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Glasgow Death Toll

December 2, 2013 by · Comments Off on Glasgow Death Toll 

Glasgow Death Toll, A ninth body has been recovered from the wreckage of the Glasgow helicopter crash, Police Scotland has announced as it named another victim of the tragedy.

The body was found on Sunday night within the Clutha Vaults pub in Glasgow where the police helicopter crashed on Friday night.

Announcing the discovery, Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: “The site is extremely challenging and the efforts of colleagues from the Scottish fire and rescue service and investigators have been painstaking. Sadly I can confirm the discovery of a further body within the site. This takes to nine the total number of people who died on Friday night.”

Police have warned that more bodies could be recovered as they prepare to lift the remains of the helicopter from the roof of the pub.

Fitzpatrick also named the second of six victims in the pub as 56-year-old Samuel McGhee. The first victim to be named was Gary Arthur, 48, of Paisley. Two police officers, Kirsty Nelis, 36, and Tony Collins, 43, were killed in the helicopter along with the pilot, David Traill, 51.

Fitzpatrick explained why it was taking time to name the other victims who were in the busy pub on Friday night.

“Our absolute priority has been to locate the bodies of people who were within the pub at the time of the incident and recover them safely,” she said. “This process takes time, as formal identification procedures have to take place before we can notify relatives and publicly confirm identities.

“We are doing all we can to support the families of those who have lost loved ones. It is essential that we maintain sensitivity and dignity for the families of the deceased.”

The Bond-operated Eurocopter EC135 police helicopter “dropped like stone” on to the roof of the pub, according to witnesses.

Arthur’s daughter, the Celtic and Scotland footballer Chloe Arthur, 18, paid tribute to him on Twitter, writing: “You’ll always mean the world to me, I promise to do you proud, I love you with all my heart.”

The Clutha Vaults pub, close to the river Clyde, was hosting a live music event on Friday night and was packed with more than 100 people when the tragedy happened at 10.25pm.

Twelve of 32 people taken to hospital continue to receive treatment, with three in intensive care.

Air accident experts have launched an investigation into what caused the helicopter to crash.

The Police Scotland chief constable, Sir Stephen House, said: “Until the helicopter is completely removed from the scene and the right people are in the premises and are able to look through the rubble completely and start to clear it, we cannot say about exact numbers.

“No one will be putting pressure on them in terms of time but things are proceeding, we are making progress and I know that people want to be reassured of that.

Japan Earthquake Today 2012

March 14, 2012 by · Comments Off on Japan Earthquake Today 2012 

Japan Earthquake Today 2012, A strong earthquake shook northern Japan on Wednesday evening, and a small tsunami was forecast for part of its Pacific coast.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the tremor was 6.8 magnitude. A tsunami of about a half-meter was forecast for Hokkaido island’s central and eastern Pacific coast, and for Aomori and Iwate prefectures.

Iwate prefecture, or state, was heavily damaged by last year’s earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of aftershocks have shaken the region since then, nearly all of them of minor or moderate strength.

The epicenter was about 146 miles (235 kilometers) south of Kushiro, Japan, on Hokkaido island. It was a relatively shallow 16 miles (26 kilometers) below the ocean floor.

The quake was not felt in Tokyo, more than 450 miles (730 kilometers) away.

Japan Earthquake Today 2012

March 14, 2012 by · Comments Off on Japan Earthquake Today 2012 

Japan Earthquake Today 2012, A strong earthquake shook northern Japan on Wednesday evening, and a small tsunami was forecast for part of its Pacific coast.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said the tremor was 6.8 magnitude. A tsunami of about a half-meter was forecast for Hokkaido island’s central and eastern Pacific coast, and for Aomori and Iwate prefectures.

Iwate prefecture, or state, was heavily damaged by last year’s earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of aftershocks have shaken the region since then, nearly all of them of minor or moderate strength.

The epicenter was about 146 miles (235 kilometers) south of Kushiro, Japan, on Hokkaido island. It was a relatively shallow 16 miles (26 kilometers) below the ocean floor.

The quake was not felt in Tokyo, more than 450 miles (730 kilometers) away.

Japan Earthquake 2011

January 1, 2012 by · Comments Off on Japan Earthquake 2011 

Japan Earthquake 2011Japan Earthquake 2011, As the year 2011 comes to a close, it was a year where we witnessed a horrific earthquake in Japan and major political upheaval in the Middle East.

Two trials captivated the nation (Casey Anthony and Amanda Knox), and Penn State University’s football program was forever damaged by Jerry Sandusky’s alleged child sex crimes.

It’s hard to rate a top 5 or top 10 list so I did my best to list what I think are the top 5 news stories of 2011.

