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Friday, June 16, 2006

The Australian federal opposition has attacked the Howard government following four incidents in a week at the HIFAR nuclear research reactor in Lucas Heights, South of Sydney. The incidents come just a week after the Australian government announced an inquiry into the feasibility of nuclear power.

The first incident occurred on June 8, when a carbon canister containing radioactive material exploded, blowing out seals in a cell at the Lucas Heights site. The accident is believed to be an explosion in a carbon canister containing radioactive material, which blew the seals out on Hot Cell No 2 in Building 54 releasing small amounts of xenon and krypton into the atmosphere.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Labor), shadow science minister and deputy leader of the opposition accused science minister Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal) of misleading the parliament. Ms Bishop told parliament on Wednesday that “there was no measurable contamination found outside the immediate area where the incident occurred,”

Ms Bishop denied there being any radiation threat to the community. “According to ANSTO, there was absolutely no radiation threat to the health of the workers of ANSTO or the community.”

Jenny Macklin said in a statement on Wednesday that details of the incident were being hidden. “The local community deserves to be told what actually happened at the Lucas Heights reactor last Thursday, and why the release of radioactive gases into the atmosphere was not made public,” said Ms Macklin.

Following Ms Macklin’s statement ANSTO said it was “surprised and disappointed” at Ms Macklin’s comments. ANSTO refuted that it failed to adequately notify the community saying that they released a media statement the day after the incident. ANSTO said that radiation released during the incident was “so low as not to be directly measurable”. ANSTO said that it could however calculate the amount of radioactive material released and it was a “very small fraction of the radiation dose received by everyone each year from naturally occurringsources of radiation”.

ANSTO assured the public that the releases could not be detected off-site.

Following a statement by the science minister on Thursday that she was unaware of any incidents at ANSTO in the 12 months prior to the latest incidents, the opposition again questioned Ms Bishop’s competence. Ms Macklin asked how the minister could not be informed about compliance reports issued by Australia’s nuclear regulator ARPANSA that state there were 12 incidents at Lucas Heights in 2005.

Following Ms Macklin’s removal from the house, Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Labor), shadow environment minister questioned Ms Bishop about incidents at ANSTO on Wednesday. According to ANSTO, a worker received a low dose of radiation from Iodine-123 while packaging radiopharmaceuticals. ANSTO claims that the technician received a dose around four per cent of the annual limit for radiation workers and much less than a thyroid cancer patient would receive during a nuclear medicine scan.

In a statement, Ms Macklin later accused the science minister of being ill-informed of the incident at Lucas Heights, saying it was concerning the government had an “incompetent” science minister at a time when they were “pushing the benefits of nuclear power”.

Responding to the opposition’s questions during question time in the House of Representatives, the science minister accused the opposition of engaging in a scare campaign to close down a facility that provides “a medical service for cancer suffers across Australia.

ANSTO has said that the radiation dose received by the technician was so low he did not require medical attention once he had undergone several tests.

ANSTO admitted another two incidents occurred at its Lucas Heights facility on Thursday. The first occurred when a worker who was cleaning a production area burst a package of radioactive material. The second occurred when a worker packing a radiopharmaceutical dropped a small vial. ANSTO said that the amount of radiation received by both workers was extremely low.

ANSTO said that while it is uncommon for two incidents to occur on a single day, it was not uncommon for minor incidents to occur once a month.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

A car accident involving the car occupants and a dentist’s office happened on Sunday night in Santa Ana, California. A white Nissan sedan which was apparently driving too fast hit the raised concrete median on the road, after which it was launched into the air, slamming straight into the wall of the second floor of a two-story dental practice building, where the car got wedged.

According to the police, the car approached from a side street. The room of the dental office penetrated by the sedan was used as a storage space. A fire department crane was used to extract the vehicle from the building, which took several hours.

There were two people in the sedan. One of them managed to escape from the hanging vehicle on his own, while the other one remained trapped inside it for over an hour. They were both hospitalized with minor injuries, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). According to the police, the driver of the car admitted narcotics use, and after toxicology tests the case is to be submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

The moment of the accident was captured by surveillance video from a bus which the car narrowly missed when becoming airborne.

