184 passengers and crew evacuated as Ryanair Boeing plane catches fire on runway in Italy
RomeCNN —
More than 180 people were evacuated Thursday from a Ryanair Boeing passenger jet after it caught fire while taxiing to take off at Brindisi Airport in southern Italy.
The incident comes two days after a tire blowout on another of the airline’s Boeing planes during landing led to the temporary closure of Milan Bergamo Airport.
A spokesperson for the airport in Brindisi confirmed there had been a fire that halted air traffic for several hours.
Ryanair, the Irish budget airline group that operates Europe’s largest aircraft fleet, said all 184 passengers and crew were safely evacuated on the runway after Thursday’s incident. The plane had been bound for the northern Italian city of Turin.
“Flight FR8826 from Brindisi to Turin (3rd Oct) was delayed this morning after cabin crew observed fumes on the outside of the aircraft. Passengers were disembarked without incident and returned to the terminal by bus,” the airline said in a statement
It said that the aircraft was later replaced, and passengers were flown on to their destination. The airport reopened around three hours later, according to the airport’s website.
On Tuesday, another Ryanair aircraft – flight FR846 – headed into Milan Bergamo airport from Barcelona had a tire issue upon landing, which briefly closed the destination airport.
“Passengers disembarked normally, and the aircraft was inspected by engineers, who are currently servicing the aircraft so that it can return to service,” Ryanair said in a statement.
at least 78 people killed after boat capsizes in DRC
4 October 2024
At least 58 rescued, as official warns death toll could rise after boat carrying 278 people sinks.
At least 78 people have died after a boat capsized in Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a provincial governor said.
Governor of South Kivu province Jean Jacques Purisi told the agency on Thursday that 278 people had been on board the boat before it overturned.
It’ll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,” Purisi told.
The governor of the neighbouring North Kivu province said at least 58 people had been rescued.
The boat, which had come from the town of Minova in South Kivu province, sank on Thursday morning, only 100 metres (328 feet) from its destination at the shore of Goma.
An increasing number of people have opted to cross the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to reach Goma in often overcrowded vessels to avoid land travel in an area prone to fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels.
Reporting from Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said there was frustration among residents over the road closures.
“Many people here are already complaining about the fact that this is the only possibility to travel between the province of North Kivu to the neighbouring province of South Kivu, even different villages along the lake here because many roads are closed due to the fighting,” he said.
Uaykani said those rescued were receiving treatment.
‘I saw people sinking’
One survivor told Reuters that as he struggled to stay afloat in the lake, others around him were drowning
Nigeria launches blood donation initiative amid shortfalls
October 02, 2024
Nigeria has started a nationwide initiative for blood donations as the country faces a huge blood shortage. Authorities say Nigeria gets only a quarter of the annual blood donations it needs, leaving patients and hospitals in desperate need of blood in emergencies. Timothy Obiezu reports from Abuja
NSMQ24: Excitement builds as schools converge in Cape Coast for intellectual showdown
October 02 2024
The anticipation, suspense and intensity are building as the 2024 National Championship of the National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) makes a triumphant comeback
The curtains of this much-awaited school quiz competition were lifted at the GNAT Hall on Tuesday, October 1, with 157 schools vying for the prestigious trophy and ultimate bragging rights.
Now, the excitement is set to soar as 130 schools gear up for the preliminary stage, eager to begin their journey in this prestigious intellectual battle
During the balloting stage, careful attention was given to ensure fairness in the selection of schools competing against each other in the prelims, with each group carefully curated from pots labeled A, B, and C.
This year’s intellectual battle sets a new stage for excellence, with all participating schools converging at Cape Coast in the Central Region to compete.
Mark your calendars for the thrilling preliminary rounds, scheduled from Monday, October 14, to Thursday, October 17, 2024. Victorious schools from this stage will advance to the one-eighth round of the championship.
Residents negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon
October 02 2024
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A powerful typhoon was lashing the northernmost islands of the Philippines Monday, prompting officials to evacuate villagers, shut down schools and inter-island ferries and warn of “potentially very destructive” damage to coastal villages.
Typhoon Krathon was last tracked over the coastal waters of Balintang island off the provinces of Cagayan and Batanes with sustained winds of up to 175 kph (109 mph) and gusts of up to 215 kph (133 mph), according to government forecasters.
The slow-moving Krathon was blowing westward and could strengthen into a super typhoon when it veers northeastward Tuesday toward Taiwan, they said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage
Rescuers help residents evacuate to higher grounds as they negotiate floods caused by powerful Typhoon Krathon locally called “Typhoon Julian” at Bacarra,
There’s nobody outside, zero, because the wind is so strong,” Cabejo told The Associated Press by cellphone. “Nobody could stand normally outside in this wind, it will force anybody down to the ground.”
As floodwaters engulfed a Tennessee hospital, panic set in for those stranded
2 October 2024
Dozens of people were rescued from the Unicoi County Hospital after waiting for hours on the roof and in lifeboats, watching anxiously as the floodwaters rose around them.
Angel Mitchell was in knots Friday morning at the eastern Tennessee hospital where her 83-year-old mother had been admitted days earlier for pneumonia.
While Mitchell and her brother visited their mother, who was undergoing tests at Unicoi County Hospital, she could hear urgent conversations among the nurses to evacuate the small facility in Erwin, nestled within the Blue Ridge Mountains east of Knoxville.
Remnants of Hurricane Helene were bringing catastrophic flooding across the Southeast.
But by the time the hospital started evacuations, Mitchell said, it appeared to be too late: Water overflowing from the nearby Nolichucky River was already rushing the building.
Over the next few hours, Mitchell’s family and the dozens of others inside, including staff, patients and visitors, would be caught in a hazardous scenario — many racing to the roof and waiting to be rescued while the floodwaters perilously climbed.
Details from such harrowing events continue to emerge as officials grapple with a massive cleanup effort and communities come to terms with who and what was lost.
We all eventually started kind of panicking because water just kept rising, and we didn’t know when we would get rescue to us,” she said. “We all started kind of getting really scared that the whole building was going to be under [water] or it was going to collapse.”
“We just thought, ‘Oh, Lord, the building’s going to collapse,’” she added.
Eventually, it took rescue boats and helicopter crews from the Tennessee Army National Guard and Virginia State Police to transfer people out ssafely
Ghana’s electoral register is robust and ready for Election 2024 – IT Consultant
Ghana’s electoral register for the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections is as clear as you can get, it is robust and it is ready for the elections, the IT Consultant to the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Yaw Ofori Adjei, has stated.
He said there were 18,772,795 valid voters on the provisional voters register ahead of the December 7 polls.
This comprises 9,690,173 females and 9,082,622 males.
Dr Ofori Adjei made this known at a special Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held in Accra on Tuesday (October 1, 2024)
He said the register contained 708,282 first-time voters, 131,475 special voters, and 332,110 transferred voters.
Additionally, he said the number of proxy voters currently on the register were 2,167 while the number of applicants on exceptions list and multiple registration list were 32,974 and 26,798 respectively.
2024 Voters register
– Valid voters – 18,772,795
– Females – 9,690,173
– Males – 9,082,622
– First-time voters – 708,282
– Special voters – 131,475
– Transferred voters – 332,110
– Proxy voters – 2,167
The special IPAC meeting was organised by the EC to engage registered political parties on the processes for cleaning up the voters register ahead of the December 7 polls, including a perusal of the concerns raised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for an independent forensic audit of the register
Firefighters battle forest fire raging in southern Greece
October 02, 2024
firefighting helicopter drops water drop as a wildfire burns in the village of Pyrgos, near Corinth, Greece, on September 30, 2024
ATHENS, GREECE —
Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers in southern Greece battled a wildfire for a third day that has killed two people and devastated a large forested area, prompting pledges of assistance from other European Union countries.
