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Saturday, June 9, 2007

The American National Transportation Safety Board has announced that it will make new airline safety recommendations. This comes a result of its investigation into the Comair Flight 5191 disaster, in which a Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) CRJ-100ER crashed whilst attempting take-off from the wrong runway at Blue Grass Airport, Lexington, killing 49 people and leaving just one survivor. The plane was unable to take off because that runway was too short.

The NTSB has now announced that, on July 26, the date on which the NTSB is to determine the probable cause of the accident, they will issue safety recommendations regarding methods of preventing a recurrence of the disaster.

One of the recommendations will concern developing and implementing a cockpit-based system that will inform pilots when they are in the wrong location. Another will involve rescheduling the workloads of Air Traffic Controllers to ensure they receive more sleep, a request they had previously made in April.

Regarding location warning systems, the FAA has pointed out that they have been working on methods of preventing runway incursions (in which a person, ground vehicle or another aircraft is on the runway when or where it should not be), to which the National Transportation Safety Board chairman Mark Rosenker responded “The FAA is doing a great job testing these systems. The question we have is, when will you finally implement that technology?” FAA Associate Administrator Margaret Gilligan responded by saying that they were currently looking at just such a system, adding “We do have airlines that have committed to put that technology on the flight deck once it’s approved”. The system referred to involves runway signal lights and is currently being tested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The NTSB will also look at runway and taxiway markings and the ways they can confuse pilots, as this issue has been identified as a contributing factor in the accident. Rosenker said the NTSB was “very interested” in this area. 140 airports have unclear or confusing markings in the US, but it is not certain if Blue Grass Airport is one of them. However, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) made a submission to the NTSB stating that they had found that the markings at Blue Grass Airport did not match those on the charts the pilots were using. ALPA went on to recommend greater standardisation of airport runway markings.

Blue Grass Airport responded yesterday by saying that there was nothing wrong with their runway markings, with spokesman Brian Ellestad saying “We have had numerous inspections before and after (the Comair crash) and have had no issues… FAA reiterates that we meet all requirements for signage, markings, lighting, runways and taxiways.”

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The United States military plans to begin to withdraw military training troops from Pakistan after the Pakistani government requested the departure of the troops.

Pentagon spokesperson David Lapan said that official sources from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad requested a scaling down of the American training force, which is estimated to be composed of between 120 and 300 troops, on Wednesday.

“We were recently notified in writing that the government of Pakistan wished for the US to reduce its footprint in Pakistan. Accordingly, we have begun those reductions.”

The majority of the US presence in question is comprised of Special Forces troops, who train, prepare and give advice to Pakistani soldiers as part of a wider effort to counter Islamist fighter and terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda. Mr. Lapan did not specify exactly how many troops would be leaving, though unnamed military sources have said that the total force will number around 50 after the reduction.

The impending withdrawal of troops highlights the tensions between the US and Pakistan in the wake of the American raid on bin Laden’s Abbottabad home, resulting in the death of America’s most wanted terrorist. Prior to this announcement, concerns within Pakistan have been raised about whether the attack violated Pakistan’s sovereignty, and some lawmakers have called for a review of Pakistani–US relations.

In the days following the raid Pakistan’s army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, said that any comparable raids in Pakistan in the future would lead to a re-evaluation of the nation’s military and political collaboration with the US. He also told his commanders of the desire to have the numbers of American troops in Pakistan be brought down to “the minimum level.”

Monday, January 13, 2014

The Royal Australian Navy towed back arriving asylum seekers to Rote Island, Indonesia, after claiming Christmas Island destination, Indonesian National Police reported Monday of last week. Last Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott supported lack of transparency on the issue.

Indonesian police found the two ships reportedly forcibly towed back from Australia on December 19, and on January 6 after being towed on New Year’s Day. A self-identified Sudanese asylum seeker from one of the boats reported the Navy ship numbers, identifying them as HMAS Parramatta and HMAS Glenelg, and said the refugees were denied access to navigation tools during the duration of the route and abandoned in sea in the middle of the night. Commenters called such practice “push-backs”, “tow-backs”, “turn-backs”.

Police chief Hidayat Rote Island, speaking to Fairfax Media, said the second boat was adrift: “They were rescued by the locals, because the boat engines were dead. The boat now is wreckage, near some reefs.”

