Page 80 - Disaster Accident
CM talks to thousands of village heads through 'audio bridge'
In less than a week, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has held talks with 27,449 village-level elected representatives and officials from 139 drought-hit talukas across 22 districts through the mobile phone's 'audio bridge' technology over the drought situation. A statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said if technology is used effectively, it can result in expeditious governance to resolve the issues concerning the people. "Fadnavis took stock of the drought situation in the last six days, interacting with 27,449 elected representatives and officials, and issued directives for immediate response to the issues raised," it said. Those elected representatives, who could not connect in the audio bridge initiative, sent their feedbacks through WhatsApp, it added. "As many as 17 mobile numbers were provided in 22 districts, through which the messages were sent to the chief minister. Till May 13, as many as 4,451 messages were received, out of which ...
Thunderstorm, lightning alert issued for parts of Odisha
The Meteorological centre on Wednesday said thunderstorm and lightning is likely to occur in parts of Odisha today.The alert comes days after Cyclone Fani wreaked havoc in the state, claiming the lives of as many as 64 people.Odisha's Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) said, "Dangerous thunderstorm and lightning alert for Betanati and Barsahi blocks of Mayurbhanj district and Remuna, Nilagiri and Baleswar blocks of Baleswar district today."The official also said heavy thunderstorm and lightning is likely in areas such as Thakurmunda, Kaptipada and Hatadihi blocks of Mayurbhanj district, Anandapur and Ghasipura blocks of Keonjhar district, Khaira block of Baleswar district, Bonth and Bhadrak blocks of Bhadrak district.Meanwhile, Bhubaneswar's Meteorological Centre said, "Moderate thunderstorm or lightning with light rainfall and gusty wind speed reaching 30 to 40 kmph likely to occur at one or two places over the districts of Anugul, Dhenkanal, Cuttack and Balangir between 3-3.45 PM and
Fire on ship carrying 1,800 cars off Spanish island
A fire broke out at dawn Wednesday aboard an Italian car transport ship loaded with 1,843 vehicles off the Mediterranean island of Majorca, Spanish maritime emergency services said. Fifteen of the 25 crew of Grimaldi Lines' Grande Europa were taken off the 183-metre vessel by helicopter before the blaze was brought under control around midday. The remainder stayed behind to tackle the blaze. "No one was hurt," a spokeswoman for the services told AFP. "We do not know the cause," of the fire which started when the ship was 25 nautical miles off Majorca, she said. It was "virtually extinguished" by 1100 GMT, the spokeswoman said, and the ship was being towed to port on Majorca. The Vessel Finder website said Grande Europa sailed from Salerno, southwestern Italy, on Tuesday evening heading for Valencia on the Spanish mainland.
Children rescued from Libya hitch a lift with Pope Francis
Pope Francis took eight children rescued from crisis-hit Libya for a ride in his popemobile Wednesday, the youngsters grinning and snapping photos as they whizzed round Saint Peter's Square. The children, wearing T-shirts reading "Welcome, Protect, Promote, Integrate", hailed from Syria, Nigeria and the Congo, and were airlifted out of Libya along with their families on April 29. A smiling Francis took them on board for a ride around the packed square during his weekly general audience, stopping several times along the way to kiss and bless babies held up to him from the crowd. The Argentine pontiff has repeatedly called on the international community to do more for those seeking shelter in Europe from war, famine, poverty or persecution -- a hot-button issue at the upcoming EU parliament elections. At the end of the audience, Francis also met and thanked a delegation from Save the Children, an organisation present in numerous war zones and which is celebrating its centenary year.
Respond to RTI query seeking details of deaths on suspicion of cow slaughter: CIC to MHA
The Central Information Commission has directed the Union home ministry to respond to an RTI applicant who wanted to know the number of people killed between 2010 and 2017 on suspicion of cow slaughter. Sameer Khan filed the RTI application with the ministry seeking to know state-wise statistics of number of people killed and injured in incidents related to cow slaughter, their names and compensation paid by the government to the families of the victims. The ministry did not respond to the application following which Khan approached the Commission, the highest appellate authority in the matter of RTI, seeking directions to the ministry to furnish the information. The facts provided by the applicant make clear that no response has been furnished to him, Chief Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava noted. He said under the RTI Act it is mandatory to respond to RTI applications within given period. Bhargava said since neither the applicant nor the respondent (MHA) appeared for hearing .
