9.8 in). [24] The earthquake interrupted a ministerial security council held in Mataram, which was attended by Indonesian ministers Yasonna Laoly and Wiranto,[25] Australian minister Peter Dutton,[26] New Zealand minister Andrew Little,[27] and Singaporean minister K. Shanmugam. [28] Immediately following the earthquake, many residents evacuated to local mosques in fear of aftershocks. [29] Days following the earthquake, scientists from NASA and California Institute of Technology published a satellite image of the ground shift in Lombok. The image showed that the area in the earthquake's rupture had been lifted by 25 cm. Several portions of North Lombok were raised by 5–10 cm. The area which was located on the south of the rupture however had a decrease on its height, including Mount Rinjani which had lost 15 cm due to the earthquake. [30] As the earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth and a 7 magnitude, the earthquake caused severe shaking in the island of Lombok and strong shaking in the neighboring islands. Indonesian officials released maps of the perceived shaking. [31] The largest city in Lombok and the provincial capital, Mataram, recorded a maximum intensity of VIII (Severe). The strongest shaking felt in the island of Bali was in Karangasem Regency with an intensity of VI (strong) while, on the island of Sumbawa, the strongest shaking was felt in Bima with a recorded maximum intensity of VI (strong). [32] Following the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued by BMKG for the North coast of Lombok.

Earthquakes

Lebanon Sinking into One of the Most Severe Global Crises Episodes, amidst Deliberate Inaction

In 2008, as big banks began failing across Wall Street and the housing and stock markets crashed, the nation saw how crucial financial regulation is for economic stability — and how quickly the consequences can cascade through the economy when regulators are asleep at the wheel. Today, there’s another looming economic risk: climate change. Once again, how much it harms economies will depend a lot on how financial regulators and central banks react. Climate change’s impact on economies isn’t always obvious. Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England, identified a series of climate change-related risks in 2015 that could shake the financial system. The rising costs of extreme weather, lawsuits against companies that have contributed to climate change and the falling value of fossil fuel assets could all have an impact. Nobel Prize-winning U.S. economist Joseph Stiglitz agrees. In a recent interview, he argued that the impact of a sharp rise in carbon prices — which governments charge companies for emitting climate-warming greenhouse gases — could trigger another financial crisis, this time starting with the fossil fuel industry, its suppliers and the banks that finance them, which could spill over into the broader economy. Our research as environmental economists and macroeconomists confirms that both the effects of climate change and some policies necessary to stop it could have important implications for financial stability, if preemptive measures are not undertaken. Public policies addressing, after years of delay, the fossil fuel emissions that are driving climate change could devalue energy companies and cause investments held by banks and pension funds to tank, as would abrupt changes in consumer habits. The good news is that regulators have the ability to address these risks and clear the way to safely implement ambitious climate policy. First, regulators can require banks to publicly disclose their risks from climate change and stress-test their ability to manage change. The Biden administration recently introduced an executive order on climate-related financial risk, with the goal of encouraging U.S. companies to evaluate and publicly disclose their exposure to climate change and to future climate policies. In the United Kingdom, large companies already have to disclose their carbon footprints, and the U.K. is pushing to have all major economies follow its lead. The European Commission also proposed new rules for companies to report on climate and sustainability in their investment decisions across a broad swath of industries in its new Sustainable Finance Strategy released July 6. This strategy builds on a previous plan for sustainable growth from 2018. Carbon disclosure represents a crucial ingredient for "climate stress tests," evaluations that gauge how well-prepared banks are for potential shocks from climate change or from climate policy. For example, a recent study by the Bank of England determined that banks were unprepared for a carbon price of $150 per ton, which it determined would be necessary by the end of the decade to meet the international Paris climate agreement’s goals. The European Central Bank is conducting stress tests to assess the resilience of its economy to climate risks. In the United States, the Federal Reserve recently established the Financial Stability Climate Committee with similar objectives in mind. Central banks and academics have also proposed several ways to address climate change through monetary policy and financial regulation. One of these methods is "green quantitative easing," which, like quantitative easing used during the recovery from the 2008 recession, involves the central bank buying financial assets to inject money into the economy. In this case, it would buy only assets that are "green," or environmentally responsible. Green quantitative easing could potentially encourage investment in climate-friendly projects and technologies such as renewable energy, although researchers have suggested that the effects might be short-lived. A second policy proposal is to modify existing regulations to recognize the risks that climate change poses to banks. Banks are usually subject to minimum capital requirements to ensure banking sector stability and mitigate the risk of financial crises. This means that banks must hold some minimum amount of liquid capital in order to lend. Incorporating environmental factors in these requirements could improve banks’ resilience to climate-related financial risks. For instance, a "brown-penalizing factor" would require higher capital requirements on loans extended to carbon-intensive industries, discouraging banks from lending to such industries. Broadly, these existing proposals have in common the goal of reducing economy-wide carbon emissions and simultaneously reducing the financial system’s exposure to carbon-intensive sectors. The Bank of Japan announced a new climate strategy July 16 that includes offering no-interest loans to banks lending to environmentally friendly projects, supporting green bonds and encouraging banks to disclosure their climate risk. The Federal Reserve has begun to study these policies, and it has created a panel focused on developing a climate stress test. Often, policymaking trails scientific and economic debates and advancements. With financial regulation of climate risks, however, it is arguably the other way around. Central banks and governments are proposing new policy tools that have not been studied for very long. A few research papers released within the last year provide a number of important insights that can help guide central banks and regulators. They do not all reach the same conclusions, but a general consensus seems to be that financial regulation can help address large-scale economic risks that abruptly introducing a climate policy might create. One paper found that if the climate policy is implemented gradually, the economic risks can be small and financial regulation can manage them. Financial regulation can also help accelerate the transition to a cleaner economy, research shows. One example is subsidizing lending to climate-friendly industries while taxing lending to polluting industries. But financial regulation alone will not be enough to effectively address climate change. Central banks will have roles to play as countries try to manage climate change going forward. In particular, prudent financial regulation can help prevent barriers to the kind of aggressive policies that will be necessary to slow climate change and protect the environments our economies were built for.

Financial Crisis

2014 Bulgarian floods

 Romania On June 19, 2014, torrential rains caused severe flash flooding across northeastern Bulgaria leaving dozens of villages without electricity and submerging large parts of several cities in the region. [5][6] At least 16 people were reported killed – 13 (4 of which children) in the Asparuhovo district of Varna, one in Dobrich and two in the village of Tsani Ganchevo in Shumen Province. [5][6][7][8][9] Abundant rainfall, the result of a Mediterranean cyclone, also caused damage on the Romanian shore of the Black Sea, especially in Constanța County. [10] In the days leading up to the event, large parts of the country had been battered by heavy rain and hailstorms. On June 18, the Varna office of the country's forecasting service (NIMH) sent an official memo to the local administration warning of intensive rain and hailstorms on the following day. [11] According to the NIMH, the average 24-hour for Varna Province was between 60 and 85 L/m2, while in neighboring Dobrich Province it was from 90 to 155 L/m2. The average amount for the whole month of June is around 50-60 L/m2. A single weather station in the north of Varna recorded values of 35 L/m2 in a two-hour period between 6pm and 8pm on June 19. In the far northeastern parts of Bulgaria, rainfall rates reached 140–200 mm/h. [11] On June 20 the NIMH warned that further rains up to 20 L/m2 could be expected throughout the weekend. [8] According to data presented by the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations of Constanța County, the most affected areas in the county were Brebeni, wherein the amount of water was 92 L/m2, Adamclisi – 80.2 L/m2, Deleni – 60 L/m2, Albești – 64 L/m2 and the municipality of Mangalia, with 31 L/m2. [12] The worst-hit area was in Varna's low-lying district of Asparuhovo, where dozens of houses were swept away and streets were virtually unrecognizable due to piles of mangled cars and debris. At least 11 people were initially confirmed killed in Asparuhovo, with at least two others missing. Much of the area remained without electricity for more than 24 hours before official restored it in the afternoon of June 20. [13] It was not immediately clear if most of the victims drowned inside houses or were swept away in their vehicles. [8] On June 23 emergency services located the body of a 3-year-old girl in the ruins of a house in Asparuhovo, raising the death toll in Varna to 12. A six-year-old boy remained missing and was presumed dead. [14] His body was discovered on June 26, bringing the final death toll from Asparuhovo up to 13. [15] A further three casualties were reported from the city of Dobrich, were water levels rose to almost 2 meters in some parts of the town. [5][8] The mayor of the city Detelina Nikolova later announced that only one person had been confirmed dead, after 2 people initially thought missing were found to have escaped unharmed. [6] On June 20 the government declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Varna, Shumen, Dobrich, Veliko Tarnovo and Pazardzhik. The Pass of the Republic was closed after a 200-meter section of the road was swept away by rushing floodwaters. [16] The Batova river burst its banks near the Black Sea resort of Albena, prompting the evacuation of six hotels. Roads leading out of Albena towards Varna and Balchik were damaged and temporarily closed. [17] In Constanța County, a popular summer destination for Romanians and foreigners, the authorities established red code of flooding. [18] Wind gusts of 94 km/h caused significant damage in the summer resorts. [12] Tens of kilometers of roads were flooded, disrupting traffic in the localities of Adamclisi, Abrud, Urluia and Zorile. Likewise, dozens of houses and 70 hectares of pasture were affected by floods. In Constanța, the sewage system couldn't cope with the large amount of rain, boulevards and streets being covered by water. In Mamaia, the rain destroyed a cafe on the seafront. [19] Bulgarian Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski travelled to Varna, where he called the disaster a "great tragedy". The government declared Monday, June 23, a day of national mourning. [8] In a message to the Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso promised to mobilize all available instruments to help the country. [20] According to EU legislation, for emergency funds to be activated a disaster needs to inflict damage of three billion Euros (by 2002 inflation rates) or more than 0.6% of the country's GDP. In the case of Bulgaria this means confirmed damages of at least 232,5 million Euros. [21] On June 24, officials announced that preliminary damage estimates in Veliko Tarnovo Province alone were over 10 million leva (5,1 million Euros). [2] Damage to the country's road infrastructure was estimated at around 15 million leva (7,7 million Euros), including about 1.5 million leva to reopen the Pass of the Republic. [3] On June 27, Varna Province officials announced that damage to local infrastructure there was estimated to be at least 30 million leva (15.25 million Euros). [4] Starting from June 24, officials in Varna began evacuating around 250 Asparuhovo residents from 85 buildings deemed too dangerous to live in, including at least 11 that would be demolished immediately. Due to the extreme amount of precipitation, measures were taken to stabilize parts of the hillside in the area for fears it might collapse in a landslide. [22] Water service was fully restored to Asparuhovo on June 25, although officials announced they will continue to monitor the chemical composition of water within the city of Varna for at least a few weeks. [23] By June 27, the number of evacuation orders in Asparuhovo had risen to 132, covering more than 1,000 residents of the neighborhood. [4] On June 20 the organizers of Sofia Pride announced they would postpone the 7th edition of the event, scheduled for the day after, in solidarity with the victims of the floods. They also appealed to citizens to actively contribute to the ongoing relief effort. [24] Dozens of fans of Levski (Sofia) and CSKA (Sofia) both urged supporters to donate via the text-messaging campaign and promised to organize help on the ground as well. [25] On June 23 a spokesman for the Bulgarian Army announced that a total of 860 people had been rescued or evacuated by various units across the country. [26] Relatives of people killed in the floods were to receive an immediate one-time government package of 10,000 leva (~5,113 Euros). [27] Within hours of the event, a donation campaign was set up through which citizens could contribute funds by sending text messages to a special numbers. By mid-afternoon on June 20 over 190,000 such texts had been sent, raising a few hundred thousand leva for victims of the floods. [5] By June 24, a total of 832,948 Leva (~425,600 Euros) had been gathered as part of the relief efforts, with about 80% of those coming from text messages and the rest being donated via bank accounts.

Floods

Anglers and swimmers told to avoid Melbourne creeks as EPA investigates PFAS contamination

It was a momentous year for so many reasons. Far away in Perth, Greg Chappell made his test debut with a century against England, while back home Carlton shocked spectators by stealing the premiership flag from Collingwood. But for Helen van den Berg, 1970 will always be the year that she first laid eyes on Steele Creek. She was 25 and had only just moved to Niddrie, in Melbourne's north-west, with her husband Jos, and the creek was only metres from her home. "I was so pleased to be near a little waterway," Ms van den Berg said. The couple had two sons and the creek was their playground. "They watched the fish, they pulled the sand out of the creek, they did sand paintings with it," she said. But today the rules are different for her grandchildren, who are forbidden from playing in the creek. "The water quality is pathetic," Ms van den Berg said. Ms van den Berg and her environmental group, Friends of Steele Creek, have been locked in a long battle with the nearby Melbourne Airport over its environmental obligations. Most recently, the group has been particularly concerned about the contamination of PFAS, a chemical historically used in firefighting foam. Earlier this year, Melbourne Airport admitted that contamination from PFAS had spread beyond the airport's boundaries. That's infuriated Ms van den Berg, who's worried about the local waterways. "It's not just disturbing, it's heartbreaking to see an industry feeling that it can pollute so many critical waterways to the west of Melbourne," she said. "This is a filthy site in Victoria, they've been slack about their environmental management for years." The contamination has prompted Melbourne Airport to conduct its own assessment of the area. It found that several sites along Deep Creek and Arundel Creek, which both feed into the Maribyrnong River, have unhealthy levels of PFAS. But in its report, the Melbourne Airport Authority found that "unacceptable health risks due to direct contact with surface water is considered unlikely". "This is because the guideline number is based on a person swimming in a water body every day of the year for up to two hours a day," it said. "The frequency of swimming, wading or other human contact in the creeks surrounding the airport is expected to be much lower than this." Melbourne Airport's data was passed onto the Environment Protection Authority (EPA), which has conducted a risk assessment. It's warned Victorians not to fish in Arundel Creek or in the Maribyrnong River, upstream of the Calder Freeway to Deep Creek, as a precaution. The EPA is also warning people not to swim in the water and to keep pets away while it conducts more testing with other agencies. However, its precautionary advice does not apply to the nearby Jacksons Creek or Steele Creek, which runs behind Ms van den Berg's house, and does not affect drinking water. Melbourne Water has also confirmed that the airport is not within its drinking water catchment. Concern has raged because PFAS chemicals can accumulate over time and the health impacts are a matter of dispute. The Australian Government maintains there is limited evidence of a relationship between the chemicals and disease. But a major study in the United States has linked one of the group of PFAS chemicals to cancer. Professor Ian Rae, from the University of Melbourne, said people should only be concerned if they're going to be exposed to the water. "If they're catching fish or eels and eating them, they shouldn't be doing it," he said. "But if they're simply exposed by walking along the path, taking the dog for a walk or even for the occasional paddle in the stream, I don't think they're very seriously exposed." According to Professor Rae, remediating the waterways could be done by pumping it out and passing it through a bed of activated charcoal. "I doubt that it's economically possible to treat all that water in that way. "I think we're just going to have to live with it until the problem dies away. "It could be decades." Grant Smith from the Melbourne Airport Authority acknowledged that more work needed to be done to determine the "ecological impact of this legacy issue". "We're really pleased to see the announcement this week that EPA Victoria is undertaking further assessments of PFAS in waterways around the airport," he said. "However even without all the information we'd like to have, we've been making progress on steps to address the presence of PFAS at the airport." Ms van den Berg is calling on the airport to take responsibility for the remediation process. "The airport needs a social license to continue to operate and so long as they're prepared to be a filthy polluter for our significant waterways, they're not welcome." )

Environment Pollution

Firefighting activities the most likely cause of Bundaberg PFAS contamination, investigation finds

Historical firefighting activities are the most likely cause of chemical contamination to a Bundaberg suburb's water supply, the Queensland Government has determined. An investigation began in April after the water supply to Svensson Heights was found to have unsafe levels of the potentially toxic PFAS chemicals. The State Government said the investigation into the source of the contamination was now complete and "the most likely source of the contamination is from historical firefighting foam training activities at the Bundaberg Regional Airport". Samples were taken from surface water, soil and sediment. The airport is about 3kms from the contaminated bore. The Bundaberg Regional Council said the airport did not come under council control until it was handed over by the Commonwealth in 1985. "A permanent fire crew was based at the airport for many years while it was under the control of the Commonwealth Government," Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey said. "Since 1985, fire drills have been held at the airport approximately every two years." The drills were undertaken by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service. "The Department at this time has not been able to advise council when PFAS actually entered the soil," Cr Dempsey said. "The good news is, from a community perspective, testing confirms there is no longer any PFAS in town water above the recommended guidelines." The Government said the Environment Department would "continue working with the Bundaberg Regional Council and Queensland Health to ensure appropriate monitoring and management". PFAS chemicals were components in firefighting foam — and household and industrial products — but have not been used in Queensland since 2003. Both PFOS and PFOA were previously used extensively in firefighting foams by both civilian and Defence Force firefighters around Australia. The effects of PFAS chemicals on human health and the environment are being investigated by Australian and international authorities. Free blood tests were offered to concerned residents of Svensson Heights. In May, Queensland Health said it reviewed blood test results of more than 60 residents and found none had significantly elevated levels of PFAS. "Most of the blood test results reviewed were from people who have lived in the Svensson Heights area for five years or more and still live there," said Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young. "This should provide further reassurance to long-term residents." Cr Dempsey said seafood sample tests also showed no cause for concern. "It now appears the environmental and health risks have been remedied and contained," he said.

Environment Pollution

Process for defining droughts in NC a matter of degrees

06/22/2021 by Jennifer Allen Over the last few months, eastern North Carolina has experienced the extremes of both drought and flooding – in some areas at the same time. Although the two may seem opposites, state Drought Management Advisory Council Chairman Klaus Altertin explained in a recent interview that areas can have drought and flooding simultaneously. That’s because droughts take months to develop as below-normal rainfall continues week after week, whereas one storm can drop a week’s or a month’s worth of rain in a day, resulting in short term-flooding. The UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Alliance for the Blue Economy establishes southeastern North Carolina as a national leader in the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, while preserving the health of the ecosystem. UNCW is an EEO/AA Institution. Learn how you can be in the Sponsor Spotlight. Determining whether a location is in a drought is complex because so many factors such as rainfall, temperature, time of year, duration of shortfall, need to be considered, Altertin said. There is not a specific amount of rain that can change drought status. The designations are relative to the amount of rainfall considered normal for a location, the time of year and the overall conditions. There are five drought levels — abnormally dry, or DO; moderate drought, or D1; severe drought, or D2; extreme drought, or D3; and exceptional drought, or D4. These levels are determined by the Drought Management Advisory Council, or DMAC. In general, 2 to 3 inches of rainfall in one week will be enough to improve conditions by one level. The council meets every Tuesday to review past conditions and determine whether drought is developing or abating across the state. Once the council reaches a consensus, its members send their recommendations to the U.S. Drought Monitor for incorporation into the national map, Altertin said. Hosted by veteran reporter Frank Graff, Sci NC highlights the latest science stories from North Carolina and across the nation. From coronavirus hunters and virtual reality to coastal conservation and coral spawning, Sci NC explains the how, the what and why it matters. Learn how you can be in the Sponsor Spotlight. The council is made up of representatives from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Weather Service, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state Department of Public Safety and the State Climate Office, Division of Water Resources, North Carolina Forest Service, the State Climate Office and other similar agencies and organizations. Altertin explained that one challenge of the process, as specified by the U.S. Drought Monitor, is that the council can only consider conditions up to 8 a.m. Tuesday mornings, as the national maps are released on Thursday mornings. “It can be raining while the DMAC is discussing the map, but they can’t include that rain in the decision making,” Altertin explained. The council has a bit of a lag since its decisions are based on past rainfall and aren’t supposed to include a forecast component, but rainfall that causes flooding will often result in an improvement in the drought category the following week. “It’s easy to get confused when you see an area announce severe drought the same week they get 5 inches of rain. Part of it is timing and part of it is the variability of rainfall in North Carolina,” Altertin said. “Typical rain events in the summer here tend to drop heavy rain in blobs or bands so even if the DMAC could consider the forecast, they couldn’t predict which area would get the rain and which would miss out. The event a couple of weeks ago was unusual. We don’t see those kind of rainfall totals, and as evenly distributed, without a tropical storm.” Assistant State Climatologist Corey Davis with the North Carolina Climate Office told Coastal Review that drought can be one of the most complicated weather hazards, “since, unlike a thunderstorm or hurricane, it can be tough to see it coming, tough to measure it while it’s happening, and tough to know when the threat has ended.” Davis said a drought is generally defined as a sustained lack of precipitation that’s either severe enough or long-lived enough to cause impacts such as crop damage in agriculture, wildfires in forestry and declining water supplies in water resources. As droughts stretch on for weeks or months, some of the main effects observed are declining groundwater levels and deeper soil moisture levels, Davis said. “While a big rain can help with that, during those events, we usually see heavy amounts falling over a fairly short time period, especially during tropical storms. This can bring a lot of moisture right at the surface, like to streams and topsoil, but at a certain point, those become saturated and the rest of the water just runs off, and it may never infiltrate deep into the ground where it’s really needed,” he said. Because of this, many may find that they have big puddles in their backyard after a thunderstorm moves through, but their well may still be low if in a drought. Davis said he often emphasizes that there’s more to drought than just dry weather. “For instance, as we move into the spring and summer, if you go a few days without rainfall, your lawn may start to look yellow or brown in spots, but that doesn’t mean you’re in a drought. However, if you have consistently missed out on precipitation for several weeks or months and you can’t plant anything in your garden because the soil is too dry, that’s often a sign that you’ve gone beyond normal seasonal dryness and have entered drought,” Davis said. Davis said that in the world of drought monitoring, “we often look at precipitation deficits over the course of three months, six months, or even 12 months. So 2 inches of rain in an afternoon is a lot, but if you’re 8 inches below normal over the past six months, that one event (even if it produces flooding) won’t fully resolve that deficit and its associated longer-term impacts.” Davis said the amount of rain needed to recover from a drought depends on location and time of year. For example, Phoenix averages about 8 inches of rain per year, so drought may emerge if they’re an inch or two below normal, and an inch or two of extra rain may be enough to end that sort of drought. “In North Carolina, a 1-inch deficit is a drop in the bucket compared to our annual average precipitation, which ranges from about 45 to 60 inches, depending on where in the state you’re at. We’re also more sensitive to precipitation deficits in the spring and summer, when evaporation rates are higher, and impacts can emerge more quickly than during our cool season,” Davis said. Davis pointed to the recent drought as an example. “Much of the coastal plain was anywhere from 3 to 8 inches below its normal precipitation this spring, so we would have needed around those amounts to fully recover. And we’ve largely seen those sorts of totals, or even greater ones, so far in June. Wilmington exited the spring 7.2 inches below normal, and it has been a little over 6 inches above normal so far in June, so it is now out of drought, and not even classified as Abnormally Dry on the U.S. Drought Monitor.” Davis said a general rule is that 2 inches of rain in a week is usually enough to improve by one drought category, such as going from Severe Drought (D2) to Moderate Drought (D1). However, there are exceptions, he said. The cycle of flooding and drought this year is an example of what to expect under climate change. Most projections show the state and a good chunk of the Southeast generally getting wetter, with more average precipitation per year. “This stems from basic physics: evaporation and water-vapor content increases as temperatures warm, and that more-saturated air in turn produces more precipitation. While that may make it seem like droughts should become less common, we also expect to see and are seeing a change in our overall precipitation pattern,” Davis said. “More rain is falling in fewer events, and we’re seeing more intense dry spells and droughts between these rain events. These ‘flash droughts’ can be exacerbated by hot weather, which of course is another consequence of climate change.” Looking at how the weather has played out so far this year, the state started 2021 with an especially wet winter — the 12th wettest on record statewide dating back to 1895 — then went into the ninth-driest spring, and are now on pace for a record wet June in some spots. “The Wilmington area started the year with four days where at least an inch of rainfall was recorded between January and March. Then in April and May, Wilmington never had more than half an inch of rain on a single day, and it had stretches of nine days, 11 days and 12 days in a row without any measurable rainfall, so Severe Drought emerged there,” Davis explained. “Since June 1, Wilmington has already seen another four days with more than an inch of rainfall. These alternating cycles of very wet and very dry are already happening, and expected to continue in a changing climate.” The drought categories are determined on the historical frequency of occurrence. Davis said that abnormally dry conditions would be expected to occur about 30% of the time, moderate drought about 20% of the time. An exceptional drought should occur only about 2% of the time. “So if we see a particular weather station is running a springtime precipitation deficit of 3 inches, we can compare that with historical observations and determine roughly how rare of an event that is, which can help identify the local drought category there,” Davis said. “Classifying drought requires more than just rainfall data, though. Impacts are equally, if not more, important, and for each drought category, there are associated impacts we look for. Entering Moderate Drought (D1), for instance, we expect to see some reports of crop damage and water restrictions. For Severe Drought (D2), those impacts become crop losses and water shortages.” The U.S. Drought Monitor uses a “convergence of evidence” approach, which means multiple indicators and impacts are considered to set a particular drought category. “As an example, it’s not unusual to have drier weather in the fall, and some farmers may delay harvesting until a bit of extra rain comes along to finish maturing crops for the growing season. But based on that sort of report alone, we wouldn’t call it Moderate Drought if other indicators, such as recent precipitation and streamflows, were all roughly in the normal range,” he said. Often during a drought, Davis said they are asked when and how will the drought end. “I usually answer that we don’t know when, but we probably know how, because it’s usually a tropical storm or hurricane. With Claudette moving through this past weekend, it seems like that will be the case for many areas this time as well,” he said. “But even still, we can’t rule out drought sticking around in some areas this summer. We’ve still got the hottest part of the year ahead of us, and it’s not uncommon for some parts of the state to miss out on rainfall this time of year, at least when we don’t have a tropical storm bearing down on us.” He said that for the western part of the state, in both 2016 and 2019, the worst drought conditions didn’t emerge until September and October. Those events were also unique in that the coast had seen heavy rain and flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and from Hurricane Dorian in 2019, while parts of the mountains were in extreme drought. This is another way to think about the question, “how can we have flooding if we’re in a drought?” Davis said. “North Carolina is a big, diverse state both geographically and meteorologically, so it’s very possible to have both drought and flooding happening at the same time in different areas.”