#5 Penn State University Child Sex Scandal: Jerry Sandusky Allegations and Joe Paterno’s Firing

This is easily the most shocking scandal in college sports history and one of the most shocking news stories in Pennsylvania in quite some time.

It all started with the news of Jerry Sandusky’s arrest and allegations of sexual abuse of young boys on Saturday morning November 5. As the days wore on the story took on a life of it’s own. Joe Paterno announced he would retire at the end of the season and by Wednesday night the Penn State Board of Trustees announced that Joe Paterno was fired.

For the first time in 60 years, Paterno would not be a part of Penn State football. Moreover, Penn State’s national reputation was scarred as a result of Sandusky’s alleged crimes and the coverup by officials Tim Curley and Gary Schultz.

Then came the bizzarre interview Jerry Sandusky did with NBC’s Bob Costas on “Rock Center.” It’s clear the man isn’t playing with a full deck.

Now, Paterno’s legacy as one of the greatest coaches in college football history has been tarnished. It may take years for Penn State University to recover from Sandusky’s horrific (alleged) crimes, and his trial has not even begun.

#4 Arab Spring Protests: Overthrow of Egyptian and Libyan Governments

The power of protesting was put to the test in the Middle East this year. And, the people of Egypt and Libya rose up and overthrew their oppressors. Both Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi were overthrown – with Gaddafi being executed by his own people.

The power of social networking also proved that atrocities can no longer be hidden for any length of time. Within minutes, the atrocities committed by both governments were put out there on Facebook and Twitter when citizens were attacked.This resulted in worldwide solidarity for the people of Egypt and Libya through social networks.

Egypt still faces an uncertain future, while Libya is in a similar situation. But, the two situations prove that people can rise up and defeat oppresive regimes.

This certainly puts governments like Syria and Iran on notice.

#3 Casey Anthony Trial

The nation was captivated by the Casey Anthony trial for months in what would be the most highly publicized trial in the U.S. since the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995.

From the evidence that was reported, it appeared that this would be a slamdunk case for the prosecution team. Then Anthony was declared not guilty by the jury due to reasonable doubt. Millions were outraged and Anthony has been in hiding ever since her release.

#2 Osama Bin Laden’s Death

Millions of people were watching TV on a Sunday night. Suddenly an urgent alert came through on broadcasts that President Obama would be addressing the nation.

Moments passed and NBC political correspondant Chuck Todd reported that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by U.S. forces. Then nearly an hour later President Obama came on TV to address the nation and announced that Bin Laden was dead.

U.S. Special Forces received tips on Obama’s whereabouts in Pakistan and raided his compound. After a brief firefight they broke into his room and shot him dead.

#1 Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster

The number one news story of 2011 was the Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which resulted in the destruction of a global superpower. The images of the tidal wave rolling through the country and swallowing up everything in it’s path were horrific.

The tsunami resulted in the complete meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear plant – putting it on par with Chernobyl as the worst nuclear disaster in recorded history.

The official name of Japan’s earthquake is the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and at a magnitude of 9.0 it ranks as the 5th most powerful earthquake in history. It is estimated that the earthquake and tsunami are responsible for $35 billion (US Dollars) in insured losses. The World Bank’s estimated economic costs are $235 billion (US Dollars) making this the most expensive natural disaster in recorded history.

Japan Earthquake 2011

August 19, 2011 by · Comments Off on Japan Earthquake 2011 

Japan Earthquake 2011Japan Earthquake 2011, The worst natural disaster in Japan spurred a record 3.7 billion and flow of donations. Five months later, the survivors living in temporary shelters awaiting assistance.

Half of the funds donated by groups like the Red Cross have yet to be disbursed through a backlog of data processing and discussions about how to distribute the money.

Thousands of people in Miyagi, the prefecture worst affected by the earthquake of March 11 and the tsunami, and Fukushima, home to Tokyo Electric Power Co. ‘s nuclear plant paralyzed, have received less cash, documents published to show Japan’s Ministry of Health.

That is adding to uncertainty for thousands of families recovering from disaster, which left over 20,000 dead or missing and destroyed 263,000 houses. It is also frustrating the recovery of a region that contributes about 8 percent of gross domestic product in Japan and manufactures products from cars to beer.

“We have about 500 to 600 applications from every day and are processed the same amount every day,” said Emiko Okuyama, the Mayor of Sendai, where 700 people died and 65,000 homes were destroyed by the tsunami. The city doubled the number of staff for issuing payments to survivors, said last week.

Eighty-two percent of the grants allocated to Sendai not yet been given to families in the city, which is the capital of Miyagi prefecture, according to documents of the Ministry of Health.

“Sorry, I can not say much of the money will be sent to the people,” said Okuyama reporters on a conference of 09 August. “We are doing everything possible to expedite the process.”

Japan Red Cross, the