Tuesday, September 6, 2005

In a press release issued Saturday, September 3rd, 2005, Democratic Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana claims that President Bush staged a photo opportunity, at the breached 17th Street levee, by having equipment quickly moved into the background during the event. Senator Landrieu says the equipment was dispersed elsewhere the next day, but did not provide details.

Landrieu says in her press release, ” … we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — black and white, rich and poor, young and old — deserve far better from their national government …”

The President and Senator Landrieu toured the 17th Street levee on Friday, and held the photo-op. Senator Landrieu said she believed the repair effort was legitimate, at that time. Less than 24 hours later, she discovered only “one lonely crane” working on the site, while giving an aerial tour for ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos. A video of her tearful comments, during that tour, has been circulating around the internet (WMV).

Senator Landrieu made no specific accusations about the photo-op during the ABC tour. However, neither does her press release describe any measures taken to verify that equipment was in-fact pulled from other projects for the purpose of the photo-op, nor where the equipment is now. The canal wall breach, near Hammond Highway, was later shown Sunday on CBS’ 60 Minutes with dump trucks and a power shovel building a single-lane pathway across the gap. The breach was closed Monday.

Senator Landrieu was herself criticized by Anderson Cooper (CNN) on Thursday, after she responded to a question by rattling off a list of “thank yous” to other politicians (WMV, transcript). Democratic pundits have excused such detachment as an attempt to gain more federal assistance during the tragedy. Senator Landrieu’s press release partially confirms this interpretation by attempting to simultaneously ask the president for more aid, while accusing him of misusing existing resources.

Although press reports mentioned the 17th Street Canal breach was blocked by the use of metal sheets, sandbags, and dumped fill, details were not available. On Wednesday September 7 it was reported that earlier metal girders, often used for retaining walls, had been hung down from the north side of the Hammond Highway bridge so as to form a metal wall which blocked the canal from the lake. After the breach had been closed, by sandbags and fill delivered by dump truck, the metal wall was opened to allow draining of the city through the canal.

Obviously placing the metal wall required an assortment of equipment which was no longer needed after it was in place. The wall was only visible from the bridge and most dry land as a few feet of metal along the bridge railing. It is not known if Senator Landrieu noticed this work of engineering, nor if she had been briefed as to what was being done.

However, photos of work at the site were later found which showed a lot of activity Sept 4, after Landrieu said the equipment was not there. However, the sheet piling wall in the photo was reported to have been completed September 2. Information of the schedule of similar work at the London Avenue breach has not been found.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Chile on Thursday, just 21 minutes before the country’s new president, Sebastián Piñera, was due to be sworn in. This earthquake comes several days after a heavy 8.8 magnitude earthquake shook the country, the strongest one in almost half a century.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake’s epicentre was 135 kilometres (85 miles) south of Valparaiso, where the presidential inauguration took place, and 145 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of capital Santiago. Later, it was reported that the epicenter was offshore Pichilemu, a coastal town in the O’Higgins Region.

The Miami Herald reports that the temblor was among seven aftershocks. There were no reports of damage, injuries, or deaths, although some residents rushed outside after the tremors.

According to reports by the Associated Press, the Chilean navy called for a tsunami alert and encouraged residents living along shorelines to move to higher ground; however, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center commented that “a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.”

Saturday, March 4, 2006

Eleven-year-old Iranian refugee boy, Shayan Badraie, who suffered psychological injuries during his time spent inside Australia’s immigration detention centres, will receive a Federal Government payout of AU$400,000 in compensation. The government will also pay his family’s legal bill of more than $1 million.

Between 2000 and 2002 the Badraie family were incarcerated behind the razorwire of the (now mothballed) Woomera Detention Facility, a remote desert camp in outback South Australia – and later sent to the Villawood Detention Centre in Sydney. In 2001, video footage of his condition was smuggled out of Villawood, inciting national debate over Prime Minister John Howard’s controversial policy of detaining children.

Badraie’s family lawyer, Rebecca Gilsenan, said the family are “looking forward to living a normal life in the community. The settlement will enable the treatment he needs to somehow rectify the damage done in the detention centres. The fact the Government has settled the case indicates a serious concern on their part they were going to be found guilty of negligence,” Gilsenan told reporters.

Shayan, his father and stepmother arrived in Australia in 2000, and were sent immediately to the notorious Woomera desert camp. During his 17 months incarceration, Shayan stopped drinking, eating and speaking.

“He witnessed a series of incredibly traumatic and violent events, the sort of events no adult or no child should be exposed to,” Gilsenan said. “Within a year of being detained at the detention centre… he had developed psychiatric illness to the point of diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and later depression,” she said.

The court heard evidence from former senior immigration official Philippa Godwin that detention could damage the mental health of refugees – directly contradicting the Government’s claims the centres were safe. Opposition immigration spokesman Tony Burke said: “Children should never have been put in detention and money will never undo the damage and pain.”

The Department of Immigration said the agreement was “no admission of guilt”. Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says she does not believe a $400,000 is a backdown. Vanstone said an offer was made to the Badraie family’s lawyer some time ago but they turned it down.

Compared with similar countries, Australia has some of the toughest policies in the world against refugee arrivals. Policies include immediate mandatory detention of boat arrivals, the detention of workers and students who overstay their visas are sent to detention camps under harsh conditions. Immigration detainees often languish in limbo with some up to six years while their cases are being heard. These camps have been condemned by many international human rights groups.

Greens senator Kerry Nettle says “hundreds of children have been mentally scarred by their time in immigration detention and further claims are planned.” She blames the Federal Government’s policy of mandatory detention.