According to OCFA spokesperson Captain Stephen Horner, there was a small fire after the crash, which was extinguished quickly.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Nico Rosberg won the opening race of this year’s Formula 1 season in Australia yesterday. TV commentators spoke of “fascination throughout the field” as big names retired and new names proved themselves.

Former champion Lewis Hamilton qualified on pole but problems were evident by the second lap when he received a team radio message telling him “we need to retire… save the engine, save the engine!” Another followed rapidly, however, telling him to “just stay out, stay out, just keep on rolling”. Hamilton left the race on the fourth lap.

Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel did not fare much better, having only qualified twelfth, with engine woes of his own. He too quit the race in the early stages, staying behind to watch the race and, according to commentator and retired Scottish F1 racer David Coulthard, learn what he could from the sidelines.

Vettel and Hamilton were not the only stars retiring early. Veteran racer Felipe Massa was rammed from behind by Kobiashi’s Caterham, sending both cars out and prompting deployment of yellow flags for several laps while the debris was recovered. The crash was triggered by Kobiashi clipping Kimi Raikkonen, damaging the front of Kobiashi’s car. Raikkonen stayed in the race and managed to finish eighth. The first ten cars over the finish line score points towards both the driver’s and constructor’s championships.

Coulthard and fellow commentators believe Kobiashi, who took responsibility for the accident, may receive points on his racer’s licence in a new system to deal with transgressions introduced this year. Kobiashi called the crash “My mistake[… I] should have braked earlier, and I apologise to Felipe”. Massa said Kobiashi “cannot do a start like that, every time” he does so will lead to an accident.

More drama followed shortly after when Valteri Bottas clipped a wall on lap 10, breaking the rim of his back-right wheel. The rim was left on the track, followed shortly thereafter by the tyre off the wheel. The safety car was deployed for several laps until the debris was recovered. Despite the setback Bottas climbed back up the standings and finished in sixth place.

Many drivers, including cars at the front of the pack, took advantage of the safety car period to do pit stops. Some are now considering using less fuel than the maximum allowance in a move the FIA never expected technologically possible when drafting the rules several years ago.

It was a day for débutantes at Albert Park, a street circuit where racing took place in close proximity to busy public roads. Newcomer Kevin Magnussen scored third place on his first F1 race, while fellow rookie Daniil Kvyat came in tenth and became the youngest-ever F1 points scorer. Kvyat takes the record from Vettel by several months while Magnussen becomes the first Dane on an F1 podium.

Not every débutante was so lucky; Caterham driver Marcus Eriksson dropped out of his first race after being radioed “Stop the car, stop the car, engine oil pressure”. Established racers Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean, both Lotus drivers, also stopped with technical trouble. All three cars pulled up at the side of the track on different laps, each triggering yellow flags. Despite the retirements, fourteen cars finished which was more than some commentators were expecting.

Hamilton was upbeat about his retirement, saying “It’s tough for everyone but that’s the way it is” and adding “We’re not the only ones [to have difficulties]”. Vettel was more pessimistic, claiming this is “going to be a long season”. Asked about the cause of his engine troubles, Hamilton said “One of the cylinders, I think, was not firing”.

The race was unusual from start to finish, having been shortened by one lap after the first start was aborted by amber lights instead of just green. The end is more controversial; home driver Daniel Ricciardo scored his first-ever Australian Grand Prix podium finish in second place but was later disqualified for an alleged breach of fuel regulations. Ricciardo had been the first Australian driver to stand on the podium in his home country since Formula 1 brought the event into the championship format used today.

His disqualification is not final, however. His team, Red Bull, have vowed to appeal. If the appeal fails all the drivers below him move up one position, meaning first-time entrant Magnussen will have come in second place and Kvyat will be ninth. That would see Sergio Perez score a point for Force India by moving into tenth. Perez’s race was hampered early by a puncture picked up in the opening lap.