The Australian government had also planned to purchase additional lifeboats for refugee expulsion from Australian waters, Fairfax Media reported.

Australian government originally had no response, but after protests by Labor and the Greens, Tony Abbott commented. Last Thursday, he supported lack of transparency on the issue by saying “I’d rather be criticised a bit for being a bit of a closed book on the issue, and actually stop the boats. I’m pleased to say that it’s now several weeks since we’ve had a boat, and the less we talk about operational details on the water, the better when it comes to stopping the boats.”

Defence Force chief David Hurley also claimed professional behaviour of board officers and the Navy when handling arriving refugees boats.

Indonesian National Armed Forces chief General Moeldoko said according to the Jakarta Post, and an Australian Defence Force spokesperson confirmed, that they agreed on the push-backs approach mid-December with no further comment; with Mr Abbot calling the relationship “very strong”, while Indonesia’s legal and security affairs minister Djoko Suyanto and foreign affairs minister Marty Natalegawa both disapproved of the approach. General Moeldoko reportedly later said the media had misreported him.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNRA) was seeking explanation from the Australian government, it reported in a press briefing this Saturday. The UNRA spokesperson, Babar Baloch, raised legal concerns by saying that “Any such approach would raise significant issues and potentially could place Australia in breach of its obligations under the Refugee Convention and international law. If people who are in need for international protection seek a country’s safety, then they must be allowed to go through a process which helps to determine if these people are in need.”

Marke, another self-identified Somali asylum seeker, claimed earlier similar treatment, on December 10: that the Australian Navy — HMAS Parramatta and HMAS Maitland — had claimed Christmas Island destination, towed his boat for several days, and subsequently dropped at an undisclosed location.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Arung Samudera, the Indonesian naval tall ship that was recently grounded off Queensland, Australia, has been salvaged from the beach at Inskip Point and is currently being towed to Brisbane for repairs.

The 35m vessel has been stranded since last Thursday, when she was grounded whilst on her way to the APEC meeting in Sydney. The ship is expected to berth in Brisbane near the naval barracks at approximately 11 a.m. (AEST).

The tri-masted sailing training vessel, built in New Zealand, is believed to be seaworthy, but has serious damage to her keel and rudder. After the completion of repairs, the ship is expected to continue to Sydney, although it will not reach it in time for the APEC meeting.

The ship’s 18-man crew are said to be “very happy” with developments. According to the Australian Navy’s Commander Forbes Peters, Indonesian officials are as pleased as the ships crew, with Peters saying “The naval attache and the first secretary to the ambassador are on site here and they cuddled Lieutenant Commander Larry Cook. They are over the moon and I’m sure the commanding officer is as well, even though he’s currently at sea on his ship.”

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Toyota announced on Friday that it will recall around 17,000 Lexus vehicles in response to risks of the fuel tank in the cars leaking after a collision.

The Lexus HS 250h model was subjected to the recall following a US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation. Despite previously passing Toyota safety inspections, the conclusions of an NHTSA sub-contracted investigator were that; when the vehicles in question collided with an object at more than fifty-miles-per hour, more than 142 grams of fuel, the maximum allowed by US law, leaked from the crashed car.

According to Toyota, further tests did not show any additional failure of the fuel tank.

In response to the findings, Toyota issued a recall of all affected vehicles, since the company had no solution immediately available. The recall includes 13,000 cars already sold, as well as another 4,000 still at dealerships.

Toyota says it plans to conduct further tests to determine the cause of the leak. A Toyota spokesman, Brian Lyons, said that the company was “still working to determine what the root cause of the condition is.” It’s still unclear when exactly the recall will take place, or when dealerships will be allowed to sell this model again. Lyons said that Toyota is “working feverishly to get this resolved as soon as possible.”

Toyota isn’t aware of any accidents stemming from the leaking fuel tank in the affected vehicles, first introduced in the summer of 2009.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The man accused of killing a Laval, Quebec police officer on March 2, 2007 was released Tuesday on a CA$200,000 bail.

Basil Parasiris has been charged with several offences stemming from a drug raid carried out by police in the early morning hours of March 2. Among the alleged offences are a first-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Constable Daniel Tessier, attempted murder in the wounding of Tessier’s partner, Stephane Forbes, and several weapons offences. Parasiris will remain free on bail pending a preliminary hearing to be held in August of this year.