Odisha estimates Rs 11,942 cr loss due to cyclone Fani
The Odisha government on Wednesday submitted a preliminary report which estimated damages of Rs 11,942 crore due to cyclone Fani that hit the coastal districts on May 3.
North Korea says it's suffering worst drought in decades
North Korea says it is suffering its worst drought in nearly four decades amid concern about a food crisis in the country. The official Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday that an average of 54.4 millimeters (2.1 inches) of rain fell throughout the country in the first five months of this year, the lowest level since 1982. It says the drought is expected to continue until the end of May. Earlier this month, UN food agencies said in a joint assessment that about 10 million people in North Korea were facing "severe food shortages" after the country had one of the worst harvests in a decade. In February, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, issued an unusual appeal for urgent food assistance.
5.5 magnitude earthquake jolts Japan, no casualties
An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale rattled the north-east coast of Japan's Amami Oshima Island on Wednesday.According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the quake occurred at 2:34 am (local time) and occurred at a depth of 30 km.The JMA said that no tsunami warning was issued. There were no immediate reports of damage to property or casualties as a result of the quake, Xinhua News Agency reported.Japan is prone to frequent earthquakes and lies in the 'Ring of Fire', an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean, which is vulnerable to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.In 2011, Japan was hit by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggering powerful tsunami waves that caused rampant damage to properties, affecting operations massively in industries and leading to heavy casualties.It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the history of the country. Over 15,000 people had lost their lives, while thousands of others were either injured or reported missing.
3 women killed in Pune hit-and-run accident
Three women, all senior citizens, were killed early on Wednesday in a hit-and-run accident while they out on a morning stroll, a police officer said.
Sharad Pawar urges govt to act on severe drought situation in Maharashtra
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Supremo and Rajya Sabha Member from Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar wrote a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the drought condition across the state.Pawar, in his letter, urged the state government to take necessary steps to alleviate one of the most severe droughts Maharashtra is facing since 1972."There is a severe drought situation in the entire state of Maharashtra including Satara, Solapur, Beed and Ahmednagar district. In terms of severity, the situation is most grave since 1972. Sincere measures should be taken into consideration and the state government should take all possible decisions for the entire drought situation on a prior basis," his letter reads.Pawar has also sought time for a meeting with the Chief Minister to discuss crucial issues in the state.
Fire breaks out at a garment shop in Nangloi
A fire broke out at a garment shop in outer Delhi's Nangloi area, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said Wednesday. The fire department received a call about the blaze at around 9.55 am after which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was brought under control by 10.40 am. No injury or casualty has been reported, a senior fire official said, adding the cause of fire is not know yet.
23 killed in storms, lightning strikes in Assam in past few
At least 23 people have died in storms and lightning strikes in the past few weeks in Assam, the ASDMA has said. The two natural disasters have also affected around 22,801 families in 18 districts of the state in the current year, the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said in a statement on Tuesday. The worst-hit districts are Golaghat, Sivasagar, Dhubri, Sontipur and Cachar. While ten persons died in the storms, 13 persons have died after being struck by lightning, the ASDMA said. The state government has directed all the deputy commissioners (DCs) to release ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each of the deceased persons within 48 hours. The DCs of the storm-affected districts have also been directed to take immediate steps for assessing the loss of property. This has to be done for the expeditious release of the rehabilitation grant for the fully or severely damaged houses as per the Government of India norms. The norms stipulate that ...
Pilots pushed Boeing to act after Lion Air crash: reports
After a deadly crash in Indonesia, American Airlines pilots called a meeting to press Boeing executives for safety changes to the 737 MAX aircraft, US media reported Tuesday. The call for changes, which could have required the best-selling aircraft model to be temporarily grounded, were reported by The New York Times and CBS News after they obtained an audio recording of the November 27 meeting between the American Airlines pilots union and officials from the aircraft manufacturer. The 737 MAX 8 is currently grounded worldwide after the March crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that killed all 157 people onboard and drew scrutiny to the new Boeing model's anti-stall system, which investigators believe may have brought the jet down. But the meeting shows that pilots were already worried about the safety of the model following the October 2018 crash in Indonesia of a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 that left no survivors of the 189 people onboard. According to the reports, the pilots were ...