“The Government has accepted the responsibility for the health consequences of their policy of mandatory detention,” Senator Nettle said. “There is a raft of children, we are talking hundreds of children, and adults, who have had their mental health significantly impacted by the policy of mandatory detention.”

She rejected that the Federal Government deserve congratulations over settlement: “To have gone through these proceedings, and spent the amount of money they have spent, to put Shayan’s mother in the witness box for two weeks, is not an indication of a willingness and public accountability by the Government to accept responsibility for their actions,” Senator Nettle said.

Lawyer Rebecca Gilsenan says the landmark case may pave the way for more litigation by other refugee families. It is the first time the Department has conceded that a child has been psychologically harmed in its detention.

Gilsenan says the outcome sets a precedent for other detainees. “The problems that Shayan experienced were systemic problems rather than ones that were just specific to him, although the particular treatment that he received was disgraceful,” she said. “So it’s quite possible that there are other children or even adults out there who lived in a similar environment during that time in immigration detention and possibly have similar problems.”

She says she hopes the systemic problems highlighted in the case will now be addressed. “I can only hope that the Government takes notice of this and doesn’t continue to spend taxpayer money on having to compensate people for treating them in a disgraceful way in immigration detention.”

Friday, June 17, 2005

The United States trade deficit increased to its highest level yet: $195.1 billion (£161 billion) in the first quarter of 2005, according to preliminary U.S. Commerce Department figures. The figure represents the sum of money flowing into the United States by selling exports subtracted from the amount of money leaving the United States from import purchases. The last quarter of 2004 saw a deficit of $188.4 billion.

The new record-breaking deficit represents 6.4 percent of the US’s gross national product, again an increase on last-quarter 2004 – up 0.1 percent. The deficit on goods increased from $182.2 billion to $186.3 billion, as imports of goods increased more than exports, particularly in industrial supplies and materials, capital goods, and consumer products. It is believed that China‘s economic boom, and the increase in imports from the country, is partly responsible.

Analysts expressed concern at the findings, with Allan Seychuk, an economist at RBC Capital Markets, saying “This is not the direction markets were hoping to see for the mammoth current account deficit. The U.S. dollar has lost a great deal of ground because markets are uncomfortable with a deficit that has now reached record levels.”

Saturday, February 19, 2005

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Friday, June 5, 2020

Nabil Hasan al-Quaety, a photo- and videojournalist from Yemen, died in the city of Aden, in southern Yemen, on Tuesday after being shot in his car. He was 34 and reported extensively on the nation’s ongoing civil war.

Al-Quaety, who contributed to Agence France-Presse among other news organizations, openly supported independence for South Yemen. The Southern Transitional Council, previously an ally of the government, is currently in conflict against it. Both sides also oppose Houthi rebels. Both the council and the government called for his death to be investigated.

Multiple assailants attacked al-Quaety shortly after he left his nearby home, then, according to security officials, fled. He is survived by three children and his pregnant wife. A freelancer, he was a 2016 Rory Peck Awards finalist for his coverage of the conflict. In 2019 he survived a drone attack that left six soldiers dead. The city’s security chief, Abdullah al-Jahafi, announced on Facebook on Tuesday there were suspects in custody.

“Nabil’s murder is unacceptable and constitutes a terrible new blow to journalism in Yemen[…] journalists are now favourite targets, regardless of the region they cover”, said Sabrina Bennoui of Reporters Without Borders. Phil Chetwynd, director of global news for AFP, called the death “the senseless killing of a courageous journalist doing his job despite threats and intimidation.” Chetwynd also praised the quality of al-Quaety’s work.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

It has been confirmed that eight thoroughbred race horses at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney have been infected with equine influenza. Randwick has been locked down, and is expected to remain so for up to two months.

It is expected that the virulent flu will affect the majority of the 700 horses stabled at Randwick. NSW Minister for Primary Industries said the facility would be quarantined until 30 days after the last sign of the flu.

The cases are the first infections of race horses, despite infecting dozens of recreational horses across NSW and Queensland. The flu is highly contagious but cannot be transmitted to humans. The national racing shutdown was costing the industry tens of millions of dollars every day.

Chief Executive of Racing NSW, Peter V’Landys said while racing had been disrupted since a ban on horse movements last weekend today was a “grim, black day” for the racing industry in NSW. Racing is expected to resume in all Australian states except NSW and Queensland on the weekend.

While Sydney’s spring racing carnival has been canceled, Melbourne’s is expected to kick off this weekend with the Caufield Cup. The cup will be ran with special precautions in place to attempt to keep the state free of the virus. Contact between the general public and those working with the horses will be banned and Sydney-based jockeys Darren Beadman and Hugh Bowman and a number of interstate trainers including Bart Cummings are not allowed to take part.

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Peter McGauran said the spring carnival in Melbourne will remain “largely intact” despite losing some of the biggest names in Australian racing.

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Nine people have died in bush-fires in the region of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The fire has spread over 40,000 hectares of scrub, bushland and farmland so far and is still burning out of control. Hundreds of firemen have been fighting the fire, but conditions have been difficult because of strong winds and temperatures soaring well over 40 degrees Celsius. Of the nine who have died, eight were attempting to escape the advancing fire in their cars. Four children were among the dead. Locals of some rural towns fled to the ocean to escape the fires. Thousands of sheep and cattle have also been killed in the fires.

Separate fires have also been burning around Mount Osmond and Cleland National Park in the Adelaide hills. No fatalities have been recorded in this region. Fires also burn in country Victoria.

Bush-fires are annual occurrences in Australia, but these fires have been the worst in terms of deaths since the Ash Wednesday fires that killed 28 people in South Australia. Two years ago, over 400 houses were burnt down in a bush fire in the Australian capital city, Canberra.