For his part, Parasiris has not denied that the shooting took place, and has apologized to Tessier’s family. He claims that he was acting in self defence, as he didn’t know that it was police entering his house in a planned raid, and instead believed intruders had broken in. “I’m really, really sorry (about) what happened. My condolences to the Tessier family,” Parasiris told CTV News. “I honestly thought there was a home invasion or something.”

The judge overseeing the bail proceedings, ruled that Parasiris would not pose an immediate threat to society, but did place strict conditions on his release. While awaiting trial, Parasiris, 41, will have to live with his father, obey a curfew, and not travel outside Canada.

In what is believed to be the first ruling of its kind in Canada, releasing on bail a defendant charged with killing a policeman, the judge criticized some of the police tactics used during the raid. Justice Jean-Guy Boilard of the Quebec Superior Court noted that the police didn’t use a “knock notice” before entering Parasiris’ house, but rather used a battering ram to break down the door. When serving a warrant under normal conditions, police are to knock at the door and identify themselves. Jacques Larochelle, Parasiris’ lawyer, indicated that he will contest the warrant’s legality.

The prosecution argued that, even if it was not clear to Parasiris that police were entering his home, he should not have been so reckless with a gun.

During the fatal raid on the Parasiris home in March, police collected four loaded handguns, as well as a small amount of drugs and cash. According to reports, the 357-magnum handgun allegedly used by Parasiris to shoot the officers was legally registered.

Friday, June 30, 2006

New South Wales Police, in connection with the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority, Tow Truck Authority and Centrelink (the agency responsible for providing income support) conducted random checks on tow trucks on Thursday. The checks were carried out in Bankstown, a suburb in Sydney’s South-West.

According to police, 50 tow trucks were pulled over during the operation, coined “Operation Hook” between 8:30 a.m. AEST and 4 p.m. Of those, 26 were directed to report to a vehicle inspection facility for further investigation.

Police issued 70 infringement notices (fines) during the operation. 11 were for being unlicensed to conduct business as a tow truck driver or business, and 13 for having incorrectly secured loads. 17 vehicles were issued defect notices as part of the operation.

Tow truck operators (business owners) are required to make a payment of AUD$770 per year to the NSW government, while drivers are charged $152 per year for their licence. An additional charge for tow truck number plates of $292 per year also applies.

The maximum penalty for operators not being licensed correctly is $11,000 or 12 months imprisonment, drivers without the correct licence can be fined $5,500 or sentenced to 6 months.

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Last Monday, the police of Barcelona, Spain killed Younes Abouyaaqoub at At Subirats, west of Barcelona. Before the kill, the police started international search for the van driver on the preceding Sunday. When policemans tried to arrest him, he faced them so the police opened fire. On Monday, a woman saw a man resemble Younes’s photo provided by police, and wear long sleeves on a hot 30°C day. The woman alerted police. Police sent a robot to remove the explosives in the body of the man to prevent the security of the policemans in case to be real and allow the identification of the suspect, after they shot the man and subsequently confirmed his identity. Abouyaaqoub was the driver of the van that trampled and killed 13 persons and injured more of one hundred persons in La Rambla of Barcelona.

When the police arrive to the place and they tried to arrest the fugitive, he opened his shirt and showed a fake suicide belt while he said in high voice “Allah is great” and he walked over 13 meters until policemans so the Mossos opened fire. Next, police used robots to remove a fake suicide belt from the man. The belt may have contained explosives. Then while a police helicopter was observing the scene from air, police approached the man and confirmed that there were no explosives. Then police confirmed the man’s identity and found he also had knives.

Younes was the twelfth suspect in the Thursday van attack at La Rambla pedestrian walk. Police suspected him as the van driver. Police had started looking for Abouyaaqoub in France and Catalonia on Sunday.

The Moroccan citizen Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22 years old, was being pursued by police in Catalonia and near the French border. He is the only one of the twelve suspects still at large. Authorities believe he was in France. Abouyaaqoub was suspected of being the driver of the van used in the attack. According to his family, he exhibited more religiously conservative behaviour over the past year and became became reluctant to deal with women. After finished the attack Abouyaaqoub had to stole a car to make his escape and the driver of this car was killed by him.