Ricciardo was reported to the stewards by technical delegate Jo Bauer who claimed his car “exceeded consistently the maximum allowed fuel flow of 100kg/h”. 100kg is also the maximum fuel allowed on board cars, a new limit set for this season. The fuel flow rule is also new this year; F1 cars averaged about 170kg/h last year.

Ricciardo was disqualified after five hours of steward deliberations. Red Bull have hit back with a statement saying many teams have found the FIA’s fuel flow meter to be faulty. They say they are “confident the fuel supplied to the engine is in full compliance with the regulations.” Today Andrew Westacott, chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix, said the appeal outcome may not be known for weeks.

Prior to Ricciardo’s disqualification, the remaining point-scorers were Jensen Button in fourth, Fernando Alonso in fifth, Nico Hulkenberg in seventh, and Jean-Eric Vergne in ninth.

Racers and fuel rules were not the only things fresh for this race. Williams are on the back of their worst-ever season and have changed their livery to brighter, whiter cars. Another new innovation is the introduction of red lights on the rear of cars that blink when the vehicle is not using electricity, warning the car behind of possible deceleration. F1 cars also now sport hybrid turbo engines.

Rosberg, speaking after what is his first Australian victory, said it is “Such a pleasure to have such a fast car.” He came a full 24 seconds ahead of Ricciardo. It is also the hundredth victory by an F1 car powered by a Mercedes engine.

“Whatever the outcome I’m really proud of what I did today”, Ricciardo said as he awaited the stewards’ disqualification decision. “There are more positives than negatives”.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) trustee Jeremy Ractliffe has resigned from the charity’s board, twelve days after admitting to the possession of “blood diamonds”.

Earlier this month, supermodel Naomi Campbell testified against former Liberian president Charles Taylor when she claimed she received “very small, dirty looking stones” from two men, allegedly associated with Taylor. Campbell said she gave these diamonds to Ractliffe to “do something good with” in 1997. He gave the diamonds to police the day after Campbell’s testimony. The police confirmed the stones were diamonds.

The board of the Mandela charity said in a statement, “Mr. Ractliffe regrets his omission to inform the chairperson, chief executive officer and the rest of the board of trustees of the NMCF of his receipt of the uncut diamonds until now… [Ractliffe] acknowledges that had he done so, he and the board would have found a better and lawful way to manage the situation.”

Ractliffe took the diamonds from Campbell, fearing she might be prosecuted for removing uncut diamonds from South Africa, illegal without a license.

Ractcliffe said, “Naomi suggested they could be of some benefit to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund — but I told her I would not involve the NMCF in anything that could possibly be illegal… In the end I decided I should just keep them.”

Taylor is on trial in The Hague, The Netherlands for allegedly trading diamonds for weapons to supply the Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone. Taylor faces eleven counts for international crimes including rape, sexual slavery, enlistment of children under the age of fifteen, and pillaging.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Canadian media company CHUM Limited has announced that it has agreed to be acquired by larger rival Bell Globemedia Inc. for $1.7 billion CAD cash, bringing the CTV and Citytv broadcast-television networks and such specialty channels as MuchMusic, TSN and Bravo! under the same corporate umbrella.

Shareholders will receive $52.50 per common share of CHUM and $47.25 per Class B (non-voting) share. The estate of the late Allan Waters, who died late last year, has agreed to tender all its shares to the bid, netting the Waters family nearly $450 million.

In a joint statement, CHUM’s chairman, Jim Waters, said, “In Bell Globemedia’s offer, we not only found value for shareholders, but confidence that we would be placing CHUM in the hands of an owner with the financial resources and track record to continue to grow and build on our collective legacy.”

Globemedia CEO Ivan Fecan added, “We are able to make this premium offer because Bell Globemedia is clearly the most logical buyer of CHUM. There is a unique strategic fit to our operations that can make the united company a stronger national champion in broadcasting. We intend to maintain and build the valuable CHUM brands and develop more opportunities for Canadian programming.” He added that CTV and Citytv will remain separate networks and “will maintain separate and independent news divisions in order to ensure a continued diversity and competition in news coverage.”