Droughts

Dead eagles found across the US had rat poison in their blood

In a sample of eagles from across the US, rat poison was found in about 80 per cent of the birds. This widespread exposure to toxic chemicals could impair their health or even lead to death. “This really suggests that despite the best efforts to use these compounds wisely and minimise the opportunity for the raptor species to be exposed, they’re still somehow getting exposed,” says Mark Ruder at the University of Georgia. Between 2014 and 2018, Ruder and his team determined the cause of death for 303 golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), which were sent to them from around the US. Some deaths couldn’t be explained, but the team determined that 4 per cent of the eagles died directly as a result of rat poison. Advertisement They tested 133 of the birds for anticoagulant rodenticide, the most common rodenticide, which can also target opossums and beavers, and found that 82 per cent of the birds had it in their body. There was a high prevalence of what are known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, which are highly toxic and can remain active for months after ingestion. These have been tightly regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency since 2011 and are only available for commercial use. Read more: Meet the white-tailed eagles making a comeback in the UK Eagles often scavenge, and rodents killed by the poison could become their food, although it still isn’t clear how exactly the eagles came into contact with it. It is also unclear whether the poison can affect reproduction or impair their health in other ways, says Ruder. “Such widespread exposure indicates that this issue is more than a localised phenomenon, and if there are widespread health impacts they may occur throughout the population,” says Garth Herring at the US Geological Survey, who wasn’t involved in the study. The findings are “alarming”, Ruder says, particularly because eagles and other raptors have recently rebounded from the brink of extinction caused by another toxic pesticide, DDT, which caused the birds to produce thin-shelled eggs. The threat of rodenticide may be exacerbated when combined with lead and bromide poisoning , which has also been documented in eagles. “There is clearly widespread exposure of bald and golden eagles to these compounds, and whether it was directly causal in their death or not, the high prevalence that we found speaks to the potential,” he says.

Mass Poisoning

2016 Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations Il-76 crash

Discover Thomson Reuters More By Reuters Staff 2 Min Read MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - At least six people have died after a Russian plane on a fire-fighting mission crashed in Siberia, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday. Rescue workers found the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane in the early hours of Sunday morning in Russia’s Irkutsk region, according to a statement on the Emergency Situations Ministry website. A photo accompanying the statement showed the plane smashed to pieces in dense forest, with the tail but little else intact. RIA news agency said six bodies had been found at the scene of the crash. It is believed there were 10 people on board the plane, which had been missing since Friday, so the death toll could rise. A search-and-rescue operation has been launched involving land and air teams. Russia has been criticised for its poor air safety record, and airplane crashes are frequent. The multi-purpose Il-76 plane has been used by the Russian air force during Russia’s military campaign in Syria. (Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by Hugh Lawson) .

Air crash

US Abandonment of INF Treaty Planned Long Before Announced

US pullout of the JCPOA nuclear deal and Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty was planned by Trump regime hardliners long before announced. In June 2002, the Bush/Cheney regime withdrew from the landmark 1972 ABM Treaty, the move announced six months earlier. Agreed to by Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev, the treaty prohibited both countries “from deploying national defenses against long-range ballistic missiles and from building the foundation for such a defense,” the Arms Control Association explained, adding: “The treaty was based on the premise that if either superpower constructed a strategic defense, the other would build up its offensive nuclear forces to offset the defense.” “The superpowers would therefore quickly be put on a path toward a never-ending offensive-defensive arms race as each tried to balance its counterpart’s action.” New START is next on the Trump regime’s chopping block for elimination when expires in February 2021 if DJT is still in power. Agreed to by the US and Russia in April 2010, it succeeded START I (1991) and the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT). New START limits deployment of strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550, a major reduction from earlier levels, a verification regime agreed on to assure both sides comply with their obligations. In June, Bolton said extending New Start on expiration is unlikely. Despite knowing nothing about its important provisions, Trump called it a “bad deal.” Putin said no Trump regime official “is willing to talk about (extending New START) with us.” By letter in June to Trump, eight House and Senate Dems urged him to extend the treaty, saying: Failure to continue “the benefits of New START by (not) extend(ing) the agreement would be a serious mistake for strategic stability and US security.” Failure to extend it by the Trump regime will abandon the last pillar of arms control in favor of unrestrained weapons of mass destruction development and deployment. Time and again, the US falsely accused Russia and other countries of breaching their obligations to unjustifiably justify abandoning its own mandated commitments. Falsely accusing Moscow of breaching the INF Treaty was head-fake deception, a pretext for what bipartisan US hardliners intended all along. Big Lies about Moscow breaching the treaty began by the Obama regime over five years ago, continued by Trump hardliners. A hugely dangerous arms race began, including likely deployment of short-and-intermediate/nuclear-capable cruise and ballistic missiles close to the borders of US adversaries — notably Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Putin said Russia won’t breach INF Treaty provisions except in response to US violations, adding: “Russia has all the military technical premises for that, its reaction (to) be rapid. I know what I am talking about, but this is classified information so far. I am sure the Americans are fully aware of that as well,” adding: Russia will start full-scale development and deployment of INF Treaty-banned missiles in response to the US taking this step. “Before such weapons enter the arsenal of the Russian army, real threats to Russia in connection with the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty will be reliably counteracted by our existing means.” If the US abandons arms control treaties, “there would be no instrument in the world to curtail the arms race,” Putin stressed — a hugely dangerous development with bipartisan neocon extremists running things in the US, hellbent for endless wars of aggression and other hostile actions. Putin lamented that during the Cold War, “there were at least some rules that all participants in international communication more or less adhered to or tried to follow.” “Now, it seems that there are no rules at all. (T)he world has become more fragmented and less predictable, which is…most important and” recklessly dangerous. His long ago attempt to save the ABM Treaty fell on deaf ears in Washington — what he called “the cornerstone of the entire international security system” now gone. The US bears full responsibility for “cross(ing) out many years of efforts aimed at reducing the prospect of a major military conflict, including the use of nuclear weapons,” he said. Sergey Lavrov explained that the Trump regime intended to abandon the INF Treaty long before announced last February. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said months before the Trump regime’s announced withdrawal, the US “budget…included funds for the development of” INF Treaty-banned missiles. Lavrov said the decision was taken without dialogue with Russia. US war department spokesman Robert Carver falsely claimed the move is “purely defensive.” US military actions are hostile and aggressive at a time when its only enemies are invented. No real ones exist — not Russia, China, Iran or any other nations. US tests of INF Treaty-banned missiles began in mid-August on San Nicolas Island, California, the Trump regime war department announced, more surely coming unrestrained. In early August, US war secretary Mark Esper said “we would like to deploy (INF Treaty-banned missiles) sooner rather than later” in the Indo/Pacific region near China and North Korea. Days before the Trump regime’s formal INF Treaty pullout, Pompeo falsely said the US “will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia” — a bald-faced Big Lie, while concealing US violations since the end of the Clinton co-presidency, according to Lavrov. On Tuesday, US army secretary Ryan McCarthy said the war department intends developing nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles. Deployment of nuclear-capable INF Treaty-banned missiles in Europe may follow their installation in East Asia. Endless US wars of aggression and by other means on targeted nations, abandonment of arms control treaties and other hostile actions, heightened the risk of nuclear war.

Withdraw from an Organization

1897 Gentofte train crash

In the Gentofte train crash at Gentofte station, Denmark, on the island of Zealand, on 11 June 1897 an express train passed a signal cautioning danger and collided with a stationary passenger train waiting at the station. There were 40 deaths and more than 100 people were injured. Coordinates: 55°45′13″N 12°32′29″E / 55.75361°N 12.54139°E / 55.75361; 12.54139 This European rail transport related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This article about transport in Denmark is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Train collisions

Emma McKeon breaks Olympic 100m freestyle record in Tokyo, Ariarne Titmus to challenge for third gold

Australia’s Emma McKeon has despatched a warning to her rivals within the girls’s 100 metres freestyle after setting an Olympic report within the heats in Tokyo. And Australia has certified quickest for the girls’s 4x200m freestyle remaining, giving McKeon and Ariarne Titmus the prospect of successful extra gold on the Video games. McKeon, already a gold and bronze medallist in Tokyo, confirmed why she is the favorite within the eyes of many observers to win the 100m freestyle with a blistering time of 52.13 — a private finest and the eighth quickest of all time — in her warmth. She broke the three-day-old Olympic mark of 52.62 held by world report holder Sarah Sjoestroem, who swam the time when main off Sweden’s 4x100m freestyle squad in Sunday’s remaining, which was received by Australia. McKeon, who swam 51.35 on the fly when serving to Australia win the gold, might be joined by relay teammate Cate Campbell within the 100m freestyle semi-finals. Campbell received her warmth in 52.80 to be the fourth-fastest qualifier for Thursday morning’s semi-finals. McKeon was competing two days after she finished third in the 100m butterfly final. “I am fairly pleased with that,” McKeon advised Channel Seven after her warmth. “An Olympic report is fairly cool. However I suppose I had yesterday off and this morning off, so I feel it freshened me up a bit.” McKeon had arrived in Tokyo with the quickest pre-Video games time of the yr (52.19), whereas she beat Campbell within the 100m freestyle remaining eventually month’s Olympic trials in Adelaide. Campbell, a three-time Olympic relay gold medallist, is chasing her first podium end within the 100m freestyle. Ariarne Titmus’s incredible Tokyo Olympics continues, with the Australian superstar winning gold in the 200m freestyle. Read more She positioned sixth in Rio in 2016 when she was the agency favorite, having set a world report within the build-up to the Video games. Campbell received a bronze medal within the 50m freestyle as a 16-year-old on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the meantime, McKeon and Titmus might be added to Australia’s 4x200m freestyle line-up for Thursday morning’s remaining. Each have been rested from Wednesday evening’s warmth, with Titmus having won her second gold medal of the Games in the 200m freestyle final earlier in the day. Australia, the world champions within the 4x200m freestyle, received its warmth in 7:44.61, with Mollie O’Callaghan, Meg Harris, Brianna Throssell and Tamsin Cook dinner reserving its spot within the remaining. AP: Martin Meissner ) The Australians maintain the world report within the occasion with a time of seven:41.50. They can even have Madi Wilson — eighth behind Titmus within the 200m freestyle remaining — and Leah Neale accessible for the relay decider. The Tokyo Olympics have begun. Stay up to date with all the action from the Games. Read more In different outcomes, Australia’s Mitch Larkin reached the boys’s 200m particular person medley semi-finals however countryman Brendon Smith was surprisingly eradicated within the heats. Smith, who received bronze within the 400m particular person medley earlier within the Tokyo swimming program, swam 1:58.57 to put second in his warmth within the shorter occasion. He was twenty second quickest general within the heats, lacking the highest 16 by 0.42. Larkin, seventh in Tuesday’s 100m backstroke remaining, clocked 1:57.50 to win his warmth and be the ninth-fastest qualifier for the medley semi-finals. Jenna Strauch and Tristan Hollard safely progressed to the respective semi-finals of the ladies’s 200m breaststroke and males’s 200m backstroke.

Break historical records

Declare Locust Menace National Disaster, Says Rajasthan Agriculture Minister

File image of locust swarms. Locusts swarm above a mango tree orchard in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan, Friday, May 29, 2020. Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Lalchand Kataria on Friday urged the Centre to declare the menace of locusts a national disaster as he demanded the Union government to release the first instalment of centrally-sponsored schemes at the earliest. Kataria was interacting with the Union Agriculture minister in a video conference. Apart from Kataria, Nagaur MP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) convenor Hanuman Beniwal also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare locust problem a national disaster. Giving information about the outbreak and control of locusts and crop loss in the state, Kataria also asked the Agriculture Insurance Company to pay the outstanding insurance claim of Rs 380 crore for Kharif-2019 of farmers at the earliest. Kataria claimed that the first instalment of most of the centrally-sponsored schemes for the year 2020-21 has not yet been released. In view of the interest of farmers, the first installment of all schemes should be released immediately to the state, he said.

Insect Disaster

1994 Java earthquake

The 1994 Java earthquake occurred on June 3 at 01:17:37 local time on June 2, at 18:17:37 GMT off the coast of Indonesia. The epicenter was off the eastern part of the southern Java coast, near the east end of the Java Trench. [2] This earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 7.8 in a region which is characterized as having a weak seismic coupling. [3] Earthquakes with slow rupture velocities are the most efficient tsunami generators, and this earthquake was classified as a tsunami earthquake. [4] The tsunami reached Java and Bali, with runups up to 14 m (46 ft) on the east Java coast and up to 5 m (16 ft) on the southwestern Bali coast. More than 200 people were killed in the tsunami. [5] The shock could be felt strongly across Bali, central and eastern Java, Lombok, and Sumbawa. [6]

Earthquakes

Waste company Bio-Recycle fined $300k for 'deliberate' illegal dumping of waste at Queensland landfill site

A Victorian man who flew from Brisbane to Hobart on flight VA702 today has tested positive to COVID-19 and has not been allowed to board a flight to Melbourne A Watch & Act warning is in place for a fire in the northern parts of Mokine, in WA's Northam Shire. Keep up to date with ABC Emergency Waste company Bio-Recycle has been fined $300,000 after pleading guilty to two environmental breaches that saw the company accept 326,137 extra tonnes of waste over its allowed limit. The Ipswich Magistrates Court heard the company operates a landfill site which takes building and demolition waste and disposes of it in old mining voids. The company pleaded guilty to the charges which were brought by the Department of Environment and Science. Magistrate David Shepherd told the court the company made $7.4 million as a result of the offending, which spanned from 2017 to 2019. "The company has been previously fined for eight offences for wilfully contravening the condition of an environmental authority," Magistrate Shepherd said. The court heard the company had a development application to accept more waste turned down by the Ipswich City Council. An appeal against this decision was knocked back by the Planning and Environment Court in February 2018. Despite this, the court heard the waste company continued to illegally dump a surplus amount of waste at the site. "The approval [for the application] was not received and the conduct continued after notification of that, and during an appeal process, which was ultimately unsuccessful," Magistrate Shepherd said. "It cannot be the case that deliberate offending of that nature is made less serious because the company hoped for a different outcome." Magistrate Shepherd said the "deliberate nature" of the offending was an aggravating feature. "The company was doing no more than furthering its financial advantage," Magistrate Shepherd told the court. "It was contemptuous of the legislation and the regime, which requires a permit and [was] done in pursuit of financial gain." The court heard the maximum penalty for the offences was $2 million. Mr Shepherd ordered Bio-Recycle to pay $300,000 in fines for the two offences, $2,500 in legal costs and $1,994 in investigation costs to the Department of Environment and Science. He said there was no mathematical link between the level of benefit the company made from the offending or the penalty imposed. Ipswich City Council Mayor Teresa Harding described the company's actions as a "dark stain" on the waste industry. "The council is very pleased to see the court throwing the book at the waste mismanagement and industry malpractice," she said. "But anyone can do the math that the cost of non-compliance pales in comparison to the financial profiteering that has been going on. "This council would like to see greater enforcement and maximum penalties imposed on these waste operators that continue to flout the rules." Mayor Harding said she also believed board members and executives should be personally held to account. "It's a slap on the wrist, basically," Mayor Harding said. University of Southern Queensland Associate Professor in environmental law, Noleen McNamara, said penalties are often lower than people expect due to the precedents of other cases. "If the Magistrate handed down a $2 million fine it would probably be appealed on the basis of being excessive in line with other fines that have been issued," she said. In a statement, a Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said the fine was one of the highest penalties for a waste-related offence in the state's history. "It is important that all operators who carry out environmentally relevant activities meet their environmental obligations, including that they hold the appropriate approvals and comply with the legislation," the department said. "The court outcome demonstrates that the environmental regulator will take strong action when enforcing Queensland's environmental laws." We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

Organization Fine

Western Airlines Flight 2605 crash

Western Airlines Flight 2605, nicknamed the "Night Owl",[2] was an international scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles, California, to Mexico City, Mexico. On October 31, 1979, at 5:42 a.m. CST (UTC−06:00), the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 operating the flight crashed at Mexico City International Airport in fog after landing on a runway that was closed for maintenance. Of the 89 people on board, 72 were killed, in addition to a maintenance worker who died when the plane struck his vehicle. [1] Flight 2605 remains the deadliest air accident to have occurred in Mexico City. The event is the third-deadliest aviation accident to occur on Mexican soil after the crashes of two Boeing 727s: the 1969 crash of Mexicana Flight 704 and Mexicana Flight 940 in 1986. [3] The crash was one of three fatal DC-10 accidents in 1979, having occurred just over five months after the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and less than a month before the crash of Air New Zealand Flight 901 on Mount Erebus in Antarctica. The aircraft involved was a wide-body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N903WA. [4] It was painted with Western Airlines's "DC-10 Spaceship" livery. [5] With the Spaceship layout, the aircraft had 46 first class seats and 193 coach seats. [6] The aircraft first flew in 1973 and in six years had logged a total of 24,614 flight hours. On the accident flight, the aircraft carried 76 passengers and 13 crew. [7] Flight 2605 was piloted by captain Charles Gilbert (53), first officer Ernst Reichel (46) and flight engineer Daniel Walsh (39). [citation needed] Mexico City International Airport has two runways: Runway 23 Left (23L), and Runway 23 Right (23R). At the time of the accident, runway 23L had full instrument approach equipment, including an instrument landing system (ILS), while Runway 23R did not. [1](p106) On October 19, 1979, a notice to airmen was issued stating that Runway 23L would be closed until further notice for resurfacing work. [1](p108) The October 31, 1979, flight left Los Angeles International Airport at 1:40 a.m. PST (UTC−08:00), and was scheduled to land well before sunrise in Mexico City. [1][failed verification] The sky was quite dark, as twilight had only started five minutes before the crash, and ground fog obscured the runway. [8] As Flight 2605 approached Mexico City International Airport, air traffic controllers cleared it for an instrument approach using the ILS of Runway 23L, with an expected landing runway of 23R. [9] With Runway 23L closed for maintenance, the controllers expected Flight 2605 to perform a sidestep maneuver[10] to the open runway, 23R. To accomplish this, the crew would follow the ILS glide path toward Runway 23L, and as soon as they sighted the runway, they would reorient the aircraft to land on 23R. During the approach, the crew were advised four times by approach control or the tower that the intended landing runway was 23R. [9] However, the controllers did not use any phrases indicative of a sidestep maneuver that would have been familiar to American pilots. There was no published visual representation of the sidestep approach available to the pilots, and the airport's approach chart for 23R showed only ceiling and visibility minimums. Both pilots knew that 23L was closed, as they had previously landed on 23R without incident while 23L was out of service. [9] Weather conditions were deteriorating during Flight 2605's instrument approach. A 5:00 a.m. weather report indicated visibility of two to three nautical miles depending on direction; by 6:00 a.m. (shortly after the accident) visibility was described as "zero. "[1] Flight 2605 was on short final to the closed runway at 5:42 a.m. The cockpit voice recording of the last seconds of the flight indicates that the first officer and captain agreed that they were cleared for 23R, though they were still on approach to 23L. The captain realized this, saying "No, this is the approach to the goddamned left." With the aircraft at a speed of 130 knots, the main landing gear touched down, with the left gear on the grass left of Runway 23L and the right gear on the runway shoulder, producing a force greater than 2 g0. One second later, the crew tried to abort the landing and applied go-around power. The first officer began to describe the ILS approach’s missed-approach procedure, a climb to 8,500 feet, in a "nonurgent, perfunctory manner" as the DC-10 once again became airborne. Approximately 3.3 seconds after the touchdown and in a 10-11 degree nose-up attitude, the right main gear collided with a dump truck loaded with 10 tons of earth. Most of the right main gear separated from the aircraft and struck the right horizontal stabilizer. The impact of the landing gear shattered the truck, fatally injuring its driver, and creating a debris field 1,300 feet (400 m) by 330 feet (100 m) in area. [11][1](p102) The damaged aircraft, still airborne with takeoff thrust engaged, began to bank to the right. The bank angle increased until the flap of the right wing struck the cab of an excavator 1,500 meters from the runway threshold. Panic then occurred in the cockpit; Gilbert was heard screaming, while the co-pilot urged him to "get it [the aircraft] up. "[12] The bank angle continued to increase to the point that the right wing began to cut into the ground and taxiways next to the closed runway. [1][13] The end of the right wing eventually struck the corner of an aircraft repair hangar, causing damage to the hangar and also fracturing the DC-10's right wing. [1] The plane then impacted an Eastern Airlines service building[14] north of both runways, 26 seconds after it had initially touched down. This final impact caused the structural breakup of the aircraft, heavily damaged the two-story reinforced concrete building, and caused a fire that consumed most of the aircraft structure. [8][3][15] One part of the DC-10's left wing traveled well off airport grounds, impacting a residential building on Matamoros Street in the Peñón de los Baños colonia, causing a fire there. [16][1](p103)[17] Most survivors were found in a 20-foot-long section of fuselage that did not burn. [18] Survivors reported that large pieces of the building continued to fall onto the wreckage of the aircraft several minutes after the crash as rescuers arrived on the scene. [18] The day of the accident, the status of the persons on board Flight 2605 was reported:[19] One more passenger died of his injuries at American British Cowdray Hospital hospital on November 18,[20] bringing the total fatality count of passengers and crew to 72. Of the 16 surviving passengers, 14 were injured. [1][15][7] As of November 6, three people on board who had died had not yet been identified or claimed, and the coroner's office created face models of those victims to assist in identification. The rest were identified by nationality. [21] Differing totals of ground injuries and fatalities were reported.

Air crash

Watch live: President Biden gives major voting rights speech in Philadelphia

[The stream is slated to start at 2:50 p.m. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] President Joe Biden on Tuesday will lay out his plans to protect Americans’ voting rights in the face of Republican-led efforts around the country to change voting rules. Biden, speaking from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, will outline his administration’s efforts to protect voting rights and call on Congress to pass legislation that defends the “sacred, constitutional right to vote,” a White House official told NBC News. He will also lash out at Republicans for opposing a sweeping voting rights bill backed by Democrats, and for pursuing “new and extremely dangerous” avenues to suppress votes, the official said. Read more of CNBC’s politics coverage: Biden will also call for the formation of a broad new coalition “to overcome this un-American trend and meet the moment as far as turnout and voter education,” the official told NBC. The speech comes as the fight over states’ voting procedures continues to intensify in the wake of the 2020 election cycle, in which Democrats won control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. Former President Donald Trump, still the leading figure in the Republican Party, has repeatedly spread baseless conspiracy theories about electoral fraud in support of his false claim that the 2020 race was rigged against him. Trump’s own attorney general at the time said he saw no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Judges in numerous states rejected dozens of attempts by Trump’s lawyers and his allies to reverse Biden’s electoral victory. Trump on Jan. 6 pressed his vice president, Mike Pence, to reject the Electoral College results, but Pence refused. A mob of Trump’s supporters then stormed the U.S. Capitol, forcing a joint session of Congress into hiding and delaying efforts to confirm Biden’s win. The Biden White House has come under pressure from Democrats to hit back harder against the multi-state efforts to pass bills that critics say will make it harder for certain demographics to vote. The Department of Justice last month sued Georgia, accusing the state of violating federal protections for minority voters through its recently passed voting law. In Texas, dozens of Democrats in the state legislature fled to Washington D.C. in a bid to block a GOP-backed election bill from passage. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with those state legislators this week, a White House official said.