Assessment teams deployed after massive Papua New Guinea quake
Papua New Guinea dispatched assessment teams Wednesday to get a full picture of the damage caused by a violent 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck an island chain off the north coast overnight. An AFP reporter and residents on New Britain said electricity was still out and radio stations off air some 12 hours after the quake, but there appeared to be no major structural damage or loss of life. "We didn't really have that much damage thank goodness, just ornaments falling down and that kind of thing," said Ellen Morgan, a manager at Kokopo Beach Bungalows. Officials at the nearby port of Rabaul said there was no major damage to the facility, which was operating as normal. Papua New Guinea's poor communications infrastructure, lack of roads and difficult terrain mean that sometimes it can be days before the full impact of a natural disaster is known. A spokesman for the National Disaster Centre in Port Moresby told AFP they had dispatched a team to uncover the full extent of the ...
Boeing reported zero new orders for jets in April
Boeing said in a report that not only did the 737 MAX receive zero new orders since it was grounded worldwide in March, the company's other jets, such as the 787 Dreamliner or the 777, also did not get any new orders in April.
Cyclonic Fani: Housing and Urban Department estimates Rs 525 cr infrastructure damage
The Housing and Urban Development department on Tuesday said that Cyclone Fani that hit the Odisha coast on May 3 damaged Rs 525 crore worth of assets."53 urban local bodies severely affected. 291 km of drains, 750 km of roads, 267 culverts have been damaged. Other infrastructures like parks, playgrounds, community centers, town halls and others have been badly affected," said G Mathivathanan, Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development while addressing a press conference here."Water supply badly affected in 20 towns. The central kitchen of Ahar Yojana and 27 centers in these urban local bodies damaged. Over 21000 street lights affected. All together about Rs 525 crore is the assessed damage to these urban local bodies," he added.The death toll in Odisha due to cyclone Fani has touched 64 with Puri recording the maximum number of casualties at 39 according to official estimates released by the Odisha government on Saturday.According to government data, livestock casualties are .
Houthi-led 'armed drones' attack 2 Saudi oil stations
Saudi authorities here on Tuesday said that Houthi-led "armed drones" attacked two oil pumping stations amid reports of escalating tensions in the Middle East.The drone strikes, which Riyadh termed a "cowardly" act by Yemen's Houthi rebels, caused minor damage to one of the stations supplying a pipeline running from its oil-rich eastern province to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement cited by AL Jazeera."These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran," Falih was quoted as saying.Falih added that the fire break out was brought under control, but the country's state-run oil giant Aramco has stopped pumping oil through the pipeline.Falih said the recent sabotage acts not only target Saudi Arabia but also affect the safety of the world's energy supply and global economy. The minister further promised that the production and export of Saudi .
1 coach of Vijayawada-Machilipatnam passenger train derails
A coach of a passenger train derailed near the Vadlamannadu railway station after hitting a buffalo on Tuesday evening, an official said. No casualty was reported. Gudlavalleru Sub-Inspector P Vijaya Kumar said the Vijayawada-Machilipatnam passenger train had hit a buffalo near the station, leading to derailment of a coach. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the Railway Police have swung into action to restore the service. Since it is a single line, no other train services have been affected.
FAA deferred to Boeing on key 737 MAX assessments: source
The US Federal Aviation Administration did not independently evaluate the safety of a Boeing 737 MAX system implicated in two deadly crashes, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. The US regulator, as part of an internal review, has preliminarily concluded that FAA officials largely deferred to Boeing's assessments of the accident-ridden 737 MAX during the certification process, the person said. Boeing's top-selling 737 MAX narrow-body planes have been grounded globally since mid-March following two plane crashes that killed 346 people. A common link in both crashes was the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. During the FAA certification, Boeing did not flag to regulators that a failure of the MCAS could lead to a catastrophic event, a classification that would have triggered more regulatory scrutiny, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The FAA approved the 737 MAX in early 2017 and the plane entered into service in May of that year. In both the Lion Air ..
Andhra cabinet meets following EC's conditional nod
The Andhra Pradesh state cabinet met on Tuesday and discussed measures required for relief in areas affected by cyclone 'Fani' and three other issues following the conditional nod given by the Election Commission (EC).