In a separate release, CHUM announced it would be cutting 281 jobs at its stations across the country, particularly at its Citytv stations in western Canada. Effectively immediately, evening newscasts at CKVU-TV Vancouver, CKEM-TV Edmonton, CKAL-TV Calgary and CHMI-TV in the Winnipeg market are being eliminated, with plans for a new newsmagazine tentatively titled In Your City at the three Prairie stations, and more resources being put into each station’s local version of Breakfast Television. Less drastic changes are planned for its A-Channel stations in smaller markets. The company said these changes will result “in a significant reduction in staffing and operating costs.”

The companies said that they expect to sell CHUM’s A-Channel stations, as well as Alberta educational broadcaster Access, to third parties, despite CTV’s historical ties to several of them. Many of the A-Channel stations were originally acquired by CHUM from Baton Broadcasting, the predecessor of Bell Globemedia, in 1997, as part of a trade that sent CHUM’s ATV and ASN assets in Atlantic Canada to Baton and allowed Baton to acquire the CTV network itself.

Despite CHUM’s ownership of MuchMusic and CTV’s recent launch of MTV Canada, the companies claim their specialty channels are “complementary” and did not indicate any sale plans.

Bell Globemedia is currently majority-owned by BCE Inc. but is awaiting regulatory approval for a restructuring involving the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Torstar Corp., and the Thomson family. In the interim, the takeover offer will be made by a new company owned by the proposed new shareholder structure.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Two teenagers, aged 14 and 18, have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an 11-year-old boy. The boy, identified by detectives as Rhys Jones, was shot last night in the Croxteth area of Liverpool, on his way home from playing football, by a hooded youth. The police are expecting to make further arrests during the week.

Merseyside Police have said the youths, both males, are also from the Croxteth area. They have since been bailed, and the police are now looking for a person aged 13 to 15-years-old. There is some speculation that a gang known as the “Croxteth Crew” may have been involved.

Bernard Hogan-Howe, Merseyside Police Chief Constable, has made it clear that the police are still considering other leads, saying: “There have been two arrests in this case, but that doesn’t prove anything. The principal thing I need to get over to the public is we need your help, and we are not yet at all certain as to who committed this crime.” He went on to state the police are looking for both the killer and the person who provided the weapon.

PM Gordon Brown has described the incident as a “heinous crime that shocked the whole of the country“, while Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she is “shocked and saddened to hear about this tragic shooting”. They both joined calls for the local community to cooperate fully with the police.

The leader of Liverpool City Council, Warren Bradley, has called for “a summit consisting of community leaders, police, emergency services and reformed criminals of all major cities to be held with the home secretary to find solutions to the issues we all face”. He says gun crime “is an issue that all major cities face”.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

U.S. Prohibition Party presidential candidate Jim Hedges of Thompson Township, Pennsylvania took some time to answer a few questions about the Prohibition Party and his 2012 presidential campaign.

The Prohibition Party is the third oldest existing political party in the United States, having been established in 1869. It reached its height of popularity during the late 19th century. The party heavily supported the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which banned the sale of alcohol, and resulted in the US period known as Prohibition (1919–33). It was repealed in 1933. The party has declined since this period, but has continued to nominate candidates for the presidential election.

In 2003, the party split into two factions. Preacher Gene Amondson and perennial candidate Earl Dodge were nominated for the presidency by their respective factions. After Dodge’s death in 2007, the party reunified and named Amondson as its sole presidential nominee for 2008. During the election, Amondson was interviewed by Wikinews. He died in 2009, leaving an opening in the party for 2012.

Jim Hedges is a longtime Prohibition activist, who holds the distinction of the first individual of the 21st century (and the first since 1959) to be elected to a political office under the Prohibition Party banner. In 2001, he was elected as the Thompson Township tax assessor, and was re-elected to the post in 2005. He served until his term expired in 2010. Hedges declared his intent to run for the Prohibition Party presidential nomination on February 18, 2010. This marks his first run for the presidency.