Famous Person - Give a speech

Americans Are Poisoning Themselves In Large Numbers With Bleach, Hand Sanitizer And Quack Covid Cures Like Ivermectin

Accidental poisonings from the misuse of cleaning products and unproven Covid treatments are still far higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, continuing a worrying trend as health officials try to combat misinformation. There have been more calls to poison control centers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Poison control received 1,143 exposure calls about ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug falsely touted as a Covid-19 cure, between January 1 and August 31, according to the association, up 184% compared to the same time period in 2019.  The vast majority of these calls—459, more than the total for 2019 or 2020—took place in August, amid reports of people taking versions of the drug meant for livestock. PROMOTED There were also over 17,000 poison control calls involving disinfectants, nearly 23,000 about hand sanitizer and around 30,000 on bleach through September 6, respectively up 23%, 58% and 7% from the same period in 2019.  While most poison control calls about bleach and disinfectant—and almost all about hand sanitizer—involved very young children (0-5 years old), calls for ivermectin were disproportionately about adults, particularly those between ages 40 and 59.   Various aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic have set the stage for a spike in calls to poison control hotlines. Advice to ramp up cleaning and disinfection left children more exposed to accidents with cleaning supplies, while cleaning and disinfection agents can irritate or damage the skin and can be combined in dangerous ways (such as bleach and vinegar, which creates deadly chlorine gas). Hand sanitizers, which have very high alcohol content, can be lethal if ingested, particularly to small children or for products containing methanol. Many people have called poison control after trying out unproven cures or preventatives for Covid-19 like ivermectin. Calls regarding the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine doubled in the weeks after then President Donald Trump mentioned it at a press conference, and calls about people drinking bleach and disinfectants soared after he discussed injecting them to tackle the virus.  Data from the AAPCC does not represent all exposures to dangerous substances. Actual figures are likely to exceed the amount reported.  43%. That’s the proportion of all poison control cases related to children under the age of 5, according to the most recent available data from 2019. Most (77%) were unintentional and almost all (92%) occurred in a residence. Calls about painkillers, prescription or otherwise, were the most common (11%), followed by household cleaning substances (7%), cosmetics or personal care products (6%) and antidepressants (5%).  You can reach your local poison control center by calling the Poison Help hotline: 1-800-222-1222. To save the number in your mobile phone, text POISON to 797979. Ivermectin frenzy: the advocates, anti-vaxxers and telehealth companies driving demand (Guardian) Internet Vigilantes Are Fighting Ivermectin Misinformation With Memes And Explicit Horse Cartoons (Forbes) Ivermectin–Widely Used To Treat Covid-19 Despite Being Unproven–Is Being Studied In The U.K. As A Potential Treatment (Forbes) Demand Surges for Deworming Drug for Covid, Despite Scant Evidence It Works (NYT) Here Are The States Searching Most For Unproven Covid ‘Cure’ Ivermectin (Forbes) Some Americans Are Tragically Still Drinking Bleach As A Coronavirus ‘Cure’ (Forbes) Calls To Poison Centers Spike After The President’s Comments About Using Disinfectants To Treat Coronavirus (Forbes) Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus I am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy... Read More I am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window.

Mass Poisoning

Iranian Christians receive prison sentence for 'sectarian activities'

They were sentenced by the Revolutionary Court in Karaj, northern Iran after being convicted of "engaging in propoganda against the Islamic regime." Iranian Christian priests pray during a new year mass at a church in Tehran. (photo credit: REUTERS/MORTEZA NIKOUBAZL) Advertisement Three Christians from the Church of Iran denomination have each been sentenced to five years in prison and fined four million Rials ($95) on June 26. They were sentenced by the Revolutionary Court in Karaj, northern Iran after being convicted of "engaging in propoganda against the Islamic regime." The three men, named as Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi and Alireza Nourmohammadi, are all appealing their sentences. During the trial they were charged with “sectarian activities” under a new amendment to the Iranian penal code. The new amendment states that "any deviant education or propaganda that contradicts or interferes with the sacred Islamic shari’a, will be severely punished," according to a statement released by human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). Prior to the new amendment, Christian converts living in Iran have traditionally been charged with "action against state security," which stems from French law, and Iranian judges have used this in the past to crack down on people who convert to Christianity. According to CSW the men were not allowed to be represented by their lawyers, despite him fulfilling all necessary requirments ahead of the trial. “The campaign of harassment against Iranian Christians is unrelenting, as these baseless charges against these three men, under a new clause in the penal code, demonstrate. CSW calls for the acquittal of these innocent men," said CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas. "We also reiterate our call for the repeal of laws and articles formulated or utilised to target minority communities. Finally, we urge the Iranian authorities to release all prisoners detained on account of their religion or belief, and to end the relentless campaign of harassment of Christians and other religious minorities through the judicial system.”

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

Summit Tunnel fire

The Summit Tunnel fire occurred on 20 December 1984, when a dangerous goods train caught fire while passing through the Summit Tunnel on the railway line between Littleborough and Todmorden on the Greater Manchester/West Yorkshire border, England. The tunnel, which is 2,885 yards (2,638 m) in length, was built in 1840–41. Twelve of the fourteen construction shafts were left open to help vent smoke and steam from the locomotives that passed through it. [1] The incident was one of a series of British railway accidents during 1984, coming only days after the fatal collision between an express passenger train and a train of fuel oil tankers at Eccles, Greater Manchester on 4 December. One day earlier on 3 December a train guard had been killed after a collision between a diesel multiple unit and parcels vans at Longsight also in Manchester. This third serious railway accident in the North West of England in less than three weeks led the Littleborough and Saddleworth MP Geoffrey Dickens to call for an inquiry into railway safety, in particular with respect to the conveyance of dangerous chemicals such as those involved in the accidents at Eccles and Summit Tunnel. [2] The train involved was the 01:40 freight train from Haverton Hill, Teesside to Glazebrook oil distribution terminal near Warrington. It was formed by class 47 diesel locomotive 47 125 and thirteen tankers. [1] At 05:50 on 20 December 1984, the train, carrying more than 1,000,000 litres (220,000 imp gal; 260,000 US gal) (835 tonnes or 822 long tons or 920 short tons) of four-star petrol in thirteen tankers, entered the tunnel on the Yorkshire (north) side traveling at 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). One-third of the way through the tunnel, a defective axle bearing (journal bearing) derailed the fourth tanker, which caused the derailment of those behind. Only the locomotive and the first three tankers remained on the rails. One of the derailed tankers fell on its side and began to leak petrol into the tunnel. Vapour from the leaking petrol was probably ignited by the damaged axle box. [1] The three train crew members could see fire spreading through the ballast beneath the other track in the tunnel, so they left the train and ran the remaining mile to the south portal (where they knew there was a direct telephone connection to the signalman) to raise the alarm. [1] Crews from Greater Manchester Fire Brigade and West Yorkshire Fire Brigade quickly attended the scene. Co-ordination between the brigades appears to have worked well, perhaps because they had both participated in an emergency exercise in the tunnel a month before. [3] The train crew were persuaded to return to the train, where they uncoupled the three tankers still on the rails and used the locomotive to drive them out. [1] Greater Manchester fire brigade then loaded firefighting equipment onto track trolleys and sent a crew with breathing apparatus (BA) in to begin their firefighting operation at the south end of the train. They also lowered hose lines down one of the ventilation shafts to provide a water supply. At the same time, crews from West Yorkshire fire brigade entered the tunnel and began fighting fires in the ballast at the north end of the train. However, at 9.40 a.m., the pressure in one of the heated tankers rose high enough to open its pressure relief valves. The vented vapour caught fire and blew flames onto the tunnel wall. The wall deflected the flames both ways along the tunnel, and the bricks in the tunnel wall began to spall and melt in the flames. [4] The BA crews from both brigades decided to evacuate. [5] They managed to leave just before the first explosion rocked the tunnel. The firefighters were saved because blast relief shafts 8 and 9 acted as flame vents (a function their designer never envisaged). Left to itself, the fire burned as hot as it could. As the walls warmed up and the air temperature in the tunnel rose, all 10 tankers discharged petrol vapour from their pressure relief valves. Two tankers melted (at approximately 1,530 °C or 2,790 °F) and discharged their remaining loads. The fuel supply to the fire was so rich that some of the combustibles were unable to find oxygen inside the tunnel with which to burn; they were instead ejected from vent shafts 8 and 9 as fuel-rich gases that burst into flame when they encountered oxygen in the air outside. At the height of the fire, pillars of flame approximately 45 metres (148 ft) high rose from the shaft outlets on the hillside above. The gases are estimated to have flowed up these shafts at 50 metres per second (110 mph). Air at this speed is capable of blowing around heavy items: hot projectiles made from tunnel lining (rather like lava bombs from a volcano) were cast out over the hillside. These set much of the vegetation on fire,[6] and caused the closure of the A6033 road. [5] In the cleanup operation afterwards, small globules of metal were found on the ground surrounding shaft 9; these had been melted from the tanker walls, swept up with the exhaust gases, and dropped out onto the grass around the top of the shaft. Unable to get close enough to safely fight the fire directly,[7] the fire brigades forced high-expansion foam into ventilation shafts far from the fire. [5] This created blockages that starved the fire of oxygen. By mid-afternoon the next day, the inferno was no longer burning, though the fire was by no means knocked down. Petrol continued to leak from the derailed wagons through the tunnel drainage and ballast and the vapour sporadically reignited when it came into contact with the hot tunnel lining. Two hundred people were evacuated from their homes and workplaces in Walsden in response. [1][5] They were allowed back home the next day. [8] The brigades continued to fight the fire for another two days, until West Yorkshire Fire Brigade issued the stop message just after 6:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Fire crews remained at the site until 7 January 1985. [6] Due to the fire, the line between Rochdale and Todmorden was closed. Passenger trains between two stations were replaced by buses. [8] Of the 1,100,000 litres (240,000 imp gal; 290,000 US gal) of petrol carried by the train, 275,000 litres (60,000 imp gal; 73,000 US gal) were rescued by the train crew when they drove the locomotive and the first three tankers to safety. A further 16,000 litres (3,500 imp gal; 4,200 US gal) of petrol were recovered after the fire was extinguished, and 809,000 litres (178,000 imp gal; 214,000 US gal) (670 tonnes or 660 long tons or 740 short tons) burnt. The damage done by the fire was minimal. Approximately half a mile of track had to be replaced, as did all the electrical services and signalling. The biggest surprise was how well the brick lining had stood up to the fire.

Fire

Trailhead Fire

The Trailhead Fire was a wildfire burning in the Middle Fork American River canyon in both Placer County & El Dorado County, California. [2] As of July 18, 2016[update] the fire has consumed 5,646 acres (22.85 km2) and is 100% contained. On Wednesday June 29, less than 24 hours after the fire was first reported, the fire had grown to over 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) forcing widespread evacuations as over 2,500 structures were threatened. [3] By Wednesday evening, the fire was only 12% contained and two evacuation centers had been established: one at Golden Sierra High School in Garden Valley for residents in El Dorado County, and a second at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn for residents in Placer County. [4]

Fire

Avoid Mudslides On I-70 Through Glenwood Canyon By Using These Alternate Routes

Editor's note: As of Aug. 2, I-70 through Glenwood Canyon is closed indefinitely for days, or possibly weeks, as transportation officials asses "extreme damage" caused by recent mudslides. Updated Aug. 2, 2021 at 4:56 p.m Mudslides have closed Interstate 70 through Glenwood Canyon multiple times this year, and currently, the route will remain closed for days — if not weeks — as damage from a recent mudslide caused "extreme damage." Slides are more likely in the canyon after the Grizzly Creek Fire tore through it last summer. If you need to travel in that direction, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Elise Thatcher has these suggestions for you (and prepare to add a few hours onto your journey): Chances of showers and thunderstorms in Glenwood Springs doesn’t necessarily mean the highway will close, Thatcher said. Rather, motorists should keep an eye on whether CDOT has closed the rest areas and bike path (It does that so evacuating the canyon is quicker and easier). If it has, flash floods and road closures are more likely. "We need the moisture,” said CDOT's Michael Goolsby earlier this week. “But we just don't need it concentrated in Glenwood Canyon.” Any disruptions to the highway will be noted at cotrip.org. CDOT’s recommended detour will take you north of I-70 through Kremmling, Steamboat Springs and Craig, adding about two and a half hours to your journey. “We understand that if we send folks in that direction, it's a commitment,” Thatcher said. “But we know that decades of managing these more rural highways, that that's really the best route." Google or Apple Maps might suggest an alternative like Cottonwood Pass (the Gypsum-to-Carbondale one, not the Almont-to-Buena Vista one). Still, Thatcher said taking any of those back roads (as many people did last summer) is almost certainly a bad idea. "Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are over roadways that are not designed for much traffic at all,” she said. “And often, they require four-wheel drive capability. They really don't have cell service. All it takes is one vehicle breaking an axle, breaking down in the roadway, and then everyone on either side of them is in for a really bad day." Colorado Highway 82 over Independence Pass between Leadville and Aspen is a more heavily traveled alternative (and I made it up and over it twice last summer in a Toyota Corolla). However, it can be beset by delays of its own, Thatcher said. Oversized vehicles and trailers aren’t allowed on that road because the turns are quite tight. Construction on U.S. 50 between Montrose and Gunnison has been suspended until further notice, so that southern route is an alternative as well. CDOT is working with the departments of transportation in Kansas, Utah and Wyoming to encourage out-of-state motorists to use Interstate 80 through Wyoming as an alternative to I-70.

Mudslides

2009 Bank of Ireland robbery

The 2009 Bank of Ireland robbery was a large robbery of cash from the College Green cash centre of the Bank of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland, on 27 February 2009. It was the largest bank robbery in the Republic of Ireland's history. Criminals engaged in the tiger kidnapping of a junior bank employee, 24-year-old Shane Travers, and forced him to remove €7.6 million (US$9 million)[1] in cash from the bank as his girlfriend and two others were held hostage. [2] Ireland's Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, criticised the bank for its failure to follow what he termed "established protocols" during the robbery, as the Irish police force, the Garda Síochána, was not informed of the incident until the money had been removed from the bank. A manhunt was under way for the perpetrators, with seven people being arrested and €1.8 million of the stolen cash located, scattered across Dublin, on 28 February. [2] Late on the night of 26 February, Travers, whose father is a member of the Garda Síochána based at Clontarf, Dublin, was alone watching television at the home of his girlfriend near Kilteel, County Kildare. [2] The woman and her mother were out shopping together. [3] When they arrived home with the five-year-old nephew of Travers, six heavily built masked men, dressed in black and carrying handguns, jumped from the bushes. [2][3] The family was held overnight by the armed gang, during which time their mobile phones were confiscated and Travers' girlfriend was hit across the back of her head with a vase by one of the men. [2][3] As dawn was arriving, the gang ordered all but Travers to enter their dark Volkswagen Golf family car. They were then bound together and driven to Ashbourne, County Meath. The bank employee was given a mobile phone, ordered to collect €20, €50, €100 and €200 bank notes from his workplace, and supplied with a photograph of the rest of the family at gunpoint to convince his colleagues that their lives were under threat. Travers drove to Dublin in his red Toyota Celica car, acquired the cash through the assistance of colleagues who viewed the photo, and carried the money out of the building in four laundry bags. [2][3][4] He took it to Clontarf Road railway station,[5] whereupon he surrendered the cash and his sports car to a waiting gang member. [2][4] Travers then entered a garda station, the first point at which gardaí were notified that the robbery had taken place. One hour after this, the other family members succeeded in freeing themselves and walked to a nearby garda station. Travers' girlfriend required immediate medical treatment for a head wound she had received during a struggle with her captors, and the family were reported to be "traumatised" by their ordeal. [2] Travers's car was later found burned out in an apartment block near Tolka House Pub in Glasnevin. [4] Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Dermot Ahern said "proper procedures" were not followed during the course of the robbery, saying that gardaí should have been contacted before the money had left the bank. [4][6] He also questioned how such a large sum of money could be taken as a result of one man being targeted. [4] He has remarked, "Criminals are going for the line of least resistance, the human connection as it were. Given the fact there is so much detailed technology available to financial institutions, the line of least resistance is the human being. "[7] The bank's chief executive, Richie Boucher, appointed just two days earlier,[8] immediately wrote to all his staff to remind them that protocol should be followed in the event of future robberies, saying "Our priority is always for the safety and well-being of all staff. I am sure this incident will raise concerns. Our best defence is to follow tried and tested procedures. I would ask everybody to remind themselves of these procedures, which are there to protect you, your families and the bank. "[4] The attack caused Charlie Flanagan, a Teachta Dála, to remark that "tiger kidnappings are taking place in Ireland ... at a rate of almost one per week. "[9] €1.8 million of the stolen cash was recovered and seven people were arrested by gardaí in a number of incidents on 28 February. A house in Phibsboro was sealed off and ten more houses were searched. A total of five cars and one van were seized by gardaí. [10] One of the men was arrested following a chase along the M50 near the Navan road,[11] with two bales of packed cash being discovered in his car. [10] Four other men were arrested in a car in Monk Place and in Great Western Square, Phibsboro, and two more were seized in a house on Great Western Villas, Phibsboro. Cash was also found in a car in Phibsboro. [10] The six men and one woman are believed to be members of a well-known gang from Dublin's north inner city and have connections to a major Dublin gangland figure. [3][11] On 2 March, those arrested appeared before the High Court to challenge the lawfulness of their detention, viewing the warrants issued by the District Court the day before as invalid. [12] That day, two of those arrested were released. [13] An unidentified bank employee was arrested on 28 January 2010 based on suspicion that the robbery had been an inside job. [14]

Bank Robbery

Largest Amsterdam Dance Event party, AMF, cancelled over Covid rules

The Amsterdam Music Festival (AMF), the largest party of the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), will not take place this year due to the coronavirus restrictions. The organizers announced that it cannot organize the event with only 75 percent of attendees, as per the new restrictions announced by the cabinet on Tuesday. The AMF was scheduled for October 16 with 40 thousand attendees at full capacity and performances by DJs Afrojack, Tiesto, Nicky Romero, Armin van Buuren and David Guetta. The event was already sold out. This is the second year the AMF can't happen due to the coronavirus. "We need your love on that special night on the 16th of October in the beating heart of Amsterdam - the Johan Cruijff ArenA. We need your energy. We need your beautiful smiling faces. We need you to embrace each other again. We need you to make AMF your escape and take this journey with us once again. But the Dutch Government has other plans," AMF said on Facebook. "We did all we could to reunite with you on the dancefloor again, but the world is still in a very surreal place and we will have to sadly miss you for one more year." Festival organizer ALDA said it hopes to be able to hold the AMF next year, on Saturday October 22.

Organization Closed

1975 New York Telephone exchange fire

The New York Telephone exchange fire occurred on February 27, 1975, at the New York Telephone Company switching center at 204 Second Avenue and Thirteenth Street in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. At this time, the building contained central offices for connecting local customer telephone lines, as well as toll switching systems. The fire disrupted service for 175,000 customers, connected within the building through 105,000 service loops. It was the worst single service disaster suffered by any single Bell operating company in the 20th century. The events relating to the fire make it notable for several reasons, including the extent of the disruption, the large scale and speed of the recovery efforts, which were completed in 23 days,[1] and the succeeding influence on adoption of fire safety rules for installation of low-voltage wiring inside buildings, especially in areas that can spread fire or toxic fumes. Decades later the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) combustion products produced by the fire were identified as a reason for elevated rates of cancer in the firefighters at the scene. The 204 Second Avenue building was erected in two stages: The first three floors were completed in 1923 and an additional eight stories were added in 1929-1930. [4] At that time telephone companies were using electromechanical panel switches and later crossbar switches. As demand for telephone service increased in later decades, older equipment remained in service and worked alongside new equipment installed for expanded service. [5] The building housed the main distribution frame and contained twelve exchanges and five toll switching machines. All of this equipment took up enormous space and by the time of the 1975 fire it was interconnected with tons of cable, much of it sheathed in PVC. The burning cables emitted hydrochloric acid, benzene, and vinyl chloride. During the blaze, accumulated gases caused an explosion powerful enough to knock down firefighters outside the building. [2] By the mid-1970s, the Bell System was converting to newer electronic switching systems that required only a fraction of the former space and had a greater capacity than the electromechanical switches. Newer exchanges usually were equipped with the latest technology. [5] In replacing the destroyed equipment at Second Avenue, AT&T was able to divert equipment and supplies intended for other locations to the rebuilding of the Second Avenue central offices. Just after midnight on February 27, 1975, a short circuit in the basement cable vault, where underground cables enter the building, started a fire. Fifteen employees were working in the building at the time. An internal alarm was sounded at 12:15 a.m. when smoke was discovered in the third-floor subscriber distribution frame. All employees safely evacuated the building but one reported that smoke was already filling the stairways. The maintenance man on duty was alerted to the fire and attempted to call the fire department, but the internal telephone lines were already disrupted. He had to use a street call box to alert the fire department, where the first alarm was sounded at 12:25 a.m.[6] Upon arrival, firefighters found the entire building filled with smoke with the heaviest on the lower floors. It was difficult to pinpoint the source of the fire due to the smoke and difficulty in getting into the cable vault. [7] Windows were constructed with wire mesh glass and further shielded with plastic or metal screens to protect switching equipment. Dust shields of steel and wired glass presented obstacles. [6] The fire had spread to the first floor through a narrow slot that passed cable up to the distribution frame. The fire then progressed vertically through cable chases. Firefighters attempted to spray foam into the cable vault only to have the foam drain down into a sub-basement. [7] The incident escalated to five alarms. [6] Fumes from the burning cables awakened and sickened residents on East 13th Street. Some dressed hastily and left their apartments to get further away from the fire. The nearby New York Eye and Ear Infirmary sent patients home or transferred them to other hospitals. Smoke poured from a fissure in the building and an adjacent structure was evacuated in fear that the telephone building might collapse. The fire was at first declared under control at 3:40 pm, but shortly after that flared up again. It was officially declared under control at 4:46 p.m.[8] The fire burned for over 19 hours before being completely extinguished. The fire had destroyed 488 vault cables[6] and all equipment on the first and second floors. Smoke and corrosion damaged switching equipment all the way up to the top floor. [7] The fire cut off telephone service to a 300 block area of Manhattan that included three hospitals, three police stations, two universities and the main headquarters of ConEdison. [9] The response to the emergency was quick with New York Telephone, parent company AT&T, research division Bell Laboratories and the equipment manufacturing arm Western Electric coordinating the restoration effort. Radio telephones and coin telephone trailers were brought in from three states and positioned throughout the affected area. A recently retired panel switch at the West 18th Street exchange was reactivated. A main distribution frame normally took six months to manufacture and install but one ready for shipment to another office was located at Western Electric and diverted to New York. [1] Remarkably, it only took them four days to install. [citation needed] Damaged switching equipment contacts were manually cleaned and millions of individual wires hand spliced. [10] Five thousand employees collaborated to restore service. Twenty-three days later service was restored entirely. [11] AT&T commissioned a documentary filmmaker to record the recovery work which was released under the title Miracle on Second Avenue. [1] No firefighters were killed at the telephone building site during the fire, but many later developed cancer attributed to the chemical toxins that were released during the fire. [12] The burning toxins from the PVC insulated wiring that burned has shown heightened risks of cancer years after exposure. Approximately forty cases of cancer can be linked back to the fire.