Two waterbombing aircraft from Italy joined the firefighting effort late Tuesday after Greece requested help through the 27-country bloc’s emergency civil protection mechanism. A third plane from Croatia was also expected.
The Greek fire service said more than 400 firefighters, assisted by 22 aircraft, were engaged against the blaze in the rugged mountains of Corinthia in the Peloponnese region.
The authorities were optimistic that progress had been made as the main front of the blaze was out, leaving a large number of scattered fires.
However, it remained unclear whether that success could be expanded on before winds whipped up and spread the blaze again.
Greece’s minister for climate change and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said so far up to 5,000 hectares (12,300 acres) had been affected by the blaze.
“The situation is very difficult,” he told a press conference. “We didn’t expect that at this time of year … there would be so many wildfires and that they would be so difficult to handle.”
While wildfires are common in the summer, this year the season started much earlier than usual, in April, and has extended well into the fall. The fire service said a total of 41 wildfires broke out all over the country over the past 24 hours.
Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said firefighters had been hampered in their initial response Sunday by the difficult terrain and poor road network.
“During the first, crucial stage of the fire, firetrucks had great difficulty approaching (the blaze) because of the narrow roads,” he said. “The many ravines and the gale-force winds blowing that day greatly impeded” the firefighting effort, Marinakis added.
Officials ordered another village be evacuated as a precaution Tuesday, a day after half a dozen similar orders were issued. A major highway that was closed overnight as flames swept close by was reopened on Tuesday.
The blaze destroyed a historic church in the mountains and reportedly damaged buildings outside the threatened villages, but the fire service was not immediately able to provide further details.
The two victims were identified as local residents who got trapped late Sunday by the fast-advancing blaze.
Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued every summer by destructive wildfires that have been exacerbated by global warming. Over the past few months, the fire service has had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires — which Kikilias said was the highest number ever recorded in a single fire season.
This year’s had been flagged as the most dangerous season in two decades after the countryside was left parched by a protracted drought and early summer heat waves.
Still, Greece’s big investments in extra waterbombing aircraft, warning drones and other equipment have led to most blazes being extinguished shortly after they broke out.
Zimbabwe currency plunges after central bank move to allow more flexibility
2 October 2024
HARARE, ZIMBABWE —
The value of Zimbabwe’s gold-backed currency plunged 44% Friday on the official market.
The sudden drop of the gold backed currency, known as ZiG, began Friday shortly after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s monetary committee met and bank governor John Mushayavanhu said that after looking at “the recent macroeconomic and financial developments and economic outlook,” the bank was ready to “allow greater exchange rate flexibility, in line with the increased demand for foreign currency in the economy.”
Immediately after, the ZiG started trading at 25 to 1 U.S. dollar, down from 14, where it had been since it was introduced in April.
Tapiwa Mupandawana, a Zimbabwean independent economist and doctoral student at Africa Research University in Zambia, said allowing the ZiG to plunge is an adjustment toward its real value and a reflection of the actual state of Zimbabwe’s economy.
“The value of a currency is the derivative of the productive capacity of the country,” Mupandawana said. “So, in any case, you cannot have a stable currency if you do not have a stable economy.”
Prosper Chitambara, senior economist with the Labor and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe, said the decision to allow the ZiG to drop could be positive for the economy and a sign the central bank is allowing market forces to play more of a role in determining the value of the country’s currency.
“[It] should have some stabilizing effect on the exchange rate,” Chitambara said. “I don’t think it is going to have a major impact in terms of pricing on the economy, given that most businesses were already indexing their … ZiG pricing based on the parallel market or based on the black-market premium.”
The gold-backed ZiG is the sixth type of currency Zimbabwe has tried to use since the Zimbabwean dollar collapsed amid hyperinflation in 2009. After Friday’s official devaluation, the ZiG was trading at around 50 on the black market. Before Friday it was trading at 35 ZiG to 1 U.S. dollar.
Three children injured in knife attack at Zurich daycare centre
2 October 2024
Three children have been injured – one of them seriously – in a knife attack at a daycare centre in the Swiss city of Zurich.
A spokesperson for the city’s police force said a 23-year-old Chinese man attacked a group of children who were being led to the centre by a staff member.
A daycare worker and a bystander managed to overpower the attacker and restrain him until police arrived.
A five-year-old boy suffered serious injuries and was being treated in hospital. Two other five-year-old boys were treated at the scene for less severe injuries.
Officers have yet to reveal a motive for the attack, which took place shortly after 12:00 local time (11:00 BST) in the near the Bernina shopping centre in Oerlikon, an area in the north of Zurich.
Police said an investigation was continuing and local media reported heavily armed officers were guarding the scene on Tuesday afternoon, while a drone flew overhead.
NZZ, a Swiss media outlet, said police searched a residential building near the daycare. It is unclear whether the operation was connected to the attack.
Several arrested after woman dies in ‘suicide pod’
2 October 2024
Police in Switzerland made multiple arrests after a woman reportedly ended her life using a so-called suicide pod, in apparently the first case of its kind.
Police in the Schaffhausen region said they arrested “several persons” on suspicion of inciting, and aiding and abetting suicide after she died reportedly by using a pod made by the company Sarco on Monday.
While assisted dying is legally protected in some circumstances in Switzerland, it is strictly regulated and the Sarco pod has encountered opposition.
Officers recovered the device and body at the scene.
Warning: Contains distressing content
The company behind the controversial pod says it can be solely operated by the person seeking to end their own life, without medical supervision.
Police said it was used on Monday at a forest hut in the Merishausen area, a sparsely populated part of Switzerland on the German border.
Police said they were tipped off by a law firm about a suicide involving the device. The number of people arrested and their identities were not disclosed. The deceased also was not named
In July, a pro-assisted dying group, which promotes the Sarco device, said it anticipated that it would be used for the first time this year.
Advocates say it provides an option not reliant on drugs or doctors, and that it expands access to euthanasia as the portable device can be 3D-printed and assembled at home.
However, there also has been opposition in Switzerland, despite the country having some of the world’s most protective laws surrounding assisted dying.
Critics fear the device’s modern design glamorises suicide and the fact that it can be operated without medical oversight is concerning.
Assisted dying is illegal in the UK and in most other European countries, but thousands have travelled to Switzerland over the years to end their own lives.
At least 20 children and teachers feared dead in Bangkok school bus fire
October 2, 2024
Rescuers gather around the school bus that caught fire in suburban Bangkok on October 1.
BangkokAP —
A bus carrying young students and their teachers on a school trip caught fire in suburban Bangkok on Tuesday, leaving more than 20 feared dead, officials and rescuers said.
The bus with 45 passengers, six teachers and 39 elementary and junior high school students, was traveling from the central Uthai Thani province when it caught fire in Pathum Thani province, a northern suburb of Thailand’s capital, Acting Police Commissioner Kitrat Phanphet said.
The fire was first reported around noon and was put out less than an hour later, but rescuers said they could not get on board for hours as the heat inside the natural gas-fueled vehicle could have caused more explosions.