Abouyaaqoub was in Subirats, a city on west of Barcelona when he has found by the Barcelona police, Mossos, and they were shot and killed to the fugitive. The suspect of the attack in Barcelona was wearing an explosive belt and the police didn’t inmediately identify him as Abouyaaqoub. A robot was used to remove the explosives while polices did the identification of the man died. The fugitive aroused suspicion to a woman because he had inadeaquates clothes for a hot day. The area where Abouyaaqoub was killed is a rural area, with too little population and it has pine trees.

The attack took place at 17:10 local time, (UTC+0100). The van drove 500 meters along a pedestrian walkway, killing 13 people, injuring more than a hundred. The van driver fled on foot. Local police officers searched the surroundings and arrested two suspects, but the van driver they did not find was not arrested.

According to the local government, victims included citizens from 24 different countries, including France, Venezuela, Ireland, Peru, Algeria, China, Belgium (1 dead), Greece (1 injured), Australia (1 dead, 2 injured), Taiwan (2 injured), Hong Kong (1 injured), and Germany (unknown whether dead or injured). Many of the injured taken to the hospital were tourists unable to speak Spanish. The hospitals called for interpreters to assist in communication with the patients. An Australian seven-year old boy is among the dead. He was alive when he arrived at the hospital but did not survive.

Public transportation services had been stopped and the square of Catalonia has been closed to prevent further attacks and to allow emergency services reach any emergencies faster. The police, asserting safety concerns, have asked people not share images or data about the attack on the Internet.

According to a Spanish broadcaster RTVE, the local police arrested Driss Oukabir as a suspect, and his identification documents were found in the van involved in the attack. The local news outlet also said that the suspect claimed his identification documents were missing and might have been stolen by his brother. Local police refused to comment on the identity of the individuals arrested., Mossos D’Esquadra, denied this report. Via Twitter, Mossos D’Esquadra said they had arrested a suspect and the incident was investigated as a “terrorist attack”.–>

The Amaq news outlet, allegedly linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group, claimed ISIS was responsible for the, saying “The executors of the Barcelona attack were soldiers of the Islamic State”. They did not disclose the identities of the attackers. They alleged the attack was meant to target a coalition of countries at war with Iraq and Syria.

A few hours after the first disaster, another attack took place in Cambrils, near Tarragona. The Catalonian police reported they had shot the suspects, killing at least five and injuring one. The police authorities said that the two attacks were connected. In the Cambrils attacks the police killed another Abouyaaqoub´s relatives, a brother and two cousings, all people were using fakes explosives belts, the car used by the three persons overturned and while they exited, the vehicle the police shot and killed them.

This was Spain’s deadliest attack since 2004, when 192 people were injured during their commute on trains in Madrid.

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Friday, August 5, 2005

The Interfax news agency is reporting that a Russian minisub that was stranded underwater in the Pacific Ocean is trapped by two 60 tonne anchors.

The submarine propeller has snagged on the antenna of a sonar underwater coastal defense station, (or perhaps very long low frequency arrays, which can be thousands of yards) 623 ft below the ocean 43 miles off Kamchatka. “The anchor needs to be blown up” in order to be able to raise the AS-28 submarine, the commander of the Russian Pacific Fleet told Interfax.

“If the explosion is successful, the system will be raised to a depth of 100 meters and lit up by the Tiger [television camera], and we can at last be 100% sure that it’s the submarine, and deepwater divers will be able to continue work,” he continued.

The AS-28 submarine, with seven crew onboard, became entangled on Thursday while at a depth of 190 m.

Earlier reports that the submarine had been taken under tow have been proved false. Ships had attempted to trawl for the submarine in order to drag it into shallower water, but it is reported that they failed to capture the submarine.

The Pacific Fleet commander says that the crew have enough food and water to survive until Monday although oxygen will run out by Saturday. The three-man submarine was designed to supply the crew with a five day supply of oxygen, however with the seven man crew the supply has been greatly depleted.

Around ten Russian navy ships are attending, to be joined by four Japanese vessels on Monday. The US and UK navies are also flying in specialist rescue equipment, including two U.S. navy owned remotely-operated underwater robots capable of cutting through steel lines up to 1″ thick and one U.K. video array ROV. They will arrive on Saturday.

The crew have been using an underwater acoustic telephone to communicate with the surface, and are reported to be remaining calm. They have been told to keep still and to conserve the ship’s power supplies.

The same class of vessel, which measures 13.5 m by 3.8 m, was used during the ill-fated rescue attempt on the Kursk, which was lost with all hands almost exactly five years ago.