Fire

Tia Mowry Experienced Years of 'Debilitating Pain' Before Finally Getting Diagnosed with Endometriosis

Though Tia Mowry is now a mom of two, her road to parenthood wasn't an easy one — and she's not afraid to share that with the world in hopes of inspiring others to do the same and feel less alone. In a recent interview with TODAY Parents, the 43-year-old actress opened up about experiencing years of "debilitating symptoms" before finally being diagnosed with endometriosis, at which point she was also struggling to conceive. Mowry's 20s were plagued by extreme period pain, migraines, and eczema, yet doctors wouldn't take her "seriously," leaving her to feel "lost and alone," according to the publication. Ultimately, a friend advised her to see a gynecological specialist, who diagnosed Mowry with endometriosis. "She's a Black woman from Harvard. Right away, she knew exactly what it was," shared Mowry. (Related: Why the U.S. Desperately Needs More Black Female Doctors) Getty Images ICYDK, endometriosis (aka endo) is a painful, chronic condition wherein tissue that's similar to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) grows in other places of your body, most commonly on the ovaries, on the fallopian tubes, behind the uterus, or on the bowels or bladder, according to the Office on Women's Health. While endo is one of the most common reproductive health concerns in the U.S., getting diagnosed with the pelvic disorder can take anywhere from four to 11 years, according to an article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. And the journey to finally feeling heard and getting answers can be even longer for Black women. In fact, research shows that, compared to their white counterparts, Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with the condition overall — and that's not because they're less likely to have it. "When she told me that, I couldn't even pronounce the word," Mowry told TODAY Parents of being diagnosed with endometriosis. "It was something that wasn't talked about, but she told me how she knew [based on] my symptoms. I'm a Black woman, and I was in the age range. I was basically a textbook story." (See more: Why Is It So Hard for Black Women to Get Diagnosed with Endometriosis?) In addition to experiencing telltale signs such as excruciating pain during her period and heavy menstrual bleeding — details Mowry shared earlier this year during a March 2021 Instagram Live — the actress was also struggling to conceive. Unfortunately, endo and infertility often go hand in hand. Case in point: Between 30 and 50 percent of women with endometriosis may experience infertility, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. "I never heard the word 'infertility' growing up. It just wasn't part of conversations with my family and friends," she told TODAY Parents. "We as women growing up, we are just like, 'Okay, I'm going to get married, I'm going to have kids.' You have your life planned out and it doesn't always work that way." In 2011, Mowry welcomed her son, Cree, now 10, with husband Cory Hardrict. During this first pregnancy, however, the Sister, Sister alum experienced, in her words, "excruciating pain" — so much so that her doctors feared she might have an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg implants and grows outside the main cavity of the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic. "When you have endometriosis, you're prone to having an ectopic pregnancy because of the scar tissue," explained Mowry. But she didn't let this experience or the infertility struggles she then faced in the years that followed keep her from trying to conceive a second child. And in 2018, Mowry gave birth to her daughter, Cairo, now 3. (Related: Tia Mowry Has an Empowering Message for New Moms Who Feel Pressured to 'Snap Back') Fast forward to today, and the mom of two is all about "dismantling the traditional norms that we grow up with when it comes to having a family and starting a family," Mowry told TODAY Parents. "And sharing the challenges and triumphs that come with that. The more awareness and stories we share, the more people won't feel alone or discouraged or depressed." "And the more we talk about our own stories, the more we get rid of the stigma that comes along with IVF, surrogacy, sperm, and egg donation," she continued. "There are amazing ways that families become families." Mowry is also encouraging those struggling with health challenges to advocate for themselves and not let doctors downplay what they're going through. "You know your body more than anyone," she said. "You are the one living with what you're going through day in and day out. Don't let anyone tell you that something is not wrong with you." "Uh... Ted? Do you know how the rest of that limerick actually goes?" The pic was for Pete's 28th birthday. Meet Chat Partners & Date Live. Find Your Beautiful Soulmate Today. Chat Now! "When your dream girl gets you your dream car," Travis Barker wrote alongside black-and-white images showing him with a classic Buick and his fiancée Kourtney Kardashian Phaedra Parks‘ family outing photo on Nov. 14, sparked controversy after fans found something different about the former reality star’s appearance in the shot. In […] What do you mean, Hailey Bieber? Though she's happily married to Justin Bieber, there's one thing that the supermodel says she would probably never do with her husband. Looking for furniture ? Stockroom Furniture Has wide selection of European Style Table ,Sofa,office chair,dining chair, Lounge chair and more . Britney Spears isn't done calling out her critics. "I kind of want to enjoy my wedding."View Entire Post › More than two years after their breakup, a new sighting of co-parents Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk has sparked rumors of a romantic reconciliation. See why below. Streamline the way work gets done and have more time to score bigger wins. The actor spilled the tea in the new book "Welcome To Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History Of The Office." Marlon Wayans took to Instagram on Monday, Nov. 15, and posted a family photo following a dinner at Catch restaurant. Marlon’s family was visiting the […] She totally flashed the paps. Language Learning Advice From An Expert "I suffered near constant sexual harassment from my costar."View Entire Post › Lewy body dementia is the 2nd most common type of dementia, but it’s misunderstood and misdiagnosed. Here’s what the brain condition is, and how it’s treated. "How glorious to be reunited!" Shriver said of her dinner date in New York City with Caroline Kennedy and Sydney McKelvy All trading carries risk. With no hidden fees and leading margin lending rates, we offer better value than you might think. Invest with Saxo. Here's everything you need to know about Zendaya's family, from her mom Claire Stoermer, to her dad Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, to her five siblings. Try these simple strategies to stop glasses from fogging with a face mask during the COVID-19 pandemic, from using anti-fog wipes and soap to shaving cream and a metal clip. Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian wed on Nov. 16, 2017, in New Orleans Brilliant Car Cleaning Hacks Local Dealers Wish You Didn’t Know The Bravo star also opened up about getting a breast augmentation last year This 59-minute span is the "sweet spot" bedtime for protecting your heart. What's the best way to heal a broken heart? Move on with someone new...ish. One month after Kourtney Kardashian announced her engagement, Scott Disick has been seen out with ex Christine Burke.

Famous Person - Sick

Michigan State University student riots

Notable Michigan State University student riots occurred during the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade). The most recent riot occurred in 2019. A riot took place on and around the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan on the night of March 27, 1999. Following a loss by MSU's basketball team to Duke University in the NCAA Final Four, between 5,000 and 10,000 students and non-students gathered throughout the outside of campus after what was thought was a rallying cry by Taco Dave, the East Lansing Taco Bell night shift manager. It turns out, however, that a group known as the "306 Beal Boys" issued the riot rally cry at the Harrison Roadhouse before the action even started. A witness stated that he heard one of the 306 Beal Boys say, "I hate Duke. If we lose this game, we're going to riot." Taco Dave must have been at the Harrison Roadhouse and overheard this conversation. Later assessments of damages range from $250,000 to near $500,000. 132 people were arrested, including 71 students. A number of news media organizations captured footage of the riot. The Ingham County prosecutor's office issued subpoenas for this footage; the Lansing State Journal refused to comply and ten other organizations followed suit. Michigan's shield law was at issue. The case wound its way through the state court system. In September 2000 the Michigan Supreme Court upheld their right to withhold the recordings. As a result of this riot, a state law was passed giving judges the discretion to bar students convicted of rioting from public colleges for up to two years. Though the March 27, 1999, incident was the most serious of the campus riots during this time, it was not the first or last incidence of civil disturbance: An estimated 3,000 students protested the ban on alcohol at Munn Field tailgate parties, resulting in police firing tear gas at the crowd. The gathering was planned in advance by an email spread through the student body email system asking students to gather and protest the ban. The university police informed students, via the school newspaper, that anyone on Munn Field would be arrested for trespassing. One student crossed the fence and was arrested by campus police. Shortly thereafter, 30-40 students crossed the fence. When the remaining students saw the police would be unable to arrest everyone, approximately 1,500 students poured over the fence onto Munn field. The students played football, frisbee, and played in the rain and mud. Some had even mooned the police. The police then tear-gassed the students, causing them to leave and go to the University President's (M. Peter McPherson) house. When the students had learned the President was not available, they then relocated to Grand River Ave, where a small riot ensued. An estimated 2,000 students and non-students took to the streets immediately following the MSU men's basketball team's loss to UNC in the NCAA Final Four. An estimated $8,275 in damage to the city of East Lansing and an estimated $190,389 in expenses to the area law enforcement was caused by the riots. The April 2nd event was marked by accusations of police abuse and mismanagement. Though large segments of the disturbance were documented on video, no specific acts of violence were seen until after tear gas was launched at students. The City Council formed a commission to review the events and declined to assess blame to the students and police by a 5–4 vote. After a win against rival Ohio State University in the Big Ten Championship Game, over 3,000 students and non-students gathered in Cedar Village Apartments in East Lansing to celebrate MSU football's qualification for the 100th Rose Bowl. Participants chanted "I smell roses" and "go green, go white". Students burned couches, coats, tables, trees, and any furniture that they could find. A car was also flipped. However, the student body created a fund for a new car for the fellow Spartan and raised well above the car's value. Police marched away from the main couch fire, causing hundreds of students to follow singing "Nah, nah, nah... goodbye." The riots lasted well over 2 hours. Police in riot gear eventually dispersed the crowd. The East Lansing Police Department made a controversial decision, receiving criticism, by offering $20,000 for information about the students who were at Cedar Village. The police department also tried to pursue charges against a student who held a "Burn The Couch" sign during the football game, which occurred legally outside of their jurisdiction. Students on campus celebrated after the MSU men's basketball team defeated top overall seed Duke in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Final Four. At Cedar Village, bon fires were lit in the parking lot and a chair was burned, resulting in multiple arrests.

Riot

The biggest celebrity weddings of the year: Here's who said 'I do' in 2020

In the year 2020, in which many of us were quarantined in small quarters, we got to know our loved ones better than ever. So we have to applaud any couples who have emerged from this period with the fortitude and love to get married! Here's a look back at 21 of our favorite (generally low-key) celebrity weddings from the past year: Nick Kroll and Lily Kwong "Big Mouth" creator Kroll, 42, and architect Kwong, 29, married on Nov. 11, revealing the news on Instagram the day after Thanksgiving. "So deeply thankful 11•19•20 + forever," wrote Kwong , showing a silhouette of the couple by the sea, in their formal wedding outfits. Kroll posted a similar image, writing, "So very thankful for @lily_kwong." Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost "Avengers: Endgame" star Johansson, 35, and "Saturday Night Live" comedian Jost, 38, married in late October in a private ceremony, allowing Meals on Wheels America to announce that the deed had been done on its Instagram Oct. 29 . Featuring a picture of the Staten Island Ferry (with tin cans tied to the back) and the words "Jost Married," the organization wrote, "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 loved ones, following COVID-19 safety precautions as directed by the CDC. Their wedding wish is to help make a difference for vulnerable older adults during this difficult time by supporting @mealsonwheelsamerica." The couple announced their engagement in May 2019 after two years of dating. They first went public with their romance in 2018 at the premiere of "Infinity War." John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh Wrestler-turned-actor Cena, 43, and product manager Shariatzadeh, 31, tied the knot in Tampa, Florida, on Oct. 12 in a private ceremony. The couple had been seen together since March 2019, and he told Entertainment Tonight they'd met while he was in Vancouver, Canada, filming "Playing with Fire." Larry David and Ashley Underwood "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator and star David, 73, married Underwood on Oct. 7 in Southern California, People magazine reported . They'd met in 2017 at Sacha Baron Cohen's birthday party. Underwood had been a producer on Cohen's Showtime series "Who Is America?" and is friends with Cohen's wife, Isla Fisher. Fisher guest-starred in the most recent season of "Enthusiasm." "We were seated next to each other, I think with (being fixed-up) in mind," David told The New York Times in April. "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." Joel Courtney and Mia Scholink The "Kissing Booth" star Courtney, 24, and Scholink, 23, tied the knot in a socially distanced outdoor ceremony in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sept. 27. They've known one another since they were toddlers, though the romance didn't happen until 2017. Scholink posted a gallery of images on Instagram on Dec. 4, featuring the couple in their wedding formals, and wrote, "This got me in the feels" in the caption. Courtney posted his own wedding photo of the two nearly sharing a kiss and wrote, "I have spent the last 12 days in paradise and that has everything to do with my amazing wife. @mia_scholink you have sparked a new level of joy in my life. You are my glory." Emma Stone and Dave McCary Oscar-winning actor Stone, 32, and former segment director for "Saturday Night Live" McCary, 35, were confirmed as married by the New York Post's Page Six in September. They'd announced their engagement on Instagram in December 2019 with a selfie that featured Stone showing a pearl engagement ring. They'd originally planned to marry in March, but postponed due to the pandemic . They met when she hosted "SNL" in 2016, and were first linked as a couple in 2017. Musician Allen, 35 and "Stranger Things" star Harbour, 45, wed at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas on Sept. 7. They confirmed the surprise wedding by sharing a fun photo (with Elvis!) outside the chapel, and a second image (swipe to see both) where they shared a postnuptial meal of burgers and fries. Harbour, who posted the images, wrote in the caption, "In a wedding officiated by the king himself, the people’s princess wed her devoted, low born, but kind credit card holder in a beautiful ceremony lit by the ashen skies courtesy of a burning state miles away in the midst of a global pandemic. Refreshments were served at a small reception following." Allen also posted a picture from the ceremony on Instagram, showing three hearts in the caption:

Famous Person - Marriage

Joint 'Agile Spirit' Military Exercises Due To Start In Georgia

Joint military exercises involving about 4,000 troops from 15 allied and partner countries, including the United States, have kicked off in Georgia. The exercises are being staged at five training locations in Georgia and are scheduled to run from July 26 to August 6, a U.S. Army statement said. The opening ceremony for Agile Spirit took place at Senaki Air Base. A ceremony at the conclusion of the exercises is scheduled for August 6 at the Orpholo training area. Other staging areas include the Vaziani training area and the Vaziani Military Airport. It is the 10th Agile Spirit exercise, which aims to strengthen regional security cooperation and increase interoperability among the military forces participating. “Agile Spirit 2021 enhances U.S., Georgian, allied, and regional partner forces’ readiness and interoperability in a realistic training environment,” the statement said. The exercises were first conducted in Georgia in 2011 and have taken place annually with both U.S. and Georgian military forces. About 1,600 of the 4,000 troops taking part this year are from the Georgian defense forces and about 700 are U.S. military personnel. This year is the first in which a combined multinational airborne operation with participation from Georgia, the United Kingdom, and Poland is taking place. Special operation forces from Georgia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Poland are also performing combined operations together for the first time at the Sorta training area. Other participating countries include Germany, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Spain, Ukraine, Canada, and Italy.

Military Exercise

Oxford Circus fire

The Oxford Circus fire occurred on Friday 23 November 1984 at 9.50pm at Oxford Circus station on the London Underground. Oxford Circus station is in the heart of London's shopping district and is served by three deep-level tube lines: the Bakerloo line, Central line and Victoria line. The three lines are linked by a complex network of tunnels and cross-passages which all converge to a common booking hall situated beneath the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street. The fire started in a materials store at the south end of the northbound Victoria line platform, which was being used by contractors working on the modernisation of the station. It gutted the northbound Victoria line platform tunnel and the passages leading off it. The adjacent northbound Bakerloo line platform suffered smoke damage, as did the escalator tunnel and the booking hall. Other areas of the station were undamaged. The most likely cause of the fire was a smoker discarding smoking materials through a ventilation grille into the materials store, which ignited rags or paint thinner. At 9.50pm, a station inspector, on duty in the mezzanine level, was told by a passenger of smoke on the northbound Victoria line platform. He took a piece of wood with him down to the platform, expecting to deal with something smouldering on the track. When he saw that it was the contractors' storage area on fire, he tried to use a telephone in a kiosk nearby, but opening the door of the kiosk released thick smoke that drove him back. He then retreated and started the evacuation. [1] Oxford Circus station was rapidly evacuated when the fire was discovered, and the London Fire Brigade conducted a sweep of the station which confirmed that all passengers were clear. The fire alert disrupted the routes of 10 trains on the three lines: passengers on six of the trains were evacuated at stations and passengers on four trains were escorted down the running tunnels to adjacent stations. The last passenger evacuated from these trains left the track at 12:45 a.m.. 30 pumps attended the fire, which was declared extinguished just before 3 a.m. the next day. No one was killed as a result of the fire; 14 people (four passengers, one police officer and nine members of London Underground staff) were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, of whom all but one were released next day. The gutted areas of the station had to be completely reconstructed, which in the case of the Victoria line platform tunnel involved sealing the ends so that the waterproof lining of the platform tunnel could be removed without releasing asbestos fibres into the atmosphere of the Underground. The removal took just over three weeks. Passenger services were restarted on the Central line the following morning. Northbound Bakerloo line trains were not permitted to stop at the station until 30 November, by which time the access tunnels to the Bakerloo northbound platform had been cleared of fire damage. Victoria line service through central London and to the station recommenced on 17 December, with the platform tunnel having been stripped of all fittings down to the tunnel segment rings. Wooden hoardings were erected at the rear of the platform and the entire platform tunnel was whitewashed. Reconstruction of the decorative fittings on the platform was not completed until early 1986. Whilst smoking had been banned on London Underground trains since July 1984, at the time of the Oxford Circus fire it was still allowed in stations. In response to the fire, a complete ban on smoking in all sub-surface stations was introduced in February 1985. [2] Nonetheless a similar incident occurred on 18 November 1987 at King's Cross St. Pancras tube station when it was concluded as probable that a passenger had dropped a lit match onto an escalator. The resulting fire killed 31 people. After the King's Cross fire, staff training was increased and the smoking ban was enforced much more strictly with fines being introduced for offenders. [citation needed]

Fire

Archaeological ‘treasures’ found in ancient sunken Egyptian city

A man looks at an artifact from Thonis-Heracleion, 30th dynasty (380 BC),1st year of the reign of Nectanebo I, at the Institut du Monde Arabe (Arab World Institute), part of the Osiris, Sunken Mysteries of Egypt exhibition in Paris, France, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015. Significant archaeological discoveries were made in a 2021 mission to the sunken city, conducted by a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). Marine archaeologists have been exploring the ancient sunken city of Thonis-Heracleion for years. Though, recent missions conducted in the area off the coast of Egypt have uncovered some rare archaeological “treasures.” A report by CNN Travel shed light on a 2021 mission conducted by a team from the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM). The mission was led by French marine archaeologist Franck Goddio, and “conducted in close cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt.” IEASM said in a statement last month that the site of Thonis-Heracleion in the Bay of Aboukir revealed “extremely interesting results.” Discoveries included “Greek ceramics and 2,400-year-old wicker baskets filled with fruit.” Prior to Alexander the Great’s founding of Alexandria in 331 BCE, Thonis-Heracleion was Egypt’s largest Mediterranean port, CNN explained. A significant discovery by the team was the remains of a large tumulus — “a Greek funerary area” — along the northeast entrance canal of the submerged city. The tumulus was “covered with sumptuous funerary offerings” that dated back to the beginning of the fourth century BCE, IEASM said. CNN cited Goddio, who was quoted in the IEASM statement: “Everywhere we found evidence of burned material,” indicating that “spectacular ceremonies must have taken place there.” “The place must have been sealed for hundreds of years as we have found no objects from later than the early fourth century BCE, even though the city lived on for several hundred years after that,” Goddio added. IEASM said that offerings included “imported luxury Greek ceramics.” The archaeologists also discovered “wicker baskets that were still filled with grape seeds and doum fruit...the fruit of an African palm tree, which is often found in tombs.” “They have lain untouched underwater (for) 2,400 years, maybe because they were once placed within an underground room or were buried soon after being offered,” IEASM said. The entrance to Egypt at the mouth of the Canopic branch of the Nile was controlled by Thonis-Heracleion, IEASM said. However, researchers said several earthquakes followed by tidal waves led to the collapse of a 110-square-kilometer portion of the Nile delta, sending it into the sea, and taking with it the cities of Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus. IEASM “rediscovered” both cities — Canopus in 1999 and Thonis-Heracleion in 2000. Another major discovery by Goddio and his team occurred during the 2021 mission in another area of the city. With the aid of “a cutting-edge prototype sub-bottom profiler,” a Ptolemaic galley was found submerged beneath the waters in the canal along the south face of the temple of Amun, where it was moored. It had sunk, having been hit by huge blocks “when the building was destroyed during a ‘cataclysmic event’ in the second century BCE,” IEASM explained. “The finds of fast galleys from this period remain extremely rare,” Goddio said. “The only other example to date being the Punic Marsala Ship (235 BCE). Before this discovery, Hellenistic ships of this type were completely unknown to archaeologists.”

New archeological discoveries

Hessian bags key to re-growing seagrass and saving Adelaide's coast line

The answer to sand carting and coastal erosion issues for many councils in South Australia may lie just below the surface of the ocean. Seagrass beds have been found to help reduce damage from waves created during wild weather; they are also one of the greatest carbon storage habitats in the world. But the rich meadows just off the coastline of Adelaide are facing their biggest threat yet — man. Since monitoring of the meadows began in the 1950s, Associate Professor Jason Tanner said more than 6,000 hectares had been destroyed. "In shallower waters there used to be seagrasses but that has all been lost. "It's all been lost mostly because of nutrient inputs from wastewater, stormwater and that sort of thing." As the subprogram leader of ecosystem, mitigation and rehabilitation for the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Associate Professor Tanner has dedicated his professional life to re-establishing the meadows. Over the past 15 years, with the help of the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board, he has been trialling and narrowing down treatment options. Associate Professor Tanner said developments in sewage treatment and stormwater run-off had helped curb the losses but the challenge now was to find ways for regrowth. At first he and his team tried growing and planting seagrass into the beds of sparse areas, but their efforts were not successful. Then one of the team's divers noticed hessian bags used to stabilise a transplant patch were actually growing seagrass — and a solution was found. "By the time the hessian rots away and the sand becomes mobile again, the seagrass is big enough to survive," Associate Professor Tanner said. He said SARDI had undertaken a couple of one-hectare trials, where 1,000 bags had been pushed off the back of their research vessels. "If we went to a commercial-type operation, you could probably put out 10,000 bags a day." Associate Professor Tanner said coastal damage could be minimised long term if council funds used currently for sand carting were diverted to a seagrass regeneration project. "If we can get started and get the system to a level where it starts to recover itself, I think there is quite a good potential for success. "We might not be able to completely stop sand carting but I think the need for it would be reduced."

Environment Pollution

The diplomatic hurdles Boris Johnson will face as he tackles climate change at UNGA

Political Correspondent UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has landed in New York - the city of his birth - in his first major overseas trip since the start of the Covid pandemic. On the plane on the way over, he claimed relations with the US were as good as they had been in decades. Despite his optimism, this is a trip strewn with diplomatic hurdles. His visit to the White House will be the first since Joe Biden became US President - and also the first since the USA’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan. There will certainly be discussions about Afghanistan’s future, but his focus is unlikely to be on any mistakes of the past, given the urgent need to secure present and future global cooperation to make COP26, the crucial climate summit in Glasgow, a success. In a speech to the United Nations (UN) and in multilateral and bilateral meetings over the next few days, the prime minister will urge countries around the world to “step up to the plate” on climate. The British government has identified its priorities for COP26 as cash, coal, cars and trees. On the first, he has to try to persuade richer countries to stop falling short on their commitment to deliver £100 billion a year to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate change. On the second, he has to encourage countries, particularly China, the world’s largest carbon emitter, to phase out the use of coal - all that against a backdrop of the recent defence pact with Australia and the US, which has enraged the Chinese. It is perhaps no wonder that even this most optimistic prime minister gave his chances of getting the cash pledged only a six out of 10.