Police were still working to identify the dead but three teachers and 20 students remain unaccounted for, Kitrat said.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. Kitrat said the initial investigation indicates a tire had exploded and caused sparks, which ignited a blaze that spread through the bus. He did not elaborate.
No other vehicles were involved, he said.
There were discrepancies in reports on the number of the people aboard the bus. Rescuers cited teachers who survived as saying there were three buses from the school for this trip and that along the way, some students had moved to different buses from the ones they were initially on.
Videos posted on social media showed the entire bus engulfed in a fire with black smoke pouring out of the bus.
Piyalak Thinkaew, a rescuer from the Ruam Katanyu Foundation, told reporters that most of the bodies were found in the middle and back seats, leading them to assume the victims had moved back and that the fire had started at the front of the bus.
The police were looking for the driver who appeared to have fled the scene, Kitrat said, adding that the bus company and individuals involved may be charged if they are found responsible.
“Such an incident causes a great sorrow and grief,” he told reporters at a news conference.
There is no way we will distort the fact or help anyone” escape justice, Kitrat said. He added that 16 students had been treated for minor injuries and later sent home while three others were hospitalized.
The nearby patRangsit Hospital said three girls were initially treated there, one with burns to the face, mouth and eyes. Surgeon Anocha Takham said the doctors would do their best to save the girl, who is around 7, from losing her sight.
The girls were later moved to other hospitals for further treatment.
Kitrat said a teacher who survived told police the fire had spread so quickly she didn’t even have the time to grab her mobile phone. Some on board managed to escape through the door while others jumped out through the windows.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra offered her condolences in a post on the social media platform X, promising the government would cover medical expenses and help the victims’ families. She later visited the injured in the hospital.
When reporters asked her about the fire at the Government House, Paetongtarn was overcome by emotion and burst into tears. She became prime minister in August and is the mother of two children.
The accident has prompted criticisms over the safety of children traveling long hours across provinces on roads notorious for their high rates of traffic accidents and deaths.
The World Health Organization estimates that every year, 20,000 people are killed and a million are injured in road accidents in Thailand.
12 Tunisians dead as boa wet capsizes off Djerba
– A group thought to be migrants from Tunisia on board a precarious wooden boat waits to be assisted by a team of the Spanish NGO Open Arms, around 20 miles southwest from the Italian island of Lampedusa, July 29, 2021.
TUNIS —
1 October 2024
At least 12 Tunisians including three children were found dead after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of the southeastern island of Djerba on Monday, a judicial official said.
The boat went down at dawn and 29 people were rescued, Medenine court spokesman Fethi Baccouche told AFP, adding five men and four women were among the dead, and that the cause of the sinking remained unknown.
The Tunisian National Guard said it was alerted by four migrants who swam back ashore.
Tunisia and neighboring Libya have become key departure points for migrants seeking better lives in Europe, often risking dangerous Mediterranean crossings.
The exodus is fueled by Tunisia’s stagnant economy, with only 0.4% of growth in 2023 and unemployment soaring.
The North African country has also been shaken by political tensions, after President Kais Saied orchestrated a sweeping power grab in July 2021.
Each year, tens of thousands of people attempt to make the crossing, with Italy — whose Lampedusa island is only 150 kilometers (90 miles) away — often their first port of call.
Since January 1, at least 103 makeshift boats have capsized and 341 bodies have been recovered off Tunisia’s coast, the government says.
Last year, more than 1,300 people died or disappeared last year in shipwrecks off Tunisia, according to the FTDES rights group.
The International Organization for Migration has said more than 30,309 migrants have died in the Mediterranean in the past decade, including more than 3,000 last year.
Oil prices set to fall for third month despite Middle East conflict
1 October 2024
FILE – An Aramco oil facility near al-Khurj area, just south of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Oil prices on track on Monday to fall for the third month in a row.
LONDON —
Oil prices were steady on Monday and on track to fall for the third month in a row as a strong supply outlook and questions around demand outweighed fears that Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Yemen could escalate conflict in the Middle East.
Brent crude futures LCOc1 for November delivery, expiring on Monday, lost 10 cents to $71.88 a barrel as of 0933 GMT. The more active December contract LCOc2 rose 6 cents to $71.60. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures CLc1 lost 10 cents to $68.08 a barrel.
Both benchmarks had earlier gained more than $1.
Brent was on track to lose almost 9% month-on-month, which would be its biggest decline since November 2022. WTI was set to decline more than 7% since the end of August.
On Monday prices had been supported by the possibility that Iran, a key producer and member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, may be directly drawn into a widening Middle East conflict.
Since last week Israel has escalated attacks, conducting strikes which have killed Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in Lebanon and hit Houthi targets in Yemen. The three groups are backed by Iran.
“We suspect that some oil market participants will look past this escalation given that there still has not been a major physical supply disruption and Iran has not demonstrated any appetite to enter this nearly year-long conflict,” said Helima Croft of RBC Capital Markets.
Oil prices also had a muted response to Beijing’s announcement last week of fiscal stimulus measures in the world’s second-biggest economy and top oil importer.
Traders question whether the measures would be enough to boost China’s weaker-than-expected demand so far this year.
Data on Monday was not encouraging for demand, showing China’s manufacturing activity shrank for a fifth straight month and the services sector slowed sharply in September.
Instead, prices have been depressed by news that half a million barrels of Libyan crude exports may come back online as a central bank dispute is resolved, and a report that Saudi Arabia may stop targeting an oil price of $100 a barrel as OPEC+ begins to unwind voluntary supply cuts from December.
Later on Monday, markets will be waiting to hear from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for clues on the central bank’s pace of monetary easing. Seven other Fed policymakers are also due to speak this week, ANZ analysts said in a note.
We’ll implement national zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment, domestic violence – Mahama
The 2024 flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has announced a bold commitment to address gender-based violence (GBV) in Ghana.
He pledged to implement a national zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment and domestic violence.
With 27.7% of women in the country experiencing various forms of gender-based violence, Mr Mahama highlighted the urgent need to confront the issue and protect women from abuse.
Speaking during the NDC women’s manifesto launch on Monday, September 30, the former president said: “We will implement a national zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment and domestic violence. We reject the notion that women should suffer in silence.”
As part of his plan, he explained the importance of establishing regional shelters to provide immediate protection and support for survivors of violence.
In addition, he promised to ensure that comprehensive care, including medical, psychological, and legal services, would be made available to help survivors recover and rebuild their lives.
Stuck NASA astronauts welcome SpaceX capsule to bring them home next year
FILE – NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore make pizza aboard the International Space Station’s galley located inside the Unity module, Sept. 9, 2024. (NASA via AP)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA —
The two astronauts stuck at the International Space Station since June welcomed their new ride home with Sunday’s arrival of a SpaceX capsule.
SpaceX launched the rescue mission on Saturday with a downsized crew of two astronauts and two empty seats reserved for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who will return next year. The Dragon capsule docked in darkness high over Botswana as the two craft soared 420 kilometers above Earth.
NASA switched Wilmore and Williams to SpaceX following concerns over the safety of their Boeing Starliner capsule. It was the first Starliner test flight with a crew, and NASA decided the thruster failures and helium leaks that cropped up after liftoff were too serious and poorly understood to risk the test pilots’ return. So Starliner returned to Earth empty earlier this month.
The Dragon carrying NASA’s Nick Hague and the Russian Space Agency’s Alexander Gorbunov will remain at the space station until February, turning what should have been a weeklong trip for Wilmore and Williams into a mission lasting more than eight months.