Diplomatic Visit

Trump says U.S. to leave key nuclear arms treaty with Russia

The Trump administration moved Friday to withdraw from a key missile treaty with Russia that has formed a cornerstone of nuclear arms control efforts for decades, accusing President Vladimir Putin's government of breaching the pact and raising fears of a new Cold War-style arms race with Moscow. President Donald Trump, announcing the U.S. intent to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, said Russia had been violating the agreement "with impunity." "We cannot be the only country in the world unilaterally bound by this treaty, or any other," Trump said in a statement. His tough words for Russia were echoed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said the U.S. would formally notify Moscow on Saturday that the U.S. will withdraw. Pompeo said Russia was in "material breach" of the pact and that NATO allies had "stood with us in our mission to uphold the rule of law and protect our people." "We provided Russia an ample window of time to mend its ways and for Russia to honor its commitment," Pompeo said. "Tomorrow that time runs out." The 1987 treaty bans deployment and required the destruction of ground-based missiles with a range of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers — or 310 to 3,410 miles — whose presence in Europe became a point of crisis during the Cold War. Signed by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the pact has been viewed for decades as a model for arms control agreements between major powers. But the U.S. has accused Russia of violating the agreement since at least 2014, a charge that Russia denies. Senior Trump administration officials said Friday that they had tried 35 times through diplomatic engagements to bring Russia into compliance and had provided Moscow with specific days on which the U.S. believes Russia tested the banned missiles, only to be rebuffed. Trump had signaled in October that he planned to leave the deal, as U.S. diplomats sought to use that threat to coerce Russia into changing course and complying. Under the terms of the agreement, the withdrawal is not immediate: The U.S. will "suspend" its obligations starting Saturday but the withdrawal won't be complete until the expiration of a six-month window that ends in August. That leaves open the possibility that Russia could still change course and the deal could be salvaged. Still, senior U.S. officials said they were not optimistic about that possibility. For Trump, who has repeatedly vexed NATO with his threats to pull out of the alliance and his demands that members spend more on defense, the decision marked a rare point of agreement. The alliance issued a statement declaring that "allies fully support this action." "We urge Russia to use the remaining six months to return to full and verifiable compliance to preserve the INF Treaty," said NATO, formed by Western nations in the wake of World War II as a hedge against Soviet military power. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized the move in a sharply-worded tweet. "Yet another withdrawal from an accord by the Trump administration; this time the #INFTreaty," wrote Zarif, who also referenced the U.S. decision to withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. "Seems this clique is allergic to anything w/ US signature on it. Message: Any deal with US govt is not worth the ink; even treaties ratified by Congress." The Kremlin, ahead of Trump's widely anticipated announcement, said it viewed the decision with regret. While insisting it is complying with the treaty, Russia has accused the U.S. of violating the treaty itself, including through the use of armed drones that are not technically missiles but operate within the range prohibited by the treaty. Non-proliferation experts have warned that without the deal, the U.S. and Russia will have free rein to deploy land-based missiles. Thomas Countryman, a veteran U.S. diplomat who now chairs the Arms Control Association, said that "without the treaty, there is a serious risk of a new intermediate-range, ground-based missile arms race in Europe and beyond." But senior officials said that despite pulling out, the U.S. didn't plan to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe and said the U.S. would continue to work with Russia to prevent such a competition. For the U.S., the proliferation of intermediate-range missiles has become a growing concern because of China, which is not party to the treaty and not banned from deploying them. Senior U.S. officials said that China now has more than 1,000 of the missiles. The demise of the deal could free the U.S. military to try to match China's capabilities in a bid to prevent the Asian power from gaining a significant military advantage. Still, U.S. officials describing the rationale behind Trump's decision insisted it was singularly about the threat from Russia, not China. Trump's decision to withdraw was broadly applauded by Republicans on Capitol Hill, who faulted former President Barack Obama for allowing Russia to cheat. "It's a bad deal for America when Russia cheats and the United States complies," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Added Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho: "The time has come to set the treaty aside and develop alternative avenues toward the security the treaty once provided." Yet while Democrats generally agreed that Russia was violating the treaty and that something needed to be done, they questioned whether the president had a strategy in place to keep an arms race at bay in the absence of the pact. They alluded to Trump's past move to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal as a sign that Trump didn't understand the importance of such arms control agreements. "Today's withdrawal is yet another geostrategic gift to Vladimir Putin," said New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel. The issue has also attracted attention from prominent Democrats eyeing or running in the 2020 presidential race. The day before Trump's announcement, a group of Senate Democrats sought to pre-empt the president by introducing a bill opposing a withdrawal and warning of a potential new arms race. The group included Sen. Kamala Harris of California, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The withdrawal also poses a delicate test for Trump's relations with U.S. allies in Europe, who agree that Moscow has been violating the treaty but have expressed concern that in its absence, the continent will be less safe, not more. EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini said Friday she did not want to see Europe "going back to being a battlefield," where super-powers confront themselves. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also took a more measured tone. "It is important that disarmament and the international arms control architecture are put back on the international agenda," Maas warned Friday. "Without the INF treaty there will be less security, but we need to take under consideration that the INF treaty was violated by the Russian side."

Tear Up Agreement

2016 Malaysian floods

Heavy rainfall in the early February 2016 has caused major flooding in the state of Sarawak, Johor, Malacca and parts of Negeri Sembilan. On 9 February, total number of flood evacuees in Kuching, Bau, Samarahan and Serian risen to 1,065 people from 765,[3] and increase to over 5,600 in 11 February. [4] Until 22 February, the number of flood evacuees reach 7,965. [5] The flood in the state has caused the Sarawak General Hospital to be inundated,[6] as well many snakes and crocodiles to wandering around the flood areas and attacking humans. [7][8] On 20 February, one teenager become the only casualty after fell into a river. [2] Until 26 February, a total of 7,288 students were affected by floods and 10 schools has been used as a temporary evacuation centres. [9] During the floods, a teacher with his family were stranded when a suspension bridge collapse. [10] On 7 February, two casualties were reported in Johor with one being swept by strong current and another one were fallen into a fishing pond. [1] On 9 February, the evacuees in Tangkak, Ledang and Segamat dropped slightly, from 137 people to 135 people. [3] On 8 February, around 4,600 people have been evacuated in the state of Malacca with 3,020 victims were housed at six evacuation centres on Central Malacca District, 1,560 victims sheltered in six evacuation centres on Alor Gajah District and another 24 victims at one relief centre in Jasin District. [11] The total evacuees however decrease to 189 people in 9 February after the flood situation improves. [3][12] In Negeri Sembilan, the total evacuees were 671 as of 7 February,[13] and increase to 705 on 8 February while all the evacuating centres closed on the same day after the flood water have receded. [14]  Malaysia — The Chief Minister of Sarawak Adenan Satem has ordered relevant agencies to provide aid and other basic necessities to flood victims in the state. [15] The Sarawak state government also has promised to find a long-term solution to prevent such floods recurring in the near future. [16] While the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department conducting their daily works rescuing stranded victims, they also helping to clean schools, roads and flood victims houses. [17] The University of Malaysia Sabah (UMS) through the Student Welfare Committee (JAKMAS) Tun Mustapha Residential College (KKTM) held a charity drive to help the flood victims in Sarawak. [18] The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has sent aid in the form of foodstuffs and basic necessities to 1,500 families affected by floods in Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. [19] This article about a flood is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Floods

Group Pioneers Use of NFTs to Help Famine Victims in Tigray, Ethiopia

MEKELLE, Ethiopia, July 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As the war-torn Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia continues to experience extreme food shortages (tens of thousands have died, 1.8 million are on the verge of famine, according to UNICEF; 400,000 are already there), one group is using a relatively new way to support aid efforts: NFTs. According to Mirna Saraswati of SaveTigray, "Last year we planned to create NFTs from Fair Trade Art created by women from Tigray. But the advent of the war in November put an end to those plans. So instead, we are making NFTs based on interpreted photos of the tragedy. We will sell them on our NFT marketplace, and donate the proceeds equally to four groups: the World Food Program, International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, and Save the Children." An example can be seen on their website, savetigray.net. Using NFTs to support charities is something that has never been done before. The group hopes to use the Tigray project as a prototype, so that they can later create similar projects to address Climate Change, Racial Injustice, Disease, and other issues. "We believe that NFTs are here to stay," says the group's COO Savannah Partridge. "We've solved the biggest problem associated with them, which is energy usage. Our platform uses 10 million times less energy than the standard Etherium-based ones. Like any NFT, the provenance of each work can be easily traced through the Blockchain. And buyers can continue to use each image to raise more for the cause, if they so choose. NFTs earn Royalties every time they are sold, so they can keep fundraising forever." SaveTigray also plans a publicity drive to make the public aware of the Famine and quasi-Genocide in Tigray. "Most people in the West, including celebrities who usually rally round for a tragedy this big, are not involved," says Partridge. "As much as we want to raise funds for victims, we really want to spread the news to millions. The Ethiopian government has announced that aid flights can resume from the capital, but so far none have been given approval. An outcry from the public can compel them to act."

Famine

Protests against Donald Trump

Presidential campaign Post-election Protests against Donald Trump have occurred in the United States, Europe and elsewhere from his entry into the 2016 presidential campaign to his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Protests have expressed opposition to Trump's campaign rhetoric, his electoral win, his inauguration, his alleged history of sexual misconduct and various presidential actions, most notably his aggressive family separation policy. Some protests have taken the form of walk-outs, business closures, and petitions as well as rallies, demonstrations, and marches. While most protests have been peaceful,[12] actionable conduct such as vandalism and assaults on Trump supporters has occurred. [13][14] Some protesters have been criminally charged with rioting. [15] The largest organized protest against Trump was the day after his inauguration; millions protested on January 21, 2017, during the Women's March, with each individual city's protest taken into consideration, makes it the largest single-day protest in the history of the United States. [16] A number of protests against Donald Trump's candidacy and political positions occurred during his presidential campaign, essentially at his political rallies. During his presidential campaign, activists organized demonstrations inside Trump's rallies, sometimes with calls to shut the rallies down;[17][18][19] protesters began to attend his rallies displaying signs and disrupting proceedings. [20][21] There were occasional incidents of verbal abuse and/or physical violence, either against protesters or against Trump supporters. While most of the incidents amounted to simple heckling against the candidate, a few people had to be stopped by Secret Service agents. Large-scale disruption forced Trump to cancel a rally in Chicago on March 11, 2016, out of safety concerns. [18] On June 18, 2016, an attempt was made to assassinate Trump. [22] Michael Steven Sanford, a British national and the perpetrator, was sentenced to one year in prison after he reached for a police officer's gun. He reportedly told a federal agent that he had driven from California to Las Vegas with a plan to kill Trump. [23] The protesters sometimes attempted to enter the venue or engage in activities outside the venue. Interactions with supporters of the candidate may occur before, during or after the event. [24] At times, protesters attempted to rush the stage at Trump's rallies. [25] At times, anti-Trump protesters have turned violent and attacked Trump supporters and vice versa;[26] this violence has received bipartisan condemnation. [27] MoveOn.org, The People for Bernie Sanders, the Muslim Students' Association, Assata's Daughters, the Black Student Union, Fearless Undocumented Alliance and Black Lives Matter were among the organizations who sponsored or promoted the protests at the March 11 Chicago Trump rally. [17][28][29][30] There were reports of verbal and physical confrontations between Trump supporters and protesters at Trump's campaign events. [31][32] Following a June 2016 clash between protesters and Trump supporters in San Jose, California, a photo of Australian actress Samara Weaving appearing to be injured was widely circulated on social media. [33][34][35][36] The photo claimed to depict a Trump supporter attacked by liberal protesters, but was actually Weaving in makeup for her role on the comedy-horror series Ash vs Evil Dead. [33][35][37][38] Weaving reacted negatively to the hoax, noting that she could not vote in the presidential election because she was not a U.S. citizen. [33][34] A similar hoax claiming to show a 15-year-old Trump supporter beaten by an anti-Trump mob in San Jose used an image of the actress Luisa Rubino from the telenovela La Rosa de Guadalupe. [33][39][40] Rubino told an interviewer that in fact she did not support Trump "because I'm Mexican and I support the Latino community". [33][39] The fact checking website PolitiFact.com, rated a separate story titled "Donald Trump Protester Speaks Out: 'I Was Paid $3,500 To Protest Trump's Rally'" as "100 percent fabricated, as its author acknowledges. "[41] Paul Horner, a writer for a fake news website, took credit for the article, and said he posted the deceitful ad himself. [42] During the campaign, Trump was accused by some of creating aggressive undertones at his rallies. [43] Trump's Republican rivals blamed him for fostering a climate of violence, and escalating tension during events. [44] Initially, Trump did not condemn the acts of violence that occurred at many of his rallies, and indeed encouraged them in some cases. [45][46] In November 2015, Trump said of a protester in Birmingham, Alabama, "Maybe he should have been roughed up, because it was absolutely disgusting what he was doing. "[47] In December, the campaign urged attendees not to harm protesters, but rather to alert law enforcement officers of them by holding signs above their head and yelling, "Trump! Trump! Trump! "[48] Trump has been criticized for additional instances of fomenting an atmosphere conducive to violence through many of his comments. For example, Trump told a crowd in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that he would pay their legal fees if they punched a protester. [49] On February 23, 2016, when a protester was ejected from a rally in Las Vegas, Trump stated, "I love the old days – you know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher, folks." He added, "I'd like to punch him in the face. "[50][51][52] Fairly early in the campaign the United States Secret Service assumed primary responsibility for Trump's security. They were augmented by state and local law enforcement as needed. When a venue was rented by the campaign, the rally was a private event and the campaign might grant or deny entry to it with no reason given; the only stipulation was that exclusion solely on the basis of race was forbidden. Those who entered or remained inside such a venue without permission were technically guilty of or liable for trespass. [53] Attendees or the press could be assigned or restricted to particular areas in the venue. [54] In March 2016, Politico reported that the Trump campaign hired plainclothes private security guards to preemptively remove potential protesters from rallies. [55] That same month, a group calling itself the "Lion Guard" was formed to offer "additional security" at Trump rallies. The group was quickly condemned by mainstream political activists[who?] as a paramilitary fringe organization. [citation needed] Following Trump's election to the presidency, students and other activists organized larger protests in several major cities across the United States, including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland and Oakland.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Marshall Islands in IAEA international task force set up to review safety of Fukushima treated water release

Pacific GeoJournalism Marshall Islands in IAEA international task force set up to review safety of Fukushima treated water release RMI to review Japan’s plans and actions related to the water discharge with internationally recognised task force members The Republic of the Marshall Islands is part of an international task force established by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to review the safety of a planned release of water now stored at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The task force made up of eleven internationally recognised experts with diverse backgrounds from Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Viet Nam. A statement from the IAEA says task force members will not work in a national capacity but as part of an international team managed by the IAEA and reporting to its Director General. The team held its first meeting on Tuesday, with prominent independent experts from around the world participating as members. It was set up under the authority of the IAEA will oversee the Agency’s programme of technical assistance and review Japan’s plans and actions related to the water discharge. Opening the three-day meeting at IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Director General Grossi emphasised the “enormous importance” of the work of the task force, saying its members were among the world’s leading scientists and experts in the areas of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The task force will demonstrate that the review is carried out in an objective, credible and science-based manner and help send a message of transparency and confidence to people in Japan and beyond. “I wanted to make sure that the Agency would not only have the expertise of the best and brightest but also the expertise of those from countries in the region,” the Director General told the inaugural Task Force meeting. During this week’s meeting, the task force will discuss the content, structure, and schedule of the IAEA’s review in the coming years; the key technical elements that must be assessed; and will receive detailed technical briefings from the Government of Japan. The team will conduct its first technical mission to Japan, including significant onsite activities at Fukushima Daiichi, in December. The IAEA has provided technical assistance to support Japan’s efforts at Fukushima Daiichi in areas such as radiation monitoring, remediation, waste management and decommissioning since the 2011 accident. The Government of Japan decided in April to discharge the treated water into the sea and requested the IAEA’s assistance to help ensure it takes place in line with international safety standards and without harming public health or the environment. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the IAEA would support Japan before, during and after the release, which is planned to begin in 2023. The two sides agreed on the project’s terms of reference in July and, earlier in September, the IAEA sent a team to Japan to begin implementation of the multi-annual review.

Organization Established

Teen pleads guilty, gets life sentence in fatal Middletown shooting over $60 marijuana debt

A trial was scheduled to begin Monday afternoon in Butler County Common Pleas Court for the last of three teens charged in a robbery attempt that turned deadly last winter in Middletown, but instead he entered a guilty plea and was sent to prison. Karlos Chase Philpot,18, was indicted in February for murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation for a Jan. 31 incident where a woman was killed at a Wilbraham Road residence. Philpot pleaded guilty to murder in Judge Greg Stephens’ courtroom three hours before his trial was scheduled to begin. The remaining charges were dismissed. The plea carried a mandatory sentence and Stephens then imposed that sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole in 15 years. Juvenile co-defendants who were tried as adults, Timathy Rhodus and Elliot Shepherd II, both 17 at the time of the crime, were each indicted in April for murder with gun specifications and other felonies for the slaying. Rhodus pleaded guilty in September to murder with a one-year gun specification in Butler County Common Pleas Court. The other charges, including felonious assault, were dismissed. Prosecutors say Rhodus was handling the gun and shot the woman who was visiting a family member at the residence. Explore Teens accused in fatal Middletown shooting indicted as adults Judge Dan Haughey set sentencing for Oct. 26. Rhodus faces a maximum of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 16 years. Shepherd pleaded guilty in May in common pleas court to involuntary manslaughter with a gun specification. He faces a maximum of 12 years in prison. Sentencing will not happen until after the co-defendants’ cases are completed, according to prosecutors. Angela Combs, 41, was shot about 9 p.m. in an apartment in the 3100 block of Wilbraham Road by armed suspects who came to the door apparently looking for payment of a debt, according to court documents. Combs was taken to Atrium Medical Center, where she died. Explore Third suspect arrested in fatal shooting at Middletown apartment over the weekend According to court documents, Rhodus said he went to the residence armed with the two others to “get $60 that was owed to him for marijuana.” The person who opened the door attempted to shut it and caught the arm of one of the 17-year-olds in the door, it said. After the door hit the teen’s arm, Rhodus stated he started pulling the trigger because it upset him, according to the complaint signed by detective Ken Mynhier. Combs was struck by gunfire as she walked down the steps, according to prosecutors. The resident who also was shot told police he was at home with Combs and other friends and family when there was a knock at the door. The man said they opened the door and saw three people with guns and masks and tried to close the door. He said one of the three was able to put his hand through the door and fired. The resident said he recognized one of the suspects from his voice and hair.

Famous Person - Commit Crime - Sentence

Brain chemical Serotonin behind locusts' swarming instinct

Brain chemical Serotonin behind locusts’ swarming instinct The usually inhibited desert locust Schistocerca gregaria, which wiles away the months as a solitary, insignificant grasshopper can shift into horrifying swarms due to a chemical commonly found in people’s brain, a research showed. The solitary and gregarious phases of locusts are so different that they were considered distinct species until 1921. Scientists have known for several years that touching a solitary desert locust on the hind legs, or allowing it to see or smell other locusts, is enough to transform it into the gregarious phase. This week, Science magazine published strong scientific evidence that the behavioural and physical makeover is effected by serotonin , a carrier of nerve signals in virtually all animals. Researchers from the University of Sydney , University of Oxford , and University of Cambridge have pinpointed a single neurochemical - serotonin - as the cause of an instinctive behavioural change from the locusts' solitarious phase to become gregarious and form disastrous swarms of millions. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, or 5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter synthesized in serotonergic neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) and enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal tract of animals including humans. Serotonin is also found in many mushrooms and plants, including fruits and vegetables. In the central nervous system, serotonin plays an important role as a neurotransmitter in the modulation of anger, aggression, body temperature , mood , sleep, human sexuality, appetite, metabolism, as well as stimulating vomiting. Keeping serotonin levels high is the aim of many anti-depressant drugs. "Serotonin profoundly influences how we humans behave and interact," said co-author Dr Swidbert Ott, from Cambridge University. "So to find that the same chemical is what causes a normally shy, antisocial insect to gang up in huge groups is amazing," he explained. Prior to swarming, the locusts undergo a series of physical changes - their body colour darkens and their muscles grow stronger. The 'Phase change' is at the heart of the locust pest problem, for locusts are one of the world's most destructive insect pests, affecting the livelihoods of 1 in 10 people on the planet. "To effectively control locust swarms, we must first understand exactly how it is that a single shy locust becomes a highly social animal that swarms," said University of Sydney Professor Steve Simpson who led the research for almost 20 years. The 'phase change' was caused by stimulation of sensory hairs on the hind leg of locusts. Professor Simpson's team began to investigate the neurological and neurochemical basis of this effect. Dr Michael L. Anstey, of the University of Oxford, supervised by Professor Simpson, and Dr Stephen M. Rogers, part of Professor Malcolm Burrows ' team at Cambridge, led the research investigating this novel field. "Here we have a solitary and lonely creature, the desert locust. But just give them a little serotonin, and they go and join a gang," said Malcolm Burrows. Locust from the 1915 Locust Plague Of 13 neurochemicals in locusts that were gregarious (swarming form) and solitarious (non-swarming), the only neurochemical that showed a relationship with social behaviour was serotonin. "It was clear that as locusts switched from solitarious to gregarious, the amount of serotonin in their central nervous systems also increased," explained Professor Simpson. "The next step was to determine if this relationship actually meant that serotonin was the cause of gregarious, and thus swarming, behaviour in locusts," he added. To do this, the researchers either added serotonin or prevented the production of serotonin in locusts. The results show unequivocally that serotonin is responsible for the behavioural transformation of locusts from solitarious to gregarious. Serotonin was also found to be involved in social behaviour of species across the animal kingdom, including crustaceans , rats, and humans. The team has found that swarm-mode locusts had approximately three times more serotonin in their thoracic ganglia , part of the central nervous system, than their calm, solitary peers. "The question of how locusts transform their behaviour in this way has puzzled scientists for almost 90 years," said co-author Dr Michael L. Anstey, from Oxford University. "We knew the [physical] stimuli that cause locusts' amazing Jekyll and Hyde-style transformation. But nobody had been able to identify the changes in the nervous system that turn antisocial locusts into monstrous swarms. Now we finally have the evidence to provide an answer," he added. "The fact that serotonin causes the transition from a shy, antisocial animal into a party animal means that pharmacologically, gregarious locusts are on Ecstasy or Prozac ," said Professor Simpson, who also explained that "(whilst a very good idea, in reality) it would be difficult to create a locust control agent that interferes with serotonin." Professor Simpson's team has significantly discovered that "locusts offer an exemplar of the how to span molecules to ecosystems - one of the greatest challenges in modern science." He also offered an explanation on the problem of using a locust control agent: "Because social behaviour in so many animals depends on serotonin, if we used unspecific serotonin antagonists in the environment, we run the risk of affecting other processes in locusts, as well as severely impacting animals other than locusts. We would need to be sure that locusts have a unique serotonin receptor that causes phase change, which we haven't identified yet. Any locust control agent would have to be specific for this serotonin receptor in locusts." We knew the [physical] stimuli that cause locusts' amazing Jekyll and Hyde-style transformation. But nobody had been able to identify the changes in the nervous system that turn antisocial locusts into monstrous swarms. Now we finally have the evidence to provide an answer. —--Dr Michael L. Anstey, Oxford University This study, which was sponsored by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of England, England's Royal Society , the Australian Research Council Federation, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada . The scientists that the conclusions of the study will provide a hint as to how to solve the problem of locust infestations, which affect China, Africa, and Australia. Dr. Rogers said the landmark discovery has opened a new area of study into ways of blocking specific serotonin receptors , “something that would allow us to break apart these swarms before they develop.” Charles Valentine Riley , Norman Criddle, and Sir Boris Petrovich Uvarov were also involved in the understanding and destructive control of the locust. Research at Oxford University has earlier identified that swarming behaviour is a response to overcrowding. Increased tactile stimulation of the hind legs causes an increase in levels of serotonin. This causes the locust to change color, eat much more, and breed much more easily. Green locusts turn bright yellow and gain large muscles. The transformation of the locust to the swarming variety is induced by several contacts per minute over a four-hour period. It is estimated that the largest swarms have covered hundreds of square miles and consisted of many billions of locusts. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), a neurotransmitter that moderates mood " Locust " is the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae . The origin and apparent extinction of certain species of locust—some of which reached 6 inches (15 cm) in length—are unclear. These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory. They form bands as nymphs and swarms as adults — both of which can travel great distances, rapidly stripping fields and greatly damaging crops . Though there are about 8,000 currently known species of grasshoppers, only 12 form locust swarms. In the history of the insect Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is probably the most important because of its wide distribution (North Africa, Middle East , and Indian subcontinent ) and its ability to migrate widely. Adult Desert Locusts grow to between 2-2.5 inches in length, can weigh 0.05-0.07 oz, and are excellent fliers. In religious mythology, the eighth Plague of Egypt in the Bible and Torah , a swarm of locusts ate all the crops of Egypt . "The gregarious phase is a strategy born of desperation and driven by hunger, and swarming is a response to find pastures new," Steve Rogers from Cambridge University emphasises. The extinction of the Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) in the late 19th century has been a source of puzzlement. Recent research suggests that the breeding grounds of this insect in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains came under sustained agricultural development during the large influx of gold miners , destroying the underground eggs of the locust. That species of locust had some of the largest recorded swarms.

Insect Disaster

President Trump Announces U.S. Withdrawal From the Paris Climate Accord

Today, President Donald J. Trump announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, and begin negotiations to either re-enter or negotiate an entirely new agreement with more favorable terms for the United States. The decision is a fulfillment of the promise President Trump made to the American people during his campaign. During the address in the Rose Garden at the White House, the President vowed that the U.S. would maintain its position as a world leader in clean energy, while protecting the economy and strengthening the work force. The Paris Climate Accord cost the U.S. economy nearly $3 trillion in reduced output, over 6 million industrial jobs, and over 3 million manufacturing jobs. Today’s announcement is yet another example of the President’s commitment to put America and its workers first. According to a study by NERA Consulting, meeting the Obama Administration’s requirements in the Paris Accord would cost the U.S. economy nearly $3 trillion over the next several decades. President Obama committed $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund – which is about 30 percent of the initial funding – without authorization from Congress. The Obama-negotiated Accord imposes unrealistic targets on the U.S. for reducing our carbon emissions, while giving countries like China a free pass for years to come. Under the Accord, China will actually increase emissions until 2030. According to researchers at MIT, if all member nations met their obligations, the impact on the climate would be negligible. The impacts have been estimated to be likely to reduce global temperature rise by 0.2 degrees Celsius in 2100.

Withdraw from an Organization

Batik Air Flight 7703 crash

Batik Air Flight 7703 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Lion Air's subsidiary Batik Air from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar. On 4 April 2016, while taking off from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, the Boeing 737-800 operating the flight (registration PK-LBS) collided with a TransNusa Air Services ATR 42-600 (registration PK-TNJ), which was being towed across the runway. [1][2][3] No one was killed or injured in the accident and Angkasa Pura, Indonesia's Airport Management Authority, asked the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) to investigate the accident. Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan also asked the Director General of Civil Aviation to call the NTSC to investigate the cause of the accident, later criticising Angkasa Pura for the vacuum of power at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport for the past two weeks. [4][5] Halim Perdanakusuma Airport is a commercial and military airport located in East Jakarta. The airport, formerly a military-only airport, became a civilian facility in the 1970s, before converting into a military facility again in 1991 following the completion of Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in nearby Tangerang. In 2014, the airport was once again allowed to serve commercial flights. This was due to the congested Soekarno–Hatta Airport, and this move to change Halim into a joint commercial and military airport would decrease the congestion at Soekarno–Hatta Airport. However, the facilities in the airport were not sufficient for handling commercial airliners. Several politicians criticised the decision to change the operation of Halim Perdanakusuma Airport from military to joint-use. Several of them asked the government to change the airport back to military; they hoped that the airport would change back into a military airport after completion of the expansion plan in Soekarno–Hatta Airport. [6] Based on a press conference conducted by the Director General of Civil Aviation, the accident occurred at 19:55 WIB. The TransNusa Air Services ATR-42 was being towed to a hangar when Flight 7703 was taking off. The left wing of Flight 7703 sliced off the vertical stabiliser and left outer wing of the ATR 42 and severely damaged Flight 7703's left wing. Flight 7703 then "shook", veered and its wing caught fire, survivors recalling that some passengers didn't know that a collision had happened, and only felt a bump similar to that of a car's tire hitting a hole in the street, while others were crying and "screaming in terror". The witnesses stated that there was a loud bang when the collision happened, several seconds later, they noticed that Flight 7703's left wing was on fire. Survivors recalled the pilots screaming "Fire! Fire! "[5][7][8][9][10] The passengers and crew then evacuated the aircraft, the airport fire brigade was activated and extinguished the flames on the wing, then passengers and crew were transported by bus to the airport's passenger terminal. Batik Air later stated that the survivors would be flown by another aircraft to Makassar. [11] Both aircraft were relatively new, built in 2014 according to an NTSC official. The ATR 42–600 was delivered to TransNusa Air Services in September 2014 and the Boeing 737-800 was delivered to Batik Air in November 2014. [12][13] Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan tasked the National Transportation Safety Committee with investigating the cause of the accident. Jonan later criticised Angkasa Pura for the vacuum of power in Halim Perdanakusuma Airport's management for the preceding two weeks. [4] President Director of TransNusa Air Services Juvenile Jodjana held a press conference and stated that the tow truck crew had followed the established procedure for towing the ATR-42. The aircraft was due to park at an apron in the south portion of the airport. Batik Air's spokesman also stated that Flight 7703's crew had followed procedures and had been cleared for take-off by Air Traffic Control (ATC). Investigators had retrieved both black boxes from both aircraft and would analyse the content in their facility (the black box from the ATR would probably reveal nothing as AC electrical power would not have been available). They questioned the crew of Flight 7703, and would speak to the air traffic controller that was on duty. NTSC would also interview the ground crew on the tow truck, investigate the taxi procedure, as well as the maintenance of both aircraft. [14][15] After analysing the content of the black box, it was revealed that Batik Air had been cleared for take off, while the TransNusa Air Services' ATR 42 was still on the runway. The pilots were aware that a collision was inevitable, and tried to steer the plane to avoid a more severe collision. The NTSC later would transcript the CVR and FDR from both black boxes. Owing to a large number of air incident cases in Indonesia, NTSC stated that it would take up to five months to solve the cause of the collision. The ground handling service in Halim Perdanakusuma Airport were suspended by the government in response to the accident. [16][17][18] Experts believe that the accident may have been caused by weak co-ordination between ATC, the tow truck crew, and Flight 7703's crew and stated that if Flight 7703 was travelling at high speed, the incident could have been similar to the Tenerife Airport disaster in 1977. [19] The flight recorders, either the cockpit voice recorder or the flight data recorder, from the ATR 42, didn't provide any data as there were no electrical power at the time of the accident. Therefore, the NTSC could only retrieve the flight recorders from the Boeing 737, which was supported with AC electrical power at the time. The NTSC stated that because the towed ATR 42 did not have electrical power, none of the lights inside and outside the aircraft were on. Radio communication was also off, therefore the ground crew of the towed ATR 42 could only communicate to the Tower through the handheld radio communication. [20](p8–11,21,29) Flight 7703 was communicating with the tower on frequency 118.6 MHz. The communications were recorded by ground-based, automatic, voice-recording equipment and the CVR with good quality; while the towed ATR 42 was communicating on frequency 152.7 MHz. The communications in the ATR 42 were not recorded. Based on interview of the ground crew, the towed ATR 42 requested for a reposition to the south apron. When Flight 7703 was pushed back, the towed aircraft was instructed by Halim Tower unit to continue towing and report taxiway "C”. [21](p8–11,18–19) The absence of lighting on the ATR 42 made it impossible for the air traffic controller to notice the movement of the aircraft, knowing that it was night, aggravated by light shower in Halim Airport. The assistant controller could only see the lights from the towing vehicle. At this point, the towing car driver stated that he saw Flight 7703 was lining up for takeoff then asked to the Halim Tower whether Flight 7703 was initiating the takeoff, but there was no reply from the Halim Tower. Fearing that Flight 7703 would take off, the towing car driver then speeds up the towing and turned to the right side of the runway. [22](p8–11) The pilot stated that during line up, the lights surround the turn pad were very bright and affected his forward vision for a short time.

Air crash

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China are on a roll when it comes to breaking world records, with Wen Xiaoyan storming to cross the finish line of the women’s 100m – T37 Final at 13.00 on day 9 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Sept. 2) breaking the 2019 world record of France's Mandy Francoise-Elie. USA's Jaleen Roberts came next at 13.16, followed by Wen's teammate Jiang Fenfen at 13.17. Earlier, another Chinese athlete Zou Lijuan broke her own world record to win the women's shot put. She registered a 9.19m throw which broke her previous record of 8.82m set in 2019. The amazing athlete took gold in javelin throw on August 29 - defending her both titles back in Rio. Algeria's Safia Djelal clinched her first gold medal in the women's shot put F57 finals at the Olympic stadium. This is the second medal for Algeria in today's competitions as teammate Skander Djamil came away with gold in the men's 400m T13 just earlier in the morning session. As for Djelal, this is the third medal of her Paralympic career after having won gold in Javelin throw at Athens 2004 and silver at London 2012. The other gold medallists in athletics on Thursday morning included Alessandro Rodrigo da Silva (Brazil) – men’s discus throw F11; Skander Djamil Athmani (Algeria) – men’s 400m T13; Abdeslam Hili (Morocco) – men’s 400m T12; Vladsylav Zahrebelnyi (Ukraine) – men’s long jump T37; and Mariia Pomazan (Ukraine) – women’s shot put F35. Cycling Sarah Storey of Team Great Britain celebrates winning the gold medal in the Cycling Road Women's C5 Time Trial on day 7 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Fuji International Speedway on August 31, 2021 in Oyama, Japan. (Photo: Getty Images) Sarah Storey has made history as Great Britain’s most successful Paralympian of all time after winning the C4-5 road race on Day 9 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The 43-year-old battled heavy rain for much of the 66km race to cross the line first and into the record books at the Fuji International Speedway. It was her 17th Paralympic gold medal, the most any British athlete has ever won before, and broke swimmer Mike Kenny’s record of 16. Storey, who has also amassed a staggering 37 world titles in cycling and swimming, punched the air with delight as the recognition of her monumental achievement sunk in. And it's not just Sarah Storey celebrating. Teammates Benjamin Watson and Finlay Graham snagged both gold and silver in the C1-3 road race. Watson crossed the finish line at 2:04:23 whilst Graham came in second at 2:05.43. France's Alexandre Leaute clinched bronze. This is Leaute's second bronze at the Games after winning in the men's C2 time trial on August 31 Table tennis: Cao Ningning, Guo Xingyuan and Zhang Yan of Team China embrace during Men’s Team Class 4-5 Gold Medal Match at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics on September 2, 2021. (Photo: Getty Images) China’s Cao Ningning and Guo Xingyuan defeated their Korean rivals Kim Jung-Gil and Kim Young-Gun in a tight battle for gold in the men's team class 4-5. The Chinese pair won 11-5 13-11 13-11 to bring China's first gold medal on table tennis of the day.

Break historical records

1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake

The 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake occurred in the southern San Gabriel Valley and surrounding communities of southern California, United States, at 7:42 a.m. PDT on October 1. The moderate 5.9 magnitude blind thrust earthquake was centered several miles north of Whittier in the town of Rosemead, had a relatively shallow depth, and was felt throughout southern California and southern Nevada. Many homes and businesses were affected, along with roadway disruptions, mainly in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Damage estimates ranged from $213–358 million, with 200 injuries, three directly-related deaths, and five additional fatalities that were associated with the event. Mercalli intensity values for the greater Los Angeles area varied with ranges from VI (Strong) to VII (Very strong). Only Whittier experienced a level of VIII (Severe), the highest experienced during the event, with the historic uptown area suffering the greatest damage. A separate M5.2 strike-slip event occurred three days later and several kilometers to the northwest that also caused damage and one additional death. Because of the earthquake activity in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, buildings and other public structures had been equipped with accelerometers, and both the mainshock and the primary aftershock provided additional data for seismologists to analyze and compare with other southern California events. Beginning with the 1983 Coalinga earthquake, a blind thrust event in the central coast ranges of California, a change in perspective was brought about regarding these types of (concealed) faults. The October 1987 shock occurred on a previously unrecognized blind thrust fault that is now known as the Puente Hills thrust system. The fault was delineated by the mainshock and aftershock focal mechanisms, fault plane reflection studies, and high resolution seismic profiles, which also revealed that the fault runs from downtown Los Angeles to near Puente Hills. The system is considered one of the highest-risk faults in the United States due to its moderate dip and its location under a large metropolitan area. [5] The main shock occurred near the northwestern border of Puente Hills 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) north of the Whittier Narrows at a depth of 14 kilometers (8.7 mi). First motion polarities, along with modelling of teleseismic P and S-waves, established that the thrust fault responsible for the shock strikes east-west with a dip of 25° dip to the north. The shock was located adjacent to the west-northwest striking Whittier fault, which is primarily a strike-slip fault, but also has a minor thrust component. [6] Although most of the Los Angeles metropolitan area saw shaking in line with Mercalli Intensity values of VI (Strong) or VII (Very strong), Whittier experienced effects consistent with MMI values of VIII (Severe). The old commercial district saw the worst damage, as these were the oldest buildings, and were also heavily damaged in the 1929 Whittier earthquake, a shock may have been a result of movement on the Norwalk Fault. [6] The 7:42 a.m. shock was the strongest in the Los Angeles area since the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and was felt as far as San Diego and San Luis Obispo, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Communication systems and local media were temporarily impaired and power was cut, leaving numerous early morning workers stranded in disabled elevators. Other minor disruptions included a number of water and gas main breaks, shattered windows and some ceiling collapses. Like the San Fernando earthquake, transportation systems were again affected, but this time it was only the Santa Ana Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeways that were closed near Santa Fe Springs after pieces of concrete were dislodged and cracks were observed in the roadway. Los Angeles County+USC Medical Center took many of the injured, whose injuries were summarized by an emergency room spokesman as very bad to minor, and three people died as a direct result. [7] While total casualties amounted to eight, the destruction of homes was significant. Throughout Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, 123 homes and 1,347 apartments were destroyed, and an additional 513 homes and 2,040 apartments were damaged. An inspection of a highway bridge on Interstate 605 revealed that there were fractures on the support columns, which resulted in a temporary closure, and minor damage affected 28 other bridges. Other typical failures included more than 1,000 gas leaks, with many resulting in fire, ceramic elements on high-voltage substation equipment breaking, and phone systems becoming overwhelmed. [8] Caltech scientists recorded the events on a cluster of twelve strong motion sensors that were placed throughout the region with a total of 87 channels of recorded data. Nine of these instruments were located on the Caltech campus, two were at the nine story Jet Propulsion Laboratory building 180 (ten miles northwest of the campus) and the final device was placed on a hillside 5 km to the west. Investigation of the accelerograms from these units revealed the strongest shaking lasted 4–5 seconds. The vertical accelerations were considered relatively high and early analysis (pre-digitilization) indicated that the mainshock was complex, with a double train of P-waves arriving with a 1.4–1.8 second interval. [9] The National Strong-Motion Instrumentation Network (NSMIN) (a cooperative effort including the United States Geological Survey and other organizations) also monitored a set of 52 strong motion stations in the Los Angeles area. Most of the stations successfully captured the event, and the closest unit to the mainshock, a rock site at Garvey Reservoir, recorded a peak horizontal acceleration of .47g. A twelve-story steel frame building in Alhambra was outfitted with accelerographs in the basement, at mid-level, and at the top of the structure. The top floor instruments recorded a peak acceleration of .18g during the 1971 San Fernando earthquake and instruments on the sixth floor recorded a peak acceleration of .47g at the time of the Whittier mainshock. A ten-story reinforced concrete building in Whittier (7215 Bright Ave.) saw a peak horizontal reading of .63g in the basement. [4] A magnitude 5.2 event occurred three days later on October 4, causing additional damage in Alhambra, Pico Rivera, Los Angeles, and Whittier. The shock's effects were assessed at VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli Intensity Scale with damaged chimneys, broken windows, and the collapse of two bell towers at the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium. This event was also responsible for several injuries and one additional death. On February 11 of the following year another small aftershock again damaged chimneys, broke windows, cracked drywall and some homes' foundations in Pico Rivera, Pasadena, and Whittier. [8] The October 4 aftershock struck 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the northwest of the mainshock, and was primarily a strike-slip event on a steeply dipping, northwest-striking fault. The origin of faulting for this event was at a depth of 12 km (7.5 mi), which places it within the hanging wall of the thrust fault that was responsible for the main shock. [6] This aftershock was recorded on thirty of the NSMIN stations at distances of up to 57 kilometers (35 mi). The majority of the stations were located in buildings, but nine were located at dams or reservoirs, and four were at Veterans Administration buildings. Lighter accelerations were observed than the main shock, with peak accelerations in the range of .15g–.33g, all occurring at six stations that were within 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) of the epicenter. [10] The 1929 Whittier earthquake occurred on July 8 with a local magnitude of 4.7 and maximum perceived intensity of VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli Intensity scale. The shock occurred at a depth of 13 kilometers (8.1 mi) and was most intense to the southwest of the city, where a school and two homes were heavily damaged and other homes sustained chimney collapses. In Santa Fe Springs, oil towers were damaged and some short cracks appeared in the ground. This earthquake was felt from Mount Wilson to Santa Ana, and from Hermosa Beach to Riverside. Numerous aftershocks occurred in the first several hours and persisted through early 1931. [11][12] In order to gather funds to help the rebuilding effort, the city of Whittier approved the establishment of a 521-acre earthquake recovery redevelopment area.

Earthquakes

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning While Boating Is a Rare, But Hidden Danger

One in 10 American households own a boat, and they’ll no doubt be getting a lot of use during the scorching heat this summer. But following a woman's death after being exposed to toxic exhaust fumes, there is renewed concern about carbon monoxide’s deadly consequences aboard boats. In May, 21-year-old University of Cincinnati soccer player Ally Sidloski had been hanging on the ladder near the boat's engine, before she passed out, fell into the water and never resurfaced. According to the coroner, Sidloski drowned after being exposed to toxic fumes. There have been 46 carbon monoxide deaths on boats in the last decade, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. But experts Inside Edition spoke with say that number may be higher, because they can often be mistaken for drownings. It’s a type of tragedy Doug and Krissy Taylor know all too well.  “He went to sleep and that was it,” Doug said of his 7-year-old son, who he says fell overboard after inhaling too many exhaust fumes while sitting near the engine.  “For an entire month we thought our son drowned, and we just knew there was no way,” Krissy said.  Siblings Jessi and Cullen say their sister died under similar circumstances. “It said she died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, and we were all just looking at each other, and I think I even said 'but she was outside,’” Jessi said. The gas is odorless and invisible, so it's crucial you spot the warning signs, which include headaches, nausea and blurred vision, says John Adey, president of the American Boat and Yacht Council.  “You need to know yourself. If you're starting to feel nauseous or a headache or things just don't feel right, then move position on the boat,” Adey said. Using a special carbon monoxide detector, Adey showed us how carbon monoxide gas can build up, especially on the back of older boats with inboard engines that are less effective at diffusing it. "Let's put it in the exhaust stream and see what happens. You can hear the detector going off. Here we have definite CO obviously. And if you move it up. And it's starting to dissipate very rapidly. Just a few steps and you can be in the clear zone, absolutely," Adey said. While these kinds of incidents are rare, the Centers for Disease Control also recommends that if you are swimming near your boat, avoid the back area where engines vent their exhaust. Do you have a personal story, or have information that might lead to a story on Inside Edition? Email us: tips@insideedition.com or Call us: (212) 817‑5555 Allegedly Incriminating Recording of Mother Accused of Killing Daughter Can Be Used as Evidence: Court Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Opened to the Public for the First Time in Almost 100 Years

Mass Poisoning

40 Iconic Couples From the '70s

You probably forgot about some of these duos. Before there was Michelle and Barack Obama or Olivia Wilde and Harry Styles (actually, before Harry Styles was even born), the red carpets of Hollywood were filled with iconic couples that, sadly, time has allowed many to forget. From romances that sparked on-set to notorious on and off affairs, these duos deserve to be remembered. Farrah Fawcett was an up-and-coming actress when she was set up on a blind date with established actor Lee Majors. They tied the knot in 1973 and were married during the time that Fawcett found success on Charlie's Angels. Sadly, they divorced in 1982. Jack Nicholson's relationship with The Mamas & the Papas singer had a rocky start, since Phillips was previously married to Nicholson's friend, Dennis Hooper. Regardless, they dated on and off in the early '70s. While Raquel Welch and Joe Namath's relationship could be described as brief, the New York Jet's quarterback escorted her to the Academy Awards in 1972. At the time, Welch was recently divorced from her second husband and Namath was a hotshot playboy nicknamed "Broadway Joe." Warren Beatty and Julie Christie were not only some of the biggest actors in Hollywood when they dated, but the "It" couple in town. They broke up in 1973, but it sounds like there were no hard feelings. "We're very close and she’s a remarkable person," Beatty told People in 2016. When Jane Fonda married Roger Vadim in 1965, the French director had already been linked to many other famous actresses, like Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve. They were together for eight years and had one child together, but split in 1973. What would the '70s be without the this pair? Diane founded her fashion brand in 1972, a few years after becoming a Princess through her marriage to Prince Egon. They often frequented Studio 54 during its heyday. One of the biggest hits of the '70s, Smokey and the Bandit, also led to one of the decade's favorite couples. Sally Field and Burt Reynolds met on the set in 1977 and dated for three years on and off. Diane Keaton had just ended her long-term romance her The Godfather costar, Al Pacino, when she became romantically involved with Warren Beatty. The couple began dating in 1978 and he even casted her in his 1981 film, Reds. Throughout their 13-year relationship, the English model and French singer were constantly the topic of conversation. They were together from 1968 until 1980 and had one daughter together. While filming The Legacy in 1978, Katharine Ross and Sam Elliott fell in love. They eventually married in 1984—the union was The Graduate actress's fifth—and they've been together ever since. Sylvester Stallone's first wife, Sasha Czack, is one of the few people to have known the action star before his Rocky fame. The couple married in 1974, Stallone got his big break two years later, and they eventually split in 1985. After divorcing Mel Ferrer in 1968, Audrey Hepburn fell in love with Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti while on a cruise. They got married in 1969 and lived together in Rome throughout the '70s. When Harrison Ford was just a young actor, he entered Hollywood as a married man. Ford said "I do" to his high school sweetheart, Mary Marquardt, in 1964. The were together until 1979. We don't like to think about a time before Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, but back in the '70s, Hawn was part of another iconic duo with Bill Hudson. The couple married in 1976, but by 1982 they were done. Dustin Hoffman was married to his first wife, Anne Byrne, throughout the '70s and lived in New York City with their two children. It wasn't until 1980 that the pair were officially divorced—and both remarried that same year. From their St. Tropez nuptials in 1971 to their constant antics at Studio 54, the Rolling Stones singer and his first wife were one of the most photographed couples of the time. After a seven-year marriage and one daughter, they divorced in 1978. Sadly, the '70s is when Elvis and Priscilla Presley's iconic marriage came to an end. After six years and a decade-long courtship before that, Elvis filed for divorce in 1973. By the 1970s, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward had already been married for more than a decade, after tying the knot in 1958. But the Hollywood couple was still one of the most beloved of the era. America had to adjust to the former First Lady's new last name in the '70s, after she married shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis in 1968. They was one of the most high-profile couples of the decade, whether they were in walking the streets of NYC or on Aristotle's yacht. Linda McCartney was the ultimate rock and roll wing woman throughout the '70s, specifically on the 1972 Wings Over Europe tour. The long-time couple married in 1969 in London and were together until Linda's death in 1998. It wasn't a new relationship (they were married from 1957 to 1962), but Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner were all anyone could talk about when they reunited in 1972. They were together until Wood's death in 1981. More often than not, Chad Everett is remembered for being a '70s heartthrob. But his 45-year marriage to Shelby Grant deserves admiration as well. They made it official in 1966 and were together until Grant's death in 2011. In 1971, Michael Caine saw his future wife in a Maxwell House coffee advertisement. After tracking her down through his agents, they got married in 1973 and have been together ever since. Julie Andrews stumbled upon the love of her life shortly after divorcing her first husband. Andrews married famed director, Blake Edwards, in 1969 and they were together until Edwards's death in 2010. Johnny Cash famously proposed to his singing partner and long-time love, June Carter, on stage in front of 7,000 people. The couple married in 1968 and remained together until their deaths in 2003. John Derek was an actor-turned-director, while Linda Evans was a beloved television star when they dated. Sadly, their marriage is more better known for their tawdry breakup, in which Derek left Evans for 17-year-old actress Bo Derek. Entering the 1970s, Barbra Streisand and Elliott Gould were the definition of a Hollywood power couple—she'd just found success with Funny Girl and Hello Dolly!, while he was starring on M.A.S.H. But in the early '70s, they went their separate ways. Ronald and Nancy Reagan were budding Hollywood actors when they tied the knot in 1952, but were viewed in a new light when Ronald moved into politics in the late '60s—first as the Governor of California and then President of the United States. In 1974, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton called it quits after marrying in 1963—only to remarry in 1975 and divorce for good a year later. Say what you will about Liz and Dick, but they knew how to make headlines. Broadway star Bernadette Peters and comedian Steve Martin were one of Hollywood's hot couples in the late '70s. They even starred opposite one another in The Jerk in 1979.