Two NASA astronauts were pulled from the mission to make room for Wilmore and Williams on the return leg.
NASA likes to replace its station crews every six months or so. SpaceX has provided the taxi service since the company’s first astronaut flight in 2020. NASA also hired Boeing for ferry flights after the space shuttles were retired, but flawed software and other Starliner issues led to years of delays and more than $1 billion in repairs.
Starliner inspections are underway at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, with post-flight reviews of data set to begin this week.
“We’re a long way from saying, ‘Hey, we’re writing off Boeing,’” NASA’s associate administrator Jim Free said at a pre-launch briefing.
The arrival of two fresh astronauts means the four who have been up there since March can now return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule in just over a week. Their stay was extended a month because of the Starliner turmoil.
Although Saturday’s liftoff went well, SpaceX said the rocket’s spent upper stage ended up outside its targeted impact zone in the Pacific because of a bad engine firing. The company has halted all Falcon launches until it figures out what went wrong.
Nigeria is ‘called upon to lead’ on behalf of Africa, says Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar
1 October 2024
Nigeria’s top diplomat is trying to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Africa may finally be having its moment at the United Nations, and Nigeria wants to make sure it gets top billing.
With the US throwing its weight behind the two-decade-old push for the continent to get two permanent seats on the Security Council, Africa’s most populous nation is determined to seize what it sees as its rightful place in the world. Foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar is on
Supplies are sen to North Carolina communities left isolated after Helene
1 October 2024
Residents wait in line with gas cans at a Gas Plus gas station in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, in North Augusta, South Carolina.
PERRY, FLA. —
North Carolina officials pledged to get more water and other supplies to flood-stricken areas by Monday after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction across the U.S. Southeast and the death toll from the storm rose to nearly 100.
At least 91 people across several states were killed. A North Carolina county that includes the mountain city of Asheville reported 30 people killed.
Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.
Supplies were being airlifted to the region around the isolated city of Asheville. Buncombe County Manager Avril Pinder pledged that she would have food and water to the city by Monday.
“We hear you. We need food and we need water,” Pinder said on a Sunday call with reporters. “My staff has been making every request possible to the state for support and we’ve been working with every single organization that has reached out. What I promise you is that we are very close.”
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper predicted the toll would rise as rescuers and other emergency workers reached areas isolated by collapsed roads, failing infrastructure and widespread flooding.
A Dominion Energy lineman works on a power line in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Sept. 29, 2024, in North Augusta, South Carolina.
Officials warned that rebuilding from the widespread loss of homes and property would be lengthy and difficult. The storm upended life throughout the Southeast. Deaths also were reported in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.
Cooper implored residents in western North Carolina to avoid travel, both for their own safety and to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. More than 50 search teams spread throughout the region in search of stranded people.
One rescue effort involved saving 41 people north of Asheville. Another mission focused on saving a single infant. The teams found people through both 911 calls and social media messages, North Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Todd Hunt said.
President Joe Biden described the impact of the storm as “stunning” and said he would visit the area this week as long as it does not disrupt rescues or recovery work.
In a brief exchange with reporters, he said that the administration is giving states “everything we have” to help with their response to the storm.
An aerial picture taken on Sept. 28, 2024, shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Valdosta, Georgia.
Hurricane Helene roared ashore late Thursday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane with 225 kph winds. A weakened Helene quickly moved through Georgia, then soaked the Carolinas and Tennessee with torrential rains that flooded creeks and rivers and strained dams.
There have been hundreds of water rescues, including in rural Unicoi County in East Tennessee, where dozens of patients and staff were plucked by helicopter from a hospital rooftop Friday.
More than 2 million homeowners and other utility customers were still without power Sunday night. South Carolina had the most outages and Gov. Henry McMaster asked for patience as crews dealt with widespread snapped power poles.
“We want people to remain calm. Help is on the way, it is just going to take time,” McMaster told reporters outside the airport in Aiken County.
The storm unleashed the worst flooding in a century in North Carolina. One community, Spruce Pine, was doused with over 61 centimeters of rain from Tuesday through Saturday.
Jessica Drye Turner in Texas had begged for someone to rescue her family members stranded on their rooftop in Asheville amid rising floodwaters. “They are watching 18-wheelers and cars floating by,” Turner wrote in an urgent Facebook post on Friday.
But in a follow-up message Saturday, Turner said help had not arrived in time to save her parents, both in their 70s, and her 6-year-old nephew. The roof collapsed and the three drowned.
“I cannot convey in words the sorrow, heartbreak and devastation my sisters and I are going through,” she wrote.
The state was sending water supplies and other items toward Buncombe County and Asheville, but mudslides blocking Interstate 40 and other highways prevented supplies from making it. The county’s own water supplies were on the other side of the Swannanoa River, away from where most of the 270,000 people in Buncombe County live, officials said.
Rwanda limits funeral sizes due to Marburg virus outbreak
1 October 2024
Marburg virus can bring on symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss
Rwandan authorities have restricted funeral sizes for victims of Marburg virus in an effort to curb an outbreak of the highly contagious disease.
Eight people have died during Rwanda’s first outbreak of the virus, which was confirmed on Friday by the nation’s health ministry.
Marburg, with a fatality rate of up to 88%, is from the same virus family as Ebola. It spreads to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
In new guidelines to halt the spread of Marburg, the health ministry said no more than 50 people should attend the funeral of a person who died from the disease.
Normal business and other activities” can continue in the East African country, said the advisory, published on Sunday evening.
However, it also urged the public to avoid close contact with “symptomatic individuals”. The ministry listed symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhoea.
The virus can cause death through extreme blood loss.
The health ministry’s guidelines said hospital patients would not be permitted visitors for the next 14 days.
Patients will also only be allowed one caregiver at a time, the guidelines said.
In numerous developing countries, patients’ loved ones perform basic care tasks – such as washing and feeding – that are typically performed by a nurse in other countries.
On Saturday, when the official death toll was six, Rwanda’s health minister said most of the victims were healthcare workers in a hospital intensive care unit.
Most of the reported cases have been in the capital, Kigali.
Rwanda said it was intensifying contact tracing, surveillance and testing to help contain the spread.
The health minister said on Sunday that officials were tracking about 300 people who had come into contact with individuals affected by the Marburg virus.
The authorities have urged the public to practice good hygiene, such as frequent hand washing.
This is the first time Marburg has been confirmed in Rwanda.
Neighbouring Tanzania reported an outbreak in 2023, while three people died in Uganda in 2017.
Mexico counting dead from ‘zombie storm’ John
1 October 2024
At least 29 people have died in Mexico as a result of Hurricane John, the country’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has confirmed.
The storm first made landfall a week ago as a category three hurricane on Mexico’s Pacific coast, south-east of the resort of Acapulco.
It then weakened and dissipated over the mountains of Guerrero state before regaining strength over the waters of the Pacific and hitting the Mexican coast a second time, prompting meteorologists to describe it as a “zombie storm”.
Its heavy rains triggered landslides and flooding, cutting off many residents and killing more than a dozen.
The term “zombie storm” was first used by meteorologists from the US National Weather Service in 2020 to describe a storm which dissipates only to regenerate again.
On Sunday, President López Obrador said the number of dead in Guerrero had reached at least 15, but local media have put the total death toll across the three worst-hit states at more than 20, with some saying it is as high as 29.
Meteorologists said that while Hurricane John blew over trees and damaged buildings, the days of torrential rains it caused proved more deadly.
Some places had almost a year’s worth of rainfall over a matter of days.