Famous Person - Marriage

Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 crash

Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was a Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation propliner chartered by the United States military that disappeared on March 16, 1962, over the Western Pacific Ocean. The aircraft was transporting 93 U.S. soldiers and three South Vietnamese from Travis Air Force Base, California to Saigon, Vietnam. After refueling at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the Super Constellation was en route to Clark Air Base in the Philippines when it disappeared. All 107 aboard were declared missing and presumed dead. The airliner's disappearance prompted one of the largest air and sea searches in the history of the Pacific. Aircraft and surface ships from four branches of the U.S. military searched more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) during the course of eight days. A civilian tanker observed what appeared to be an in-flight explosion believed to be the missing Super Constellation, though no trace of wreckage or debris was ever recovered. The Civil Aeronautics Board determined that, based on the tanker's observations, Flight 739 probably exploded in-flight, though an exact cause could not be determined without examining the remnants of the aircraft. To date, this remains the worst aviation accident involving the Lockheed Constellation series. The aircraft was a 5-year-old Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation with 17,224 airframe hours. [1] It carried 11 American civilian crew members and 96 military passengers. [2] The flight was operated by the Flying Tiger Line as Military Air Transport Service (MATS) Charter flight 739. [1] The Super Constellation carried 93 Ranger-trained Army communications specialists en route to South Vietnam. [3] Their orders were to relieve soldiers in Saigon who had been training Vietnamese troops to fight Viet Cong guerrillas. [4] Also on board were three members of the Vietnamese military. [5] The flight crew consisted of eleven civilians based out of California, including seven men. [2] The pilot was Captain Gregory P. Thomas. [6] The flight departed Travis Air Force Base, California, at 5:45 GMT, on March 14, 1962, and was destined for Saigon. There were four planned refueling stops: Honolulu, Hawaii; Wake Island; Guam; and Clark Air Base, Philippines. The flight arrived at Guam at 11:14 GMT, on March 15, after being delayed for minor maintenance on engines numbers 1 and 3 at Honolulu, and later at Wake Island. The aircraft departed from Guam at 12:57 GMT with an estimated time of arrival at the Philippines at 19:16 GMT. [1] The Super Constellation carried nine hours' worth of fuel for the eight-hour flight of 1,600 miles (2,600 km). [6] Eighty minutes after departure, at 14:22 GMT, the pilot radioed a routine message and gave his position as being 280 miles (450 km) west of Guam at coordinates (13°40′N 140°0′E / 13.667°N 140.000°E / 13.667; 140.000). The aircraft was expected to reach 14°0′N 135°0′E / 14.000°N 135.000°E / 14.000; 135.000 at 15:30. At that time, the Guam IFSS experienced temporary communication difficulties with heavy radio static. At 15:39 the Guam radio operator attempted to contact the flight for a position report but was unable to establish contact. The aircraft was not seen or heard from again. [1] The Clark Field Rescue Coordinating Center declared the aircraft missing the morning of March 16, 1962. [6] Navy officials reported that they believed that the aircraft had crashed closer to Guam than the Philippines. At the time of the disappearance, the weather was clear and the sea calm. [2] The Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines ordered aircraft and ships to the area. [6] The first day of searching continued overnight. During the first two days of the search, vessels crisscrossed 75,000 square miles (190,000 km2) of ocean. Secretary of the Army Elvis Stahr told newspapers that "we have not given up hope that it will be found and that those aboard are safe," and that a "maximum effort" was being made. [4] After four days of searching, Major General Theodore R. Milton of the 13th Air Force told newspapers that although the chance of finding survivors was doubtful, every effort would be made "as long as there is any hope at all. "[7] Search efforts included aircraft from Guam, Clark Field, the US 7th Fleet, and the Air Force at Okinawa. Additionally surface ships and aircraft from numerous U.S. bases in the western Pacific contributed to the search efforts. [6] After eight days, the search was called off. The search, which was at the time one of the largest to ever take place in the Pacific, had covered more than 200,000 square miles (520,000 km2) of ocean. [8] Flight 739 was one of two Flying Tiger Line flights with military connections that were destroyed under similar circumstances on the same day. This led both airline officials and the media to offer suggestions of sabotage and conspiracy. Both Flight 739 and the other aircraft, an L-1049 Super Constellation, departed from Travis Air Force Base at around 09:45 PST on Wednesday, March 14, 1962, and both encountered difficulties several hours later. [9] The other aircraft was carrying "secret military cargo" when it crashed in the Aleutian Islands and caught fire. [4][9] Flying Tiger Lines released a statement outlining some possible reasons for the two occurrences, including sabotage of either or both aircraft, and kidnapping of Flight 739 and its passengers. The airline also said that these were merely "wild guesses" and that there was no evidence to support either theory. [4][9] A Liberian tanker, the SS T L Linzen, reported seeing a bright light in the sky near the aircraft's expected position about 90 minutes after the last radio contact. [10] U.S. military officials described it as being a "bright light strong enough to light a ship's decks". [3][10] It was reported that the tanker observed a flash of light approximately 500 miles (800 km) west of Guam, followed immediately by two red lights falling to the ocean at different speeds. [7] A Civil Aeronautics Board investigation determined that witnesses aboard the tanker also observed what appeared to be vapor trails, and numerous crewmen observed the two fireballs fall into the ocean.

Air crash

Food Safety News

Foodborne illnesses in the United States decreased by 26 percent in 2020 compared with the average from 2017-19, according to a report released today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that its FoodNet surveillance system identified 18,462 infections, including 4,788 hospitalizations and 118 deaths, according to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). The decrease could be related to the coronavirus pandemic in more than one way, according to the researchers. “The researchers speculated that pandemic-related behaviors, such as more handwashing, less international travel, and restaurant closures, may have contributed to the decrease in foodborne illnesses, but they note that changes in healthcare delivery and healthcare-seeking behaviors may have caused underreporting,” according to the report. “While they also note that lab-testing practice changes may have had an effect, they found that the proportion of infections diagnosed by culture, compared with culture-independent diagnostic tests, was stable in 2020. “The incidences of Salmonella Infantis, Cyclospora, and Yersinia infections, which had previously been increasing, did not change, possibly because of continuing pre-pandemic factors that led to rising incidences during previous years,” the researchers said. “The stable incidences despite the pandemic suggest that they might have increased otherwise. As pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, illnesses caused by these pathogens and by Hadar, the one Salmonella serotype with increasing incidence, should be closely monitored.” All outbreak-associated Hadar cases were connected to one multistate outbreak involving backyard poultry contact, according to the data; more than one-third had to be hospitalized. Campylobacter had the highest incidence with 14.4 infections per 100,000 people, followed by Salmonella with 13.3, and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli with 3.6. All eight FoodNet-tracked pathogens had lower incidences, except for Yersinia and Cyclospora.

Disease Outbreaks

2019 Alaska ferry workers strike

The 2019 Alaska ferry workers strike was a labor strike involving workers on the Alaska Marine Highway. Starting July 24, the strike involved over 400 members of the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, with the main causes of the strike being issues regarding scheduling, working conditions, and wage increases. The strike ended on August 2 following Federal mediation, with a compromise agreement between the union and ferry service. The Alaska Marine Highway (AMH) is a ferry service operated by the U.S. state of Alaska. Along with the state capital of Juneau, the AMH services many areas of Alaska where the only means of transportation is by air travel or sea travel, such as Kodiak Island. [1] The largest union representing workers on the AMH is the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific (IBU), an affiliated union of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents approximately 430 ferry workers. [2] In 2017, the employment contract between the union and AMH expired, with union members continuing to work under interim agreements as the union and AMH entered negotiations for new contracts. [2][3] However, negotiations stalled as neither side could come to an agreement over issues including scheduling, wage increases, and working conditions. [1] In particular, the union sought a 9% annual wage increase spread out over three years,[4] as well as increased state funding for workers' health insurance and the elimination of a rule that allowed the AMH to pay out-of-state workers less than Alaskans. [2] By July 2019, with no agreement reached under either Governors Bill Walker or Mike Dunleavy, the union moved towards a strike. [2] A 2019 contract proposal by the state government that did not include wage increases was rejected by union members, who then voted to authorize a strike. [3] On July 23, the government of Alaska sent a letter to IBU officials stating that a strike by the state employees would most likely not be protected under state collective bargaining laws, with union officials responding that they were acting legally. [2] On July 24, the union announced a strike. [2][1] This was the first strike experienced by the AMH since a 20-day strike by the IBU in 1977. [2] On July 24, about 420 union members walked off their post. [1] Pilots and engineers, represented by the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots and the Marine Engineers' Beneficial Association, respectively, did not participate in the strike, but agreed to not cross picket lines for the duration of the strike. [1][2][5] On July 26, 2020 Democratic Party presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders voiced their support for the strikers. [4] On July 27, union and state officials met with an arbitrator from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to discuss an end to the strike. [6] However, by July 29, the mediator had suspended discussions. [4][7] On August 3, an agreement between the two parties was reached, with representatives of the state announcing a return to operations starting the next day. [1] Over the course of the strike, over 8,500 passengers and almost 2,500 vehicles were affected. [3] The strike cost the AMH between $3.2 and $3.3 million in lost revenue and reimbursements to customers. [3][1] As part of the agreement, the IBU and AMH agreed to a three-year labor contract that included a 3% pay increase spread over 2020 and 2021. Union members would start paying into their health insurance programs starting in 2021, with increased coverage. Additionally, union members would no longer be required to pay out-of-pocket for hotel rooms while working. However, the union failed to amend the rule allowing the AMH to pay out-of-state workers less than Alaskan residents. [3]

Strike

Former Twitter boss and two brothers diagnosed with cancer within months

Stephen McIntyre, a former social media executive, was expecting to be told he was clear of cancer ROLLINGNEWS.IE Wednesday November 10 2021, 12.01am, The Times The former boss of Twitter Ireland has revealed that he and his two brothers all underwent surgery for prostate cancer by the same surgeon in an eight-month period. Stephen McIntyre, a former Google and Twitter executive who is now a partner in Frontline Ventures, a venture capital firm, has written about his experiences to help raise awareness of men’s health issues during Movember. Sponsored Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men in Ireland. One in seven men in Ireland will be diagnosed with prostate cancer over the course of their lifetime. McIntyre told The Times he has written about his experience on Medium.com to try and give men a practical guide if they receive a similar diagnosis to him.

Famous Person - Sick

Llandow air disaster crash

The Llandow air disaster was an aircraft accident in Wales in 1950. At that time it was the world's worst air disaster with a total of 80 fatalities. [2] The aircraft, an Avro Tudor V, had been privately hired to fly rugby union enthusiasts to and from an international game in Ireland. On the return flight the aircraft stalled and crashed on its approach to land. On 12 March 1950, an Avro 689 Tudor V, Star Girl, owned by Airflight Limited and being operated under the "Fairflight" name,[1] took off from Dublin Airport[3] in Ireland, on a private passenger flight to Llandow aerodrome in South Wales. The aircraft had 78 passengers and 5 crew on the manifest. The flight had been chartered privately for a trip to Belfast to watch the Welsh rugby union team compete against the Irish in the Five Nations Championship at the Ravenhill Stadium. The aircraft had been initially booked for 72 passengers, but the plane had been stripped to accommodate another six. [4] The weather conditions were clear, and no incident was reported after the outbound journey aboard the same aircraft. Eyewitnesses (including a Mr Russell) state that at 3:05 pm the Avro Tudor was approaching runway 28 of Llandow aerodrome at an abnormally low altitude with the undercarriage down. The pilot attempted to correct the descent by increasing the power of the engines and brought the plane up. The aircraft rose steeply to 100 m (300 ft) attaining a nose-up attitude of 35 degrees to the vertical, and then the aircraft stalled. [5] Star Girl plummeted towards the ground with the right wingtip hitting the ground first, followed in turn by the plane's nose and left wing, which separated from the fuselage when it made contact. The plane turned clockwise and finally came to a rest near a field beside Park Farm close to the small hamlet of Sigingstone (or Sigginstone). There was no explosion on impact or ground fire. Two passengers who were sitting in additional seats bolted in at the back of the tail section walked away unaided, and a third man, who was in the lavatory and knocked unconscious at the time of the crash, survived but was in the hospital for four months. [6][7] Eight more survivors of the initial impact died later in hospitals of their injuries, bringing the final death toll to 80, 75 passengers and all five crew. The March 13, 1950 edition of the New York Times reported thus: "London, 12 March—Eighty men and women were killed in Wales today in an aeroplane crash, the worst disaster in the history of aviation. Three men survived. The death toll eclipsed the previous record for airplanes, set last Nov. 2, when a fighter plane rammed an airliner near the National Airport in Washington, causing the deaths of fifty-five persons. It also exceeded the toll of seventy-three dead in the loss of the United States Navy dirigible Akron off Barnegat, N.J., on 4 April 1933. The eighty persons lost in Wales went to their destruction in a type of aircraft – the British Avro Tudor – that had already caused fifty-four fatalities and had been banned from passenger service on Britain's publicly owned international airlines." The death toll of 80 exceeded the previous aviation fatality record, which was the 73 lives lost on the US Navy dirigible Akron in 1933. This in turn would be surpassed on 20 December 1952, when 87 lives were lost when a US Air Force Douglas C-124 Globemaster II crashed near Moses Lake, Washington. As far as civilian aviation-related deaths, the Avro disaster resulted in the highest loss of lives until 128 died in the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision. The Tudor's single death toll for a civilian aircraft was the highest on record until 1958, when a KLM Super Constellation went down off Ireland, claiming 99 lives. After a court of enquiry chaired by William McNair KC the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced that the probable cause of the accident was the loading of the aircraft, which had moved the centre of gravity considerably aft of where it should have been, thus reducing the effectiveness of the elevators. [5] Amongst those who died were three members of Abercarn Rugby Football Club. Llanharan RFC lost six members of their playing team. Both clubs remember the victims with symbolism on their club badges. On 25 March in the final game of the 1950 Championship against France at the Cardiff Arms Park, the crowd stood in silence while five buglers sounded a Last Post tribute to the memory of the supporters who had died in the plane crash. [8]

Air crash

St. Johns School fire

The St. John's School fire was a deadly fire that occurred on the morning of October 28, 1915, at the St. John's School on Chestnut Street in the downtown area of Peabody, Massachusetts. Twenty-one girls between the ages of 7 and 17 were burned or crushed to death while attempting to escape the fire. More than 600 children were in the building when the fire began in the basement of the school building. There were no fire escapes on the outside of the building, but instead those inside were forced to use wide stairways at either end of the interior which led down to the front exit. Mother Superior Aldegon, who led the Sisters who taught in the Catholic school, sounded a fire alarm and began the routine fire drill procedure. This procedure should have led to the children and teachers leaving the building through the stairways to and out of a rear exit. However, as smoke thickened and the fire came closer, they ran for the front door instead, and became jammed in the vestibule. The fire broke through to the vestibule from directly under the front entrance and the vestibule, now crowded with pupils, was enveloped in flames. The fire rapidly swept through the three-story brick and wooden building, fully engulfing it in less than five minutes. With their exit blocked, many of the children escaped through first-floor windows or jumped from those on the second and third floors. Not all were able to escape, however; the bodies of the 21 victims were found after the fire subsided, huddled together and burned beyond recognition, on the inside of the school entrance. [1] The Sisters of Notre Dame who taught at St. John's aided the children trying to escape, some by dropping the students into coats and blankets being used as life nets. These actions were credited in saving many lives. Two of the nuns were injured, one suffering serious burns; however, none of the adults were killed. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, many did not want to remember the disaster. News photographers and a movie crew who had responded to the site along with personal photographers all had their cameras confiscated by law enforcement. [1] As a result of this fire, Peabody became the first city to pass a law that said all doors (in public buildings and school) must push out. [2] The school was later rebuilt at the same location and operates today as St. John the Baptist School, which educates children from preschool through eighth grade. [3] The last survivor of the fire died in 2008, at the age of 98. [4]

Fire

Sun Way Flight 4412 crash

Sun Way Flight 4412 was an international scheduled cargo flight from Karachi, Pakistan, to Khartoum, Sudan. On 28 November 2010, the Ilyushin Il-76 operating the flight crashed while attempting to return to Karachi after one of the engines caught fire. Twelve people were killed in the crash: everyone on board the aircraft and four people on the ground. [1][nb 1] Flight 4412 departed Karachi's Jinnah International Airport at 01:48 local time (20:48 UTC, 27 November) bound for Khartoum International Airport. The Ilyushin Il-76TD was carrying 31 tonnes of relief supplies for Sudan,[1] reported to be a cargo of tents. The crew of eight was composed of Russian and Ukrainian members. [3] Eyewitnesses saw that one of the starboard engines was on fire as the aircraft climbed out of Jinnah. It then crashed into buildings under construction at a housing complex for the Pakistan Navy, setting several of them on fire, around 3 km (1.9 mi; 1.6 nmi) from the end of the runway. [4] Rescue authorities confirmed that four people were killed that were not on board the aircraft. [1] The force of the explosion was so great that local residents thought that a bomb had exploded. [5] The ground casualties were reported to be construction workers. [6][7] The aircraft involved was an Ilyushin Il-76TD with Georgian registration 4L-GNI, that was being operated by Sun Way, a Georgian cargo airline. [2] The aircraft was reported as having undergone a thorough technical inspection in the two weeks prior to the accident. [1] The Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan conducted an investigation into the accident. [6] It emerged that the certified design life of the airframe and engines had expired in 2004, seven years before the accident, and that since then the aircraft had been operated without the manufacturer's approval. The weight of the Il-76 at take-off also exceeded by 5 tons the maximum allowed of 190 tons. [8] The investigation determined that the accident sequence started with an uncontained failure of the second stage disk of the low-pressure compressor of engine number four, shortly after take-off. The failure was attributed to metal fatigue and was considered a direct result of the operation of the engine well past its design life. [8] Debris ejected by the failed engine struck the right wing, damaging the flaps and piercing the fuel tanks. Fuel from the tanks ignited, further damaging the wing and flight controls to the extent that control of the aircraft could no longer be maintained. The aircraft then rolled out of control to the right and crashed to the ground. [8]

Air crash

Dagenham East rail crash

The Dagenham East rail crash was a railway accident on the London, Tilbury and Southend line of British Railways which occurred at Dagenham, United Kingdom. The accident took place at around 19:34 on 30 January 1958 and was a rear-end collision involving two late-running trains. Conditions at Dagenham East station were foggy at the time. The accident occurred after one train had passed a signal at danger due to a driver error. Ten passengers were killed in the accident and 89 injured. Four members of railway staff were also injured. The trains involved were the LMS 2-6-4 tank engine hauled 18:20 Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness and the BR standard 2-6-4 tank hauled 18:35 Fenchurch Street to Thorpe Bay. Each train consisted of 11 coaches with approximately 500 passengers. The 18:35 train ploughed into the back of the 18:20 departure which demolished three carriages and derailed several others. The locomotive of the 18:35 train and leading carriage were derailed. Some wreckage blocked the adjacent London Underground line but did not cause any further accidents. One of the locomotives involved in this accident (80079) survives today at the Severn Valley Railway.

Train collisions

Albany Movement

The Albany Movement was a desegregation and voters' rights coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, in November 1961. This movement was founded by local black leaders and ministers, as well as members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). [1] This group has been assisted by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This was meant to draw attention to the brutally enforced racial segregation practices in Southwest Georgia. However, many leaders in SNCC were fundamentally opposed to King and the SCLC's involvement. They felt that a more democratic approach aimed at long-term solutions was preferable for the area other than King's tendency towards short-term, authoritatively-run organizing. [2] Although the Albany Movement is deemed by some as a failure due to its unsuccessful attempt at desegregating public spaces in Southwest Georgia, those most directly involved in the Movement tend to disagree. People involved in this movement labeled it as a beneficial lesson in strategy and tactics for the leaders of the civil rights movement and a key component to the movement's future successes in desegregation and policy changes in other areas of the Deep South. [2] Initially the established African-American leadership in Albany was resistant to the activities of the incoming SNCC activists. Clennon Washington King Sr. (C. W. King), an African-American real estate agent in Albany, was the SNCC agents' main initial contact. H. C. Boyd, the preacher at Shiloh Baptist in Albany allowed Sherrod to use part of his church to recruit people for meetings on nonviolence. [3] For decades, the situation in segregated Albany had been insufferable for its black inhabitants, who made up 40% of the town's population. [1] At the time of the Albany Movement's formation, sexual assaults against female students of all-black Albany State College by white men remained virtually ignored by law enforcement officials. Local news stations such as WALB and newspapers such as The Albany Herald refused to truthfully report on the abuse suffered by the Movement workers at the hands of local white people, even referring to blacks as "niggers [and] nigras" on air and in print. [4][5] Thomas Chatmon, the head of the local Youth Council of the NAACP, initially was highly opposed to Sherrod and Reagon's activism. As a result of this some members of the African-American Criterion Club in Albany considered driving Sherrod and Reagon out of town, but they did not take this action. [6] On November 1, 1961, at the urging and with full support of Reagon and Sherrod, local black Albany students tested the Federal orders of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) which ruled that "no bus facility, bus, or driver could deny access to its facilities based on race". [7] The students obeyed local authorities and peacefully left the station after having been denied access to the white waiting room and threatened with arrest for having attempted to desegregate it. However, they immediately filed a complaint with the ICC for the bus terminal's refusal to comply with the ruling. In response to this, Albany Mayor Asa Kelley, the city commission, and Laurie Pritchett,police chief, formulated a plan to arrest anyone who tried to press for desegregation on charges of disturbing the peace. [8] On November 22, 1961, the Trailways terminal was once again tested for compliance, this time by a group of youth activists from both the NAACP and SNCC. The students were arrested; in an attempt to bring more attention to their pursuit of desegregation of public spaces and "demand[s] for justice",[7] the two SNCC volunteers chose to remain in jail rather than post bail. In protest of the arrests, more than 100 students from Albany State College marched from their campus to the courthouse. The first mass meeting of the Albany Movement took place soon after at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. [7] At the same time, C. W. King's son, Chevene Bowers King (C. B. King), a lawyer, was pushing the case of Charles Ware from nearby Baker County, Georgia against Sheriff L. Warren Johnson of that county for shooting him multiple times while in police custody. These developing conditions where the limits of segregation and oppression of African Americans were being tested led to a meeting at the home of Slater King, another son of C. W. King, including representatives of eight organizations. Besides local officers of the NAACP and SNCC, the meeting included Albany's African-American Ministerial Alliance, as well as the city's African-American Federated Women's Clubs. Most of the people at this meeting wanted to try for negotiation more than direct action. They formed the Albany Movement to coordinate their leadership, with William G. Anderson made president on the recommendation of Slater King, who was made vice president. The incorporation documents were largely the work of C. B. King. [9] The Albany police chief, Laurie Pritchett, carefully studied the movement's strategy and developed a strategy he hoped could subvert it. He used mass arrests but avoided violent incidents that might backfire by attracting national publicity. He used non-violence against non-violence to good effect, thwarting King's "direct action" strategy. Pritchett arranged to disperse the prisoners to county jails all over southwest Georgia to prevent his jail from filling up. The Birmingham Post-Herald stated: "The manner in which Albany's chief of police has enforced the law and maintained order has won the admiration of... thousands. "[10] In 1963, after Sheriff Johnson was acquitted in his federal trial in the Ware case, people connected with the Albany Movement staged a protest against one of the stores of one of the jurors. This led to charges of jury tampering being brought. [11] Prior to the movement, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference had been criticized by the SNCC, who felt he had not fully supported the Freedom Rides. Some SNCC activists had even given King the derisive nickname "De Lawd" for maintaining a safe distance from challenges to the Jim Crow laws. [12] When King first visited on December 15, 1961, he wasn't planning on staying for more than a couple days until counsel,[13] but the following day he was swept up in a mass arrest of peaceful demonstrators. He declined bail until the city made concessions, then after leaving town stating, "Those agreements were dishonored and violated by the city". [13] King returned in July 1962, and was sentenced to either forty-five days in jail or a $178 fine; he chose jail. Three days into his sentence, Chief Pritchett discreetly arranged for King's fine to be paid and ordered his release. "We had witnessed persons being kicked off lunch counter stools during the sit-ins, ejected from churches during the kneel-ins, and thrown into jail during the Freedom Rides. But for the first time, we witnessed being kicked out of jail. "[13] During this time, prominent evangelist Billy Graham, a close friend of King's who privately advised the SCLC,[14] bailed King out of jail.

Protest_Online Condemnation

Olympics-Athletics-American McLaughlin breaks world record to win women's 400 hurdles

Aug 4, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; Sydney McLaughlin (USA) celebrates winning the gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles final in a world record time during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Olympic Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports TOKYO (Reuters) -Sydney McLaughlin shattered her own 400 metres hurdles world record to win gold in 51.46 seconds on Wednesday, getting the better of fellow American Dalilah Muhammad in a thrilling Tokyo Olympics final that lived up to all expectations. The 21-year-old stuttered on the penultimate barrier and trailed Muhammad coming off the last hurdle but carried the momentum into the sprint to the line to cross first and beat her previous record of 51.90 set at the U.S. trials in June. Muhammad, the 2019 world and 2016 Olympic champion, ran the race of her life to take silver, coming home in a personal best 51.58, while Femke Bol of the Netherlands took bronze in a European record 52.03. "I'm absolutely delighted. What a great race. I'm just grateful to be out here celebrating that extraordinary race and representing my country," said McLaughlin. "I saw Dalilah ahead of me with one to go. I just thought, 'Run your race'. "The race doesn't really start until hurdle seven. I just wanted to go out there and give it everything I had." The showdown between McLaughlin and Muhammad, 31, was among the most highly anticipated of the athletics programme at the Tokyo Games and came a day after Norway's Karsten Warholm destroyed his own world record in the men's event. While silver was not the medal she had been hoping for, Muhammad was thrilled to have set a personal best of 52.16 and said she was proud of her team mate. "Just like the men's race, all three of our times would have won any Olympics, any other year," she added. "I'm so proud to be part of that history and even more proud of my team mate, Sydney." It was McLaughlin's latest blockbuster performance since joining forces in 2020 with famed coach Bob Kersee, whom she credits with taking her to the next level after failing to reach the final at the 2016 Olympics. Linking up with Kersee also turned her idol -- six-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix -- into her training partner. "It's just about trusting your training, trusting your coach, and that will get your all the way round the track," said McLaughlin. Bol, who beat fourth-place finisher Janieve Russell of Jamaica by more than a second for her first Olympic medal, said she knew she had to bring her "A-game" to stand a chance of getting on the podium. "Those other girls are so strong," said Bol. "I felt that I was super-fit. I thought, 'I'm going to go in hard and see where I finish'. I knew I was fast and I think I proved that to myself."

Break historical records

Japan to host first joint ‘war games’ with US, France

Military exercise, running from May 11 to 17, will be the first large-scale drill in Japan involving ground troops from all three countries Japan will hold a joint military drill with US and French troops in the country’s southwest next month, the defence minister has announced, as China’s actions in regional waters raise concern. The exercise, running from May 11 to 17, will be the first large-scale exercise in Japan involving ground troops from all three countries, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) said in a statement on Friday. It comes as Tokyo seeks to deepen defence cooperation beyond its key US ally to counter Beijing’s growing assertiveness in the East and South China Seas. “France shares the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi told reporters. “By strengthening cooperation between Japan, the United States and France, we’d like to further improve the tactics and skills of the Self-Defense Forces in defending remote island territories,” he said. Paris has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific where it has territories, including the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean and French Polynesia in the South Pacific. The joint drills will be held at the JGSDF’s Kirishima training ground and Camp Ainoura in the Kyushu region and include amphibious operation exercises. Last week, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden pledged to stand firm together against China and step up cooperation including on technology. The two leaders also agreed to oppose any attempts “to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East and South China Seas”. Biden’s first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader was also intended to invigorate joint efforts between the US, Japan, Australia and India, an informal alliance known as “the Quad”, which the new US administration views as a bulwark against China in the Indo-Pacific. The US has accused China of “destabilising” the region with its construction of artificial islands, as well as naval and air facilities in the South China Sea. Japan has long said it feels threatened by China’s vast military resources and territorial disputes. It is particularly concerned by Chinese activity after the Japanese-administered Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims and calls the Diaoyu. Washington has reiterated in recent months that the US-Japan Security Treaty covers the disputed islands. China claims the majority of the South China Sea, invoking its so-called “nine-dash line” to justify what it has said are historic rights to the key trade waterway. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan all contest parts of China’s declared territory in the sea. An international tribunal in The Hague in 2016 invalidated China’s claims in the South China Sea in a first-ever ruling, also saying Chinese reclamation activities in the Spratly Islands are illegal. Beijing rejected the decision. US says Chinese military flights posed no threat to its navy but fit a pattern of aggressive behaviour by Beijing. Carrier strike groups Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz carried out multiple manoeuvres in the busy resource-rich waterway. Newly appointed Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng says China ‘capable of starting a war’ and Taiwan must be ready. The Philippines files two more protests after maritime authorities spotted 165 Chinese vessels on Tuesday.

Military Exercise

Chandrayaan-3 launch likely in third quarter of 2022: Govt

India is likely to launch its third lunar mission Chandrayaan-3 in the third quarter of next year because the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed the fabrication of the spacecraft, Union minister of state for the department of space Jitendra Singh told Parliament in a written response (CHECK). The tentative schedule is based on the assumption that work will proceed apace and normally henceforth, Singh added. Chandrayaan-3 was planned to demonstrate India’s capability of soft landing on a celestial body, with the rover then communicating with Earth via the existing orbiter from Chandrayaan-2. The orbiter has an estimated lifespan of seven years. The third mission was announced months after the Vikram lander aboard Chandrayaan-2 crash-landed on the lunar surface just 2.1 km from its destination in September 2019. Chandrayaan- 3 was initially scheduled for late 2020 or early 2021, but the disruption caused by the pandemic affected the schedule. “The realisation of Chandrayaan-3 involves various processes, including finalisation of configuration, subsystem realisation (manufacturing), integration, spacecraft-level detailed testing and a number of special tests to evaluate the systems performance on Earth. The realisation process was hampered due to Covid-19 pandemic,” Singh said in his response. On Monday, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) chief K Sivan told news agency PTI that the first uncrewed mission planned for December as part of the human space flight programme Gaganyaan would be delayed because of Covid-19, which had caused a disruption in the delivery of key components. Before the second wave of the pandemic in April-May, Isro finished manufacturing the propulsion system for Chandrayaan -3 and started tests on it. The lander and propulsion systems were being integrated and several tests were planned for the middle of the year. A successful moon landing would have made India the fourth country in the world to land a rocket on the moon after the US, the erstwhile USSR, and China, and the first to have landed close to the lunar South Pole. “There were several big-ticket missions planned for 2020 and 2021; many commercial missions too. Now all the missions are getting pushed and it will have an impact on the image of India’s space mission internationally. We haven’t been able to successfully create a bio-bubble like China and US that have been carrying out missions through the pandemic,” said Ajay Lele, senior fellow working on space security and strategic technologies at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. “As for the commercial launches like the maiden flight of the small satellite launch vehicle, many customers have already booked slots for their satellites but if the missions keep on getting delayed, they might move towards other launch providers. As for the scientific missions, the delay there can cost us valuable observations. There was a gap of eleven years between the first and the second lunar mission; meaning we have to wait that long to reconfirm findings from previous mission. We have already missed three launch windows for a follow-up Mars mission and we will miss the next one in 2022 as well,” he said.

New achievements in aerospace

Editorial: Carbon monoxide didn’t have to be the February killer it was. Texas lawmakers must act.

Maria Pineda watches a video of her son, 11-year-old Cristian Pavon Pineda, playing in the snow for the first time. Pavon Pineda died of carbon monoxide poisoning during the mid-February Texas freeze. Cristian Pavón Pineda, dressed in his red hoodie, was excited to play in the snow that blanketed the yard outside his Conroe home. The 11-year-old had come to the Houston region two years before from Honduras and it was the first time he had seen that kind of winter weather. “Everything was well. He was happy that day,” his mother, Maria Elisa Pineda, told the Chronicle. The Editorial Board is made up of opinion journalists with wide-ranging expertise whose consensus opinions and endorsements represent the voice of the institution - defined as the board members, their editor and the publisher. The board is separate from the newsroom and other sections of the paper. With the high school football playoffs kicking off this week, here are some of the biggest and best stadiums in Texas to attend a game at.  

Mass Poisoning

2004 Alor earthquake

The 2004 Alor earthquake occurred on the island of Alor 21:26:41 UTC 11 November 2004. Alor is an island located in Indonesia, the largest island of the Alor Archipelago with almost 16,800 residents. [1] The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5, on the moment magnitude scale, with an epicenter on Alor at a depth of about 10 km (6.2 mi). It was recorded on 301 stations. [2] The epicenter of the earthquake was located 1,600 km (990 mi) east of the capital of Jakarta. Hundreds of homes and much infrastructure was damaged with 23 deaths and thousands of casualties. [3] Alor island is of volcanic origin, forming part of the Banda Arc, which was formed by the subduction of the Australian Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. Currently the Banda Arc is involved in the early stages of an Arc-Continent collision, as continental crust of the Australian Plate becomes involved in this boundary. [5] Several microplates have been formed, including the Banda Sea Plate and the Timor Plate.The boundary between these two microplates is a north-dipping subduction zone, movement on which has caused large earthquakes in the past, including the 1991 Kalabahi earthquakes that resulted in 23 fatalities. [2] There were over 30 noticeable aftershocks between 11 May to 13 May, in the range from Mw  4.1 to 5.4. The aftershocks occurred almost hourly immediately after the mainshock. [2] From the official website of the United States National Tsunami Warning Center, NOAA/NWS, according to the research of the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency (BMG), there's a tsunami followed by the Alor earthquake Nov 2004 closing to Alor island. And the flooding of the coastline is about 50 meters away. [6] There were a series of subsequent effect on the local area: Kalabahi city was severely damaged by the tsunami as well as from the continuous aftershocks of the earthquake. Located in the valley between hills, Bukapiting village, was completely destroyed. A landslide also caused by the earthquake destroyed the road that connects Kalabahi and Maritaing villages. Maritaing beach, found 98 km (61 mi) north of Kalabahi village, was also hit by the tsunami. In Dali, a floating hotel in the natural harbor was pushed to the shore after the earthquake caused water to recede. Some 649 houses were damaged and 205 of them were severely damaged or destroyed. There was large scale destruction of government infrastructure. Three schools and eight places of worship collapsed. The electricity grid of Alor island was shut down temporarily. Moreover, airplanes were not able to land, because of the destruction of the local airport in Kalabahi city. Many cracks appeared in the runways, shutting down air services. On May 4, 2000, an earthquake measured at of 7.5 on the Richter scale, 7.5 Mwc, shook the Sulawesi Province, resulting in 35 deaths. Later the same year on June 4, a 7.9 Mwc earthquake, with an epicentre in Bengkulu Province, caused over 117 deaths. [7] In 2004, on February 6, a 6.9 Mwc earthquake, occurred at Papua. The aftershocks caused over 34 deaths. Another, on November 26, 6.4 Mwc earthquake, centred near West Papua, caused over 30 deaths. At the end of the year, on boxing day, an earthquake and tsunami occurred in the sea bed off Sumatra island, which affected over 20 nearby countries and took over 220,000 lives. In 2005, on March 28, an 8.7 Mwc earthquake, centred near Nias and Simeulue islands away from the Sumatra west shore, which caused over 900 deaths. Another earthquake on May 27, 2006, measuring 6.4 Mwc, with an epicentre near the central city of Yogyakarta, caused over 5,000 deaths. According to OCHA Situation Report No. 1[8] According to ABC News Online 14 November 2004[8] Many roads on Alor island have been badly damaged[9] Aftershocks from the earthquake continued for over half of a month, with large and widespread destruction of infrastructure including thousands of houses, schools, offices and places of worship although local hospitals mostly remained undamaged, the hospitals were unable to cope with large numbers of casualties. [10] At the first phase of Alor earthquake November 2004, 4,500 affected households received emergency shelter and non-perishable material; after, the same number of households are assigned with the essential building material and basic tools[9] According to the red cross document, the residual balance of CHF 420,054 (66% of the total emergency appeal income), was assigned to the Tsunami Emergency and Recovery Program 2005 - 2010 for Indonesia. The detailed composition of the funds' balance is in the following: Donor Funds (CHF) And according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: “cash assistance allocated by the central government has rounded about USD 172,000.”[11] International assistance has been provided by the governments below International organizations involved are: IFRC, MSF-B, WVI, CRS, CWS, Oxfam GB, and GTZ-Siskes. [11] Infrastructure is now being reinforced by anti-seismic design with the shock-resistant technology; mostly in houses and the schools. They are mostly able to resist earthquakes measuring to 8 on the Richter scale. [12] The disaster is commemorated on 10 December of every year with most of the local schools gather and singing songs to the national flag. The local government and media will also memorize that earthquake on TV channels and official websites by documentary films and videos. The total amount of help donated to victims is US$ 420,054. All industries were affected in the short and long term. The residents in Alor island still practice subsistence agriculture with poorly developed infrastructure which is prone to frequent natural disasters. [13] Another main industry on the island is the fishing industry and the mining industry with natural gas, ipsum, kaolin, petroleum, tin, gold and various diamond mines on the island. [13] The island is a recognised diving destination, making local tourism one of the major income source of Alor inhabitants, with mainly diving and snorkeling.

Earthquakes

Port Chicago mutiny

The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California, United States. Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations, killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others. Approximately two-thirds of the dead and injured were enlisted African American sailors. A month later, unsafe conditions inspired hundreds of servicemen to refuse to load munitions, an act known as the Port Chicago Mutiny. Fifty men‍—‌called the "Port Chicago 50"‍—‌were convicted of mutiny and sentenced to 15 years of prison and hard labor, as well as a dishonorable discharge. Forty-seven of the 50 were released in January 1946; the remaining three served additional months in prison. During and after the trial, questions were raised about the fairness and legality of the court-martial proceedings. [1] Owing to public pressure, the United States Navy reconvened the courts-martial board in 1945; the court affirmed the guilt of the convicted men. [2] Widespread publicity surrounding the case turned it into a cause célèbre among Americans opposing discrimination targeting African Americans; it and other race-related Navy protests of 1944–45 led the Navy to change its practices and initiate the desegregation of its forces beginning in February 1946. [3][4][5] In 1994, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial was dedicated to the lives lost in the disaster. On June 11, 2019, a concurrent resolution sponsored by U.S. Representative Mark DeSaulnier was introduced in the 116th United States Congress. The resolution recognizes the victims of the explosion and officially exonerates the 50 men court-martialed by the Navy. [6] The town of Port Chicago was located on Suisun Bay in the estuary of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. Suisun Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by San Francisco Bay. In 1944, the town was a little more than a mile from a U.S. Navy munitions depot, the Port Chicago Naval Magazine, which was later expanded and renamed the Concord Naval Weapons Station but is now called the Military Ocean Terminal Concord. The original magazine was planned in 1941 with construction beginning shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The first ship to dock at Port Chicago was loaded on December 8, 1942. [7] Munitions transported through the magazine included bombs, shells, naval mines, torpedoes, and small arms ammunition. The munitions, destined for the Pacific Theater of Operations, were delivered to the Port Chicago facility by rail then individually loaded by hand, crane and winch onto cargo ships for transport to the war zones. From the beginning, all the enlisted men employed as loaders at Port Chicago were African-American; all their commanding officers were white. [8] All of the enlisted men had been specifically trained for one of the naval ratings during his stay at Naval Station Great Lakes (NSGL) but the men were instead put to work as stevedores. [9] None of the new recruits had been instructed in ammunition loading. [10] At NSGL, the enlisted African Americans who tested in the top 30 to 40% were selected for non-labor battalion assignments. Port Chicago was manned by workers drawn from those remaining. The Navy determined that the quality of African American petty officers at Port Chicago suffered because of the absence of high-scoring black men, and that overall levels of competence were further reduced by the occasional requirement for Port Chicago to supply drafts of men with clear records for transfer to other stations. The Navy's General Classification Test (GCT) results for the enlisted men at Port Chicago averaged 31, putting them in the lowest twelfth of the Navy. [11] Officers at Port Chicago considered the enlisted men unreliable, emotional, and lacking the capacity to understand or remember orders or instructions. [11] Black laborers at Port Chicago were led by black petty officers who were regarded by some workers as incompetent and ineffective in voicing their men's concerns to higher authority. [12] Petty officers were seen as having aims fundamentally different from those of their men‍—‌they were described later as "slave drivers" and "Uncle Toms". [12] They and their men sometimes struck an antagonistic relationship. [12] Captain Merrill T. Kinne‍—‌commander of the Port Chicago facility at the time of the explosion‍—‌had served in the Navy from 1915 to 1922 and had returned to the Navy from civilian life in 1941 to be posted aboard a general cargo ship. Prior to his being sent to command Port Chicago, Kinne had no training in the loading of munitions and very little experience in handling them. [13] White loading officers serving underneath Kinne had not been trained in supervising enlisted personnel or in handling munitions until they had been posted to Mare Island Navy Yard, after which they were considered adequate to the task by the Navy. [11] Since April 1944 when Captain Kinne assumed command of Port Chicago, the loading officers had been pushing the enlisted men to load the explosive cargoes very quickly; 10 short tons (9.1 t) per hatch per hour[11] had been set as the desired level by Captain Nelson Goss, Commander Mare Island Navy Yard, whose jurisdiction included Port Chicago Naval Magazine. [14] Most loading officers considered this goal too high. [11] On a prominent chalkboard, Kinne tallied each crew's average tonnage per hour. [13] The junior officers placed bets with each other in support of their own 100-man crews‍—‌called "divisions" at Port Chicago‍—‌and coaxed their crews to load more than the others. The enlisted men were aware of the unsanctioned nature of the bets and knew to slow down to a more reasonable pace whenever a senior officer appeared. [15] The average rate achieved at Port Chicago in the months leading up to July 1944 was 8.2 short tons (7.4 t) per hatch per hour; commercial stevedores at Mare Island performed only slightly better at 8.7 short tons (7.9 t) per hatch per hour. [11] There was no system at Port Chicago for making sure officers and men were familiar with safety regulations. Two formal lectures and several informal lectures were given to the enlisted men by commanding officers, but follow-up confirmation of retained knowledge did not take place. Safety regulations were posted at a single location at the pier but not within each of the barracks‍—‌Kinne did not think the enlisted men would be able to comprehend such a list. [16] The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) responded to word of unsafe practices by offering to bring in experienced men to train the battalion but Navy leadership declined the offer,[17] fearing higher costs, slower pace, and possible sabotage from civilian longshoremen. [18] No enlisted man stationed at Port Chicago had ever received formal training in the handling and loading of explosives into ships. Even the officers did not receive training: Lieutenant Commander Alexander Holman, loading officer at Port Chicago whose duties included officer training, had initiated a search for training materials and samples but failed to organize a training class before disaster struck. [10] Powered winches were used on cargo ships to speed the handling of heavy loads. One winch was operated at each of the ship's five cargo holds. During loading operations, the winches were worked hard, requiring steady maintenance to remain operable. Winch brakes‍—‌a safety feature provided for stopping the load from falling if the winch's main power was lost‍—‌were not often used by a skilled winch operator, as the load could be more quickly maneuvered using various power settings than by application of the brakes. Disused brakes sometimes seized up and stopped working.

Strike

Kim Kardashian West breaks silence on Kanye West divorce

In an emotional new scene from KUWTK, Kim Kardashian admits she feels like a “f**king loser” for the unravelling of her “third marriage”. Eminem’s daughter makes big announcement Kim Kardashian has publicly addressed her divorce from Kanye West for the first time, declaring she feels like a “f**king failure” over their marriage breakdown. On the latest episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, which was filmed in early December during the family’s holiday to Lake Tahoe , the 40-year-old reality star is seen breaking down about their failed relationship. Kim’s younger sister, 36-year-old Khloe, tells the camera Kim and Kanye got in a “huge fight” just before the family travelled to Tahoe, in an episode that just aired. But Kim later reveals since she arrived at their holiday home that there had been “no fighting”. The episode then flashes to footage of Kim, presumably just prior to the Tahoe trip, crying to her sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner and Kourtney Kardashian. “I think he deserves someone that can and go follow him all over the place and move to Wyoming. I can’t do that,” Kim begins. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce. Picture: Angela Weiss / AFP The mother-of-four, who married Kanye in 2014, also gave an insight as to why they grew apart. “He should have a wife that supports his every move and travels and does everything and I can’t,” she said. “I feel like a f**king failure that it’s a third marriage. Yeah, I feel like a f**king loser. “But I can’t even think about that, I want to be happy.” Kim Kardashian broke down about her split from Kanye. Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in March, this is the first time she has has addressed the split herself. Kardashian was previously married to Damon Thomas in 2000 and Kris Humphries in 2011, a union which infamously lasted 72 days. The episode was filmed in the aftermath of Kanye’s infamous presidential rally and subsequent Twitter meltdowns. Kylie Jenner was also seen crying in the clip. Earlier in the episode, Khloe tells the camera how much Kim has been struggling behind the scenes. “Kim has been struggling privately behind camera about her relationship and it’s tough because Kim is clearly redirecting so much of her frustration and sadness and anger,” Khloe says. “Kim is one of the most incredible human beings literally ever and she tries to protect their union at all costs, but it’s hard when you carry that responsibility on your shoulders and I just want her to take care of herself, too.” RELATED: Sad detail in new Kanye photo The pair have four kids. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Kim and Kanye have four children together, North, 7, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and Psalm, two, and will reportedly share joint custody.

Famous Person - Divorce

Democratic Republic of Congo hit with 61 earthquakes in a day following volcano eruption

Seismologists in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported 61 earthquakes in a 24-hour period on Saturday around the Mount Nyiragongo volcano , which erupted a week ago, warning residents to keep well away from lava flows. The details were outlined in a daily report prepared for the government by the Goma Volcanic Observatory (GVO), and seen by CNN. It explained that the volcano's crater "continues to collapse, which contributed to the earthquake and caused ash emissions visible from Goma." Over 400,000 people escape Goma as threat of another volcanic eruption in DRC looms The 11,500-foot-high volcano sits around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Goma, a city with an official population of 670,000, though several NGOs estimate it to be closer to 1 million. A provincial government spokesperson said Friday that around 400,000 people had fled the city as officials warned of a second eruption. The first explosion last Saturday killed at least 31 people. Since then, the area has experienced a series of earthquakes and tremors, some felt as far away as the Rwandan capital of Kigali, more than 100 km from the volcano in the Virunga National Park. The report warned that lava flows "can cause asphyxiation, severe burns or death." This aerial photo, taken on May 23, shows debris engulfing buildings in the Bushara village near Goma, a day after Mount Nyiragongo erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photos: Volcano erupts in the Democratic Republic of Congo Goma residents board boats at the port of Kituku as they flee across Lake Kivu on Friday, May 28. Hide Caption Photos: Volcano erupts in the Democratic Republic of Congo Displaced children take shelter in a church on May 28. A person tries to put out a fire in Goma after the volcano's eruption on May 22.

Volcano Eruption

2018 Northern Vietnam floods

In 2018, Vietnam was struck by several different deadly floods. On 23 June, floods started across the country. The flood waters have receded from the northern mountainous provinces of Lai Chau, Ha Giang and Lao Cai while several towns and villages were inaccessible. [1] 23 people were confirmed dead in the floods: in Lai Chau 16 were killed, 5 in Ha Giang Province while two others in other provinces. [2] An estimated VND530 billion ($23.2 million) of damage was recorded in Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Lai Chau and over 80 houses had been destroyed and over 700 hectares of rice fields damaged. [3] On 21 July, floods triggered by heavy rains hit the northern part of the country after tropical storm Son-Tinh made landfall in northern coastal areas, killing 27 people and wounding 14, while 7 others were declared missing. Also, 17,000 animals were killed, 82,000 hectares of crops were damaged and 5,000 houses were destroyed. [4] On 1 August, two children and a man drowned as new floods has overflowed one bank of the Bui River, engulfed several villages and threaten to submerge parts of Hanoi. [5] On 3 August, floods triggered landslides in Phong Tho, Lai Chau that killed six people, injuring two and leaving five others missing. [6] On 2 September, floods started again across northern provinces of the country. As of 4 September, at least 14 people were confirmed dead, mostly in Thanh Hoa, while four others are declared missing. Also, 375 houses were damaged and 661 cattle killed. [7] On November 16, a tropical disturbance formed east of Vietnam and strengthened into a tropical-depression. Toraji made landfall on November 18 . Toraji caused flooding in Nha Trang, resulting in 19 dead and a damage of ₫396 billion (US$17.2 million). On November 25, Usagi made landfall in Mekong Delta as a severe tropical storm. The typhoon caused flooding in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang and Binh Thuan, killing three people. [8][9] Losses in Vietnam were at ₫347 billion (US$15 million). [10] Torrential rains triggered heavy flooding and landslides in central provinces of Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai causing deaths of at least 7 people. In 24 hours, Da Nang received a record rain level of 635 mm, the highest since 1975. [1]

Floods