In Oaxaca state, there were at least 80 landslides, some of which buried homes and their occupants. In some areas, entire communities were cut off as roads became impassable.
The resort of Acapulco, which is still struggling to recover from the impact of Hurricane Otis last year, was severely flooded.
City officials asked anyone who owned a boat to help rescue people trapped in flooded neighbourhoods.
Residents posted videos on social media of themselves wading through waters which reached their shoulders.
Some families climbed onto the roofs of their homes as the waters rose.
Officials said more than 5,000 people had to be evacuated and 3,800 had been sleeping in shelters.
Claudia Sheinbaum, who is due to be sworn in as Mexico’s new president on Tuesday, said she would visit Guerrero state with her ministers on Wednesday to ensure that those affected received “all the necessary assistance”.
Promote nation’s peace – President Akufo-Addo charges media at 28th GJA Awards
30 September 2024
He stressed that given the crucial role the media played in the dissemination of relevant information for the consolidation of the country’s democracy, it was important for journalists to ensure that no space was left for disinformation, misinformation and falsehood ahead of the December 7 polls.
Speaking at the 28th Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards ceremony in Accra last Saturday night, President Akufo-Addo stressed that the crucial nature of the upcoming elections was a call to duty for the media to strictly adhere to ethical journalism that thrived on factual reportage.
“The stakes are high and your role as media has never been more crucial than now,” the President said, urging journalists to be accurate, balanced and professional in their reportage.
The GJA awards, which also climaxed the 75th anniversary celebration of the association, was on the theme: “75 Years of Excellence in Journalism: The Role of the Media in Democratic Governance and Elections”.
It brought together stalwarts in the media industry, including past and present presidents of the GJA, the Minister of Information, Fatimatu Abubakar; the United Nations (UN) Resident Representative to Ghana, Charles Abani; the Paramount Chief of Nandom Traditional Area, Naa Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle Chiir; the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh; the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, and other dignitaries.
At the ceremony, 32 journalists and media organisations that excelled in their work in 2023 were presented with awards in various categories.
Media’s role
While paying glowing tribute to the GJA for its diamond jubilee, President Akufo-Addo stressed that more was required from journalists to consolidate the country’s democracy.
The story of Ghana’s democracy is incomplete without the contribution of the media. You have been there in moments of triumph and trial, standing as pillars of truth and integrity,” he said.
He said it was refreshing that despite the avalanche of turbulent turfs, journalists had stood their ground and played a crucial role in national development.
The President added that the media was the lifeblood of the independence struggle and remained a strong force for mobilisation of relevant stakeholders for national development.
The President said the media was also a key force in the fight against corruption, ensuring human rights, and shedding the light on darkness in governance.
He said it was refreshing that despite the avalanche of turbulent turfs, journalists had stood their ground and played a crucial role in national development.
The President added that the media was the lifeblood of the independence struggle and remained a strong force for mobilisation of relevant stakeholders for national development.
The President said the media was also a key force in the fight against corruption, ensuring human rights, and shedding the light on darkness in governance.
However, he said, the power of the media came with the responsibility to be professional, accurate, balanced and firm.
President Akufo-Addo said the freedom of the media was essential to the health of the country’s democracy, for which reason his government remained committed to supporting the fourth estate to thrive.
He said it was in recognition of the critical role the media played in national development that the government he led ensured the passage of the Right to Information Law (RTL).
“I remain committed to ensuring media freedom as I have always been,” he stressed.
Brazil’s ‘Paradise’ on fire: ‘The forest is burning. Animals are burning. Everything’s burning’
30 September 2024
Along the Madeira river basin, in the Amazon, locals blame climate change and human greed for the wildfires
All of that up there is Paradise,” said Maria Moraes de Souza, gesturing to the string of villages among which she lives along one of the Amazon’s most important waterways.
But lately life in this supposedly Arcadian community has taken a toxic turn, as the River Madeira’s waters have fallen to their lowest level since the 1960s and the skies overhead have filled with smoke from wildfires that are raging across Brazil.
“I’ve never seen it like this,” said Souza, a 44-year-old subsistence farmer as her canoe glided through the murk towards her smog-shrouded hamlet, chaperoned by river dolphins whose aquatic home is growing smaller by the day.
To reach Souza’s wooden house in Paraíso Grande (Big Paradise) – a former rubber-tapping community near the port town of Humaitá – visitors must now scale a sun-scorched bluff that has been exposed by the plummeting waters. Vast, desert-like expanses of red-hot sand lie between some river-dwellers and the waters on which they depend for food, transport, education and work. Some of those beaches are hundreds of metres wide.
“In the old days we used to understand the river’s rise and fall … But lately man has started to affect nature to such an extent that we no longer know how things work,” complained village leader José Francisco Vieira dos Santos, describing how the Amazon’s annual rainy and dry seasons were being scrambled for reasons locals struggled to comprehend.
“Even the animals can feel the change,” added Santos, 42. An Amazon catfish called the “bodó” used to lay its eggs in January. Now locals said it was happening as early as October. “Everything has spun out of control,” said Santos, who suspected construction of two hydroelectric dams further up the Madeira had added to the problem.
Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – whose administration has faced criticism over what some consider its sluggish response to the crisis – has painted his country’s tribulations as part of a growing global emergency fuelled by climate change.
Hurricanes in the Caribbean, typhoons in Asia, drought and flooding in Africa, and torrential rain in Europe have left a trail of death and destruction,” Lula told the UN general assembly last week, adding record floods, fires and drought in Brazil to that list. “The planet is no longer waiting to make the next generation pay the price and is fed up with climate deals that are not fulfilled.”
This year’s drought – which authorities have called the most intense and widespread in Brazil’s history – has brought misery to those who live along the Madeira, and other major Amazon waterways, including the Solimões and the Negro.
In Porto Velho, the largest city on the Madeira, passenger ships have found themselves high and dry because the waters are no longer deep enough to set sail. “We’ve been stuck here for two weeks,” said 50-year-old skipper Aurean Guimarães, whose wooden ferry was stranded at a sun-baked port called Cai N’ água (literally “Fall in the Water”).
It’s scary to think that this might be the best extreme drought that we have in the next 20 years
“The river’s so dry. There’s so much sand. So many rocks … This is the first year we’ve faced something like this,” Guimarães complained as the Madeira hit its lowest level since 1967. A banner hanging from the ferry’s top deck declared: “SOS”.
Indigenous communities have been hit particularly hard, with dozens of waterways drying up and dry vegetation supercharging wildfires that are ripping through their ancestral homes. Megaron Txucarramãe, an Indigenous leader from the Amazon state of Mato Grosso, said at least four territories in his region were going up in smoke, including in the Capoto Jarina area where a firefighter was killed in the blaze.
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Manhunt after 18 killed in double mass shooting in South Africa
30 September, 2024
The shooting victims, including 15 women, were killed while attending a family gathering near the town of Lusikisiki in a rural area of Eastern Cape province. South Africa, a country of 62 million, recorded 12,734 homicides in the first six months of this year, according to official crime statistics from the police.
Police officials work at the scene of a mass shooting in Lusikisiki, South Africa September 28, 2024. © South African Police Service, Reuters
Seventeen people, including 15 women, were killed in two mass shootings that took place in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa police, said Saturday.
A search was underway for the suspects, national police spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe said in a statement. The victims were 15 women and two men, she said. One other person was in critical condition in the hospital.
The shootings took place Friday night in the town of Lusikisiki in Eastern Cape province in southeastern South Africa. Video released by police showed that the shootings occurred at two houses in the same neighborhood, which is a collection of rural homesteads on the outskirts of the town.
Twelve women and a man were killed in one house and three women and a man were killed in the other house, police said.
Four women, one man and a 2-month-old baby survived.
“A manhunt has been launched to apprehend those behind these heinous killings,” Mathe said.
Local media reported that the people were attending a family gathering at the time of the shooting, but the motive for the killings remains unknown.
Police minister Senzo Mchunu told a media briefing on Saturday that a team of detectives and forensic experts had been deployed.
“We have full faith and confidence in the team that has been deployed to crack this case and find these criminals. Either they hand themselves over or we will fetch them ourselves,” Mchunu said.
South Africa, a country of 62 million, recorded 12,734 homicides in the first six months of this year, according to official crime statistics from the police. That’s an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the biggest cause of deaths in those cases.
Preventing heart attacks: What should you be eating in your 20s and 30s
30 September 2024
As young people have processed and fast foods, the risk of early heart disease goes up
If your 20s and 30s, it’s tempting to ignore concerns about heart health, especially in India, where the vibrancy of our food culture often overshadows health priorities. However, heart disease doesn’t wait for old age. India has seen a surge in heart-related conditions among younger generations, driven mainly by poor diet choices, sedentary lifestyles, and stress.
As many young people are shifting from traditional home-cooked meals to processed foods and fast foods, the risk of developing early signs of heart disease is particularly high. What then is a heart-healthy diet?
1. Whole Grains Over Refined Grains
White rice and refined flour (maida) are staples, can spike blood sugar levels and increase the levels of risky small and dense LDL (low-density lipoprotein) particles in circulation, which can clog up the damaged areas of the arteries to form plaques and blockages. High maida in your diet also produces a lot of triglycerides, as maida is broken into glucose in the body for absorption. This excess glucose is readily converted into triglycerides (blood fat/lipids) in the body, which is also linked to lowering HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol). Whole grains, like brown rice, jowar, bajra, and oats, are better alternatives as they are rich in fibre, which helps in lowering total cholesterol and stabilising blood sugar.
2. Healthy Fats: Choose Wisely
Mustard oil, olive oil, and groundnut oil are rich in monounsaturated fats, which help lower bad cholesterol. On the other hand, added oils high in saturated fats (such as coconut oil and ghee, in excess) can increase your risk of heart disease. Additionally, foods like almonds, walnuts, and flaxseeds, which are abundant in omega-3 fatty acids, are great for reducing inflammation and supporting heart function.
Tip: Cook your meals using mustard oil or olive oil and snack on a handful of nuts daily to boost your intake of healthy fats.
3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits like guava, pomegranate and papaya and vegetables such as spinach, tomatoes, and bell peppers are packed with antioxidants, fibre and essential vitamins that promote heart health by reducing oxidative stress or cell damage and inflammation.
Tip: Include a fruit or two with your breakfast and a vegetable-rich dish at lunch and dinner. You can even add fruits like pomegranate or cucumber to your salads for added flavour and nutrition.
4. Go for Lean and Plant-Based proteins
The traditional Indian diet offers a variety of protein sources, from lentils (dal) and chickpeas to fish and chicken. Studies show that plant-based proteins, like legumes, pulses, and soy, help lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. Meanwhile, lean
animal proteins like chicken and fish (especially fatty fish like mackerel and salmon) are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are known for their heart-protective effects.
5. Cut Down on Salt and Sugar
Excess salt raises blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, while excessive sugar contributes to obesity and diabetes, both of which are linked to heart problems.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming less than 5 grams of salt per day, but the average Indian intake is far higher. Similarly, reducing total daily sugar intake within 90 grams per day not only helps in weight management but also reduces the risk of heart disease.
Countering the Next Pandemic: A Holistic Modeling Approach
30th September 2024, Nigeria news
The Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the globe, leaving a trail of devastation worldwide. While Nigeria experienced a relatively lower impact of Covid-19 compared to many other nations – with a cumulative total of 266,313 cases and 3,155 deaths, according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control’s (NCDC) last Covid-19 report on February 26, 2023 – the pandemic still raised serious concerns about the nation’s preparedness for future health crises.
Beyond the statistics, the pandemic upended lives, strained healthcare systems, disrupted education systems, and exposed the fragility of our public health preparedness. It sparked critical conversations on how the nation can improve its pandemic response. What lessons have we learned, and what strategies can we employ to avert another devastating health crisis? One thing is clear: traditional methods need to evolve, and our response must consider not just the biological network but also the complex social dynamics that shape human behavior.
As the world grapples with the aftermath of Covid-19, the spectre of future pandemics looms large. While we cannot predict when or the exact nature of the next pandemic, it could stem from familiar threats, such as another variant of the coronavirus, the resurgence of smallpox, or an entirely new pathogen. In preparing for such threats, scientists must develop strategies that are more targeted, efficient, and effective. A critical area that has emerged is the role of social networks in the spread of both diseases and opinions.
While epidemiological models can provide decision-makers with valuable information to support outbreak preparedness and response, many of the existing models overlook this important factor. Could understanding how opinions about health measures evolve be the key to improving epidemic modeling predictions? What if a pandemic is fueled not just by pathogens but also by misinformation, disinformation, and societal resistance.
Death toll mounts as Hurricane Helene carves path across southern US
At least 43 deaths reported as officials fear many more bodies will be discovered across several states.
More than 55 million people in the United States have been placed under some form of weather alert from Hurricane Helene
30 September 2024
Authorities across a wide swath of the southeastern United States face the daunting task of cleaning up from Hurricane Helene, one of the most powerful storms to hit the country, as the death toll continued to rise.
At least 43 deaths were reported by late on Friday, and officials feared more bodies will be discovered across several states.Helene, downgraded late on Friday to a post-tropical cyclone, continued to produce heavy rains across several states, leading to life-threatening flooding that threatened to create dam failures that could inundate entire towns.
In Florida’s Pinellas County near Tampa, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said he had never seen destruction like that which Helene wrought. “I would just describe it, having spent the last few hours out there, as a war zone,” Gualtieri told a news conference.
At least 3.5 million customers remained without power across the southern states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, with authorities warning it could be several days before services were fully restored
Scientists say climate change contributes to fuelling stronger, more destructive hurricanes.
Police and firefighters carried out thousands of water rescues throughout the affected states on Friday.
Marburg virus outbreak kills six in Rwanda
30 September 2024
Six people have died from an outbreak of Marburg virus in Rwanda, the health minister has announced.
Sabin Nsanzimana said most of the victims were healthcare workers in the intensive care unit.
Twenty cases have been identified since the outbreak was confirmed on Friday.
Marburg, with a fatality rate of up to 88%, is from the same virus family as Ebola. It spreads to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals.
Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.
There are no specific treatments or a vaccine for the virus but a range of blood products, drug and immune therapies are being developed, according to the World Health Organization.
Rwanda says it is intensifying contact tracing, surveillance and testing to help contain the spread.
Authorities are urging the public to stay vigilant, wash their hands with clean water and soap or sanitiser and report all suspected cases.
Neighbouring Tanzania reported an outbreak in 2023, while three people died in Uganda in 2017
Nepal floods follow most intense rainfall for more than half a century
30 September 2024
Nepalese meteorologists this weekend confirmed the rainfall that has caused devastating flash floods and landslides in the Kathmandu valley where the capital city lies is the most intense for more than half a century.
“The data recorded this [Sunday] morning by nine stations in Kathmandu is the highest in the past 54 years,” said Shanti Kandel, Senior Divisional Meteorologist at Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Nepal began its current system of measuring and recording rainfall in 1970.
Similar record breaking rainfall was witnessed by 25 observation posts in at least 14 other districts.
Media reports speak of at least 120 deaths in floods and landslides – the full intensity of which was quickly apparent from social media; scores more were missing.
All possible support will be made available
as necessary’
The Nepal Red Cross Society Friday activated its simplified early action protocol worth nearly 30,000 Swiss francs for a western area of the country where riverine floods were forecast – among more than 50 districts under red alert at the end of last week.
The NRCS will use the resources unlocked by the S-EAP to assist nearly 5,500 vulnerable people living near the West Rapti and Babai rivers.
In the end, the rainfall was heavier and the dramatic flash floods and landslides worse in the central Kathmandu valley and adjoining districts.
“This is the worst flooding experienced in recent years,” said IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain, who is himself Nepalese.
Red Cross branches were working closely with the authorities to help coordinate rescue and relief operations, he added on X/Twitter. “All possible support will be made available as necessary.”
Climate Centre science lead Liz Stephens said today: “While it’s difficult to draw firm conclusions from records which only began in 1970, this rainfall is a huge increase on the previous record, and the IPCC has indicated with ‘high confidence’ that Nepal will see further increases in heavy rainfall as a result of climate change.
“These floods are further evidence of the help that countries like Nepal need to adapt to a climate very different to what they saw in the past.”
The Nepalese capital Kathmandu and its surrounding districts have seen many dramatic rescues this weekend
SpaceX launches mission to bring back astronauts at ISS
The Dragon spacecraft, by SpaceX, will reach the ISS on Sunday to bring back Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore.
This image provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov inside the SpaceX capsule, September 28, 2024 [NASA via AP]
Published On 30 Sep 2024
A SpaceX spacecraft has lifted off to bring back two astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) due to technical issues.
NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Aleksandr Gorbunov took off on Saturday from Cape Canaveral, Florida to bring back Suni Williams and Barry Wilmore.
The Dragon spacecraft, operated by SpaceX, the private company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, is set to arrive at the ISS on Sunday.
Originally, astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were set to be part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
However, they gave up their spots to accommodate Williams and Wilmore, astronauts stranded on the ISS due to technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft.
Williams and Wilmore were originally scheduled to return to Earth on June 13, after their Boeing Starliner capsule launched its first crewed flight from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5. But the Starliner had been plagued with issues, even before the June 5 launch. A previous launch attempt was scrapped on June 1 just moments before launch because of a ground control computer performance issue.
During the 25-hour flight to the International Space Station, the spacecraft experienced several helium leaks and a malfunctioning thruster. Then, when the Starliner arrived on June 6 and attempted to dock at the ISS, four more of the 28 thrusters malfunctioned causing the ship’s arrival to be delayed.
Saturday’s launch of NASA’s mission had been delayed for several days due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. Weather concerns persisted until the last minute, with rain and storms posing risks to the mission.
“The crewmates will conduct more than 200 scientific investigations, including blood clotting studies, moisture effects on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts during their mission,” read a NASA statement.
Williams and Wilmore are expected to return to Earth in February 2025, along with Hague and Gorbunov.
Planes refuse to stop as Typhoon Shanshan batters Japan
31 August 2024
Several planes have been forced to return at Fukuoka Airport in Japan, after being hit by strong winds brought by Typhoon Shanshan.
The typhoon, which has weakened to a severe tropical storm, is one of the strongest to hit the country in decades.
More than five million people in the south of the country have been told to evacuate, as authorities issued their highest level alert.
At least four people have been killed, and hundreds of thousands of homes remain without power.
The storm is expected to reach Tokyo this weekend.
Senate launches online medical, social assistance ‘Senate Assist’
31 August 2024
Senate President Chiz Escudero. (OS Escudero)
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate of the Philippines launched on Thursday in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan and Talisay City, Cebu the online platform “Senate Assist” that aims to bring medical and other social services to people.
It was developed in collaboration with the Senate Spouses Foundation Inc. (SSFI), which showcases features that enable residents to request financial, medical, and social assistance surpassing bureaucratic processes.According to Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, this program reduces waiting and traveling time for people, and diminishes red tape. He also emphasized that help will be available for Filipinos “with just a few clicks.”With Senate Assist, we are dismantling the barriers that have long separated our people from the help they need. Hindi na kailangan pang maghintay, magbiyahe, o mang-abala para makahingi ng tulong. Now, with just a few clicks, assistance is within reach,” he said in a statement.
Escudero stressed that the program “places the power of public service directly into the hands of every Filipino, 24/7.”
This initiative is more than just an extension of the Senate’s reach—it’s a revolution in public service. Senate Assist is a lifeline that connects every Filipino to the resources they need, no matter the distance or circumstance,” he added.
The program was first launched to the residents of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan and Talisay City, Cebu both on the same day. The Senate Assist will soon be launched nationwide.
Norway princess and US shaman’s wedding begins after years of ‘turmoil’
31 August 20have begun for the wedding of Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise and her American partner, self-styled shaman Durek Verrett.
Hundreds of guests arrived in the town of Alesund, in western Norway, on Thursday for a “meet and greet” in a historic hotel.
On Friday, they were travelling by sea to the scenic town of Geiranger, on the shores of a fjord designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. The wedding programme says guests will enjoy a “light lunch on the boat while witnessing the majestic mountains and waterfalls”.
The couple will then tie the knot at a private event on Saturday.
Members of the Swedish royal family are said to be attending alongside various social media influencers and TV personalities, including US reality star and model Cynthia Bailey.
According to Norwegian media, guests have been asked not to use mobile phones or cameras during the celebrations and not to post anything on social media.
Princess Märtha Louise, 52, and Mr Verrett, 49, announced their engagement in 2022.
The princess – a former equestrian and the eldest of Norwegian King Harald’s two children – was previously married to the late writer and artist Ari Behn, with whom she had three daughters – Maud, Leah and Emma. The two divorced in 2017. Mr Behn, who had discussed suffering from depression
Power beginning to return in Venezuela after nationwide blackout
People enjoy a fountain lit in colored lights after a nationwide power outage, in Valencia, Venezuela, Aug. 31, 2024
CARACAS/BARQUISIMETO, VENEZUELA —
Power had returned to some parts of Venezuela on Friday evening after capital Caracas and much of the rest of the country were plunged into a blackout that the government blamed on sabotage by the opposition, without providing evidence.
President Nicolas Maduro, who is locked in a dispute with the opposition over the outcome of a July 28 presidential election, has often held his political rivals responsible for what he says are “attacks” on the power grid, accusations the opposition has always denied.
The blackout was the result of an attack on the Guri Reservoir, Venezuela’s largest hydroelectric project, Maduro said on state television on Friday evening, as he blamed the opposition and what he said were fascists in the United States.
Maduro offered no evidence for his claims, but said the attack had been focused on transmission lines.
A rapid investigation was taking place, he added.
“I won’t say more because it is being investigated,” Maduro said, adding that it was an attack of significant magnitude.
Authorities had prevented an attack on election day and another planned for Friday night, Maduro added.
Venezuela last suffered national blackouts in 2019, with some lasting as long as three days.
Authorities also attributed those power outages to attacks on the network and on Guri by saboteurs and opponents of Maduro’s government.
“We are normalizing, regularizing, step-by-step… We are better prepared and in better conditions than in 2019,” Maduro said.
All 24 of the country’s states reported a total or partial loss of electricity supply, Freddy Nanez, the minister of communication and information, said on state television early on Friday morning, blaming “sabotage.”
By about 1 p.m. local time (1600 GMT), power had returned to some parts of western city Maracaibo, central city Valencia, eastern city Puerto Ordaz and capital Caracas, according to Reuters witnesses.
In other places power was intermittent or remained off.
The blackout hit some operations of state oil company PDVSA, including its largest terminal, Jose, where vessel loading and discharging was interrupted by the outage, according to sources and a shipping document seen by Reuters. A key oil upgrader that produces exportable crude, Petropiar, was also affected.
About 70% of Venezuela’s oil exports are handled through Jose, which does not have its own power system. Most of U.S. firm Chevron’s CVX.N Venezuelan crude exports go out from Petropiar.
PDVSA’s largest refining complex Paraguana was unaffected, as its own power plant was in service, the sources said, and the impact was minimal in Orinoco Belt as many operations have their own generators.
Nigeria’s oil company lack funds to fix leaky pipelines
August 31, 2024
- By Gibson Emeka
ABUJA, NIGERIA —
Nigeria’s decades-old oil pipelines are vital for transporting crude, but most are now corroded and vulnerable to leaks and vandalism. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation says it lacks the funds to fix these pipelines, sparking concerns about Nigeria’s oil production.
Oil fuels Nigeria’s economy, making up more than 90% of its export value. Pipelines are the veins transporting crude from production sites to ports and refineries.
But those pipelines have lost more than 3 million barrels of oil in the first five months of this year, according to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. That amounts to about $265 million or N400 billion, based on an average of $88 a barrel.
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s recent disclosure of a funding shortfall for pipeline maintenance could have serious consequences.
Faith Nwadishi, a leading Nigerian energy expert, raised the alarm about potential risks of this development.
“Why would they say that they have a shortage in funding, knowing that the pipelines are the vehicles for transmitting or transporting the crude that could actually bring in funds and revenue to the country? … When these things are not done, we are also encouraging oil theft. We are encouraging destruction of the environment, oil spillages that could come from these pipelines that are over aged,” Nwadishi said.
Although it remains a major oil producer, Nigeria is often behind on production targets because of theft and infrastructure challenges.
NNPC’s 2023 financial statements show it spent nearly $29 million or N45.88 billion, on pipeline security and maintenance nationwide.
Public policy analyst Jide Ojo blamed the maintenance shortfall on multiple factors, including corruption.
“Corruption is what is responsible for the funding challenge of NNPCL. … When things are shrouded in secrecy, it spaces room for abuse of office, corruption and all manners of malpractice. … For many decades, we didn’t even know how many liters of crude oil we were producing per day and there was a lot of impunity in that sector,” Ojo said.
Nigeria’s 2022 Petroleum Industry Act aimed to boost sector performance and attract investments, but progress has been minimal.
Ojo stressed the need for better reforms to strengthen public-private partnerships.
“Government needs to have better policy environment. … The enabling environment needs to be better enhanced,” Ojo said. “Don’t forget, there is what is called the ease of doing business. I think the federal government needs to do more on that ease of doing business, so that our investors can come and make money, and be able to invest without much concern about repatriation of their money.”
Nigeria removed its petroleum subsidy in May 2023 to conserve oil revenue, causing fuel prices to surge.
Pipeline inefficiencies add to pricing pressure, straining Nigeria’s fragile economy.
Nwadishi called for a lasting solution to the crisis.
“If these pipelines have outlived their relevance or their lifespan, they should be replaced. … There’s technology to monitor the pressures that come from the different pipelines, and the different points of intersection,” she said. “It could also help to know when there’s interference in the pipeline. It also further helps to determine where
SEVERE DROUGHT
Ghana seeks $500m from World Bank to avert looming food crisis
Ghana is urgently seeking over $500m from the World Bank and other international partners to mitigate an impending food crisis sparked by severe drought in the northern regions, where more than 928,000 farmers are at risk.
Finance minister Mohammed Amin Adam has warned that the effects of drought could derail Ghana’s economic recovery.
Japan urges 1 million to evacuate as lumbering Typhoon Shanshan threatens south with up to a meter of rainJapan urges 1 million to evacuate as lumbering Typhoon Shanshan threatens south with up to a meter of rain
30
A house is seen damaged as Typhoon Shanshan approaches Miyazaki, in Miyazaki prefecture, western Japan,
More than 1 million people in southern Japan have been urged to evacuate as Typhoon Shanshan made landfall Thursday, leaving thousands of residents without power and lashing Kyushu island with gusty winds, torrential rain and dangerous storm surges.
Japan Meteorological Agency issued a rare emergency warning for the storm, saying it was expected to bring damaging flooding and landslides to most of Kyushu, the country’s southernmost main island.
Japanese authorities on Thursday warned that a “life-threatening situation” was imminent for towns in Kyushu’s Oita prefecture and called on a further 57,000 people to evacuate and take “live-saving actions” as it issued its highest typhoon alert.
The center of the storm is now about 70 kilometers (40 miles) north of the city of Kagoshima after hitting the mainland with windspeeds of up to 185 kph (115 mph).
High waves are observed along the shore as Typhoon Shanshan approaches southwestern Japan in Ibusuki, Kagoshima prefecture
Video from Miyazaki, close to where the storm made landfall, showed downed electricity pylons and roads strewn with tree branches and other debris.
Shanshan weakened ahead of landfall but it’s dumping huge amounts of rain onto the island as it crawls north at 13 kph (8 mph). Slower storms can be more destructive, with strong gusts or rainstorms that pound the same areas for hours or days.Shanshan weakened ahead of landfall but it’s dumping huge amounts of rain onto the island as it crawls north at 13 kph (8 mph). Slower storms can be more destructive with strong gusts or rainstorms that pound the same areas for hours or days.Already, rainfall has reached 0.5 meters (20 inches) in many areas and forecasters say totals could reach as high as 1 meter (40 inches) across some isolated and hilly regions .
Starlink grows in Africa with announcements in Botswana, Ghana and Kenya
29 August 2024
There’s been a flurry of African news from Starlink – satellite communications company SpaceX’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet service – in recent days, culminating with this week’s announcement that Botswana has granted an operating licence to the service.
It’s not been an easy process, however. Starlink submitted an application to launch in May 2023, but
Botswana rejected the application in February 2024, citing missing information and banning the use and sale of the Starlink service in the country.
The ban was lifted in May this year, after a meeting between the SpaceX team and Botswana’s president at a business event in the US. Botswana could soon be the sixth Southern African country to host the satellite internet service, following Zambia, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar, although that may depend on launch plans for Zimbabwe, which licensed Starlink in May.
This announcement follows hard on the heels of last week’s news that Starlink is to begin operations in Ghana by the end of August 2024.
There is still a question mark over cost, however: Starlink isn’t universally affordable, especially in the sort of remote areas the service will target where average user income may be low. The purchase price of the equipment in particular could keep the service out of the reach of many potential users.
Hence perhaps last week’s introduction of a rental plan in Kenya for Starlink’s equipment as the company seeks to expand its customer base in the Kenyan market. A rental option might help to boost uptake, especially for occasional use, notably for would-be customers planning trips to remote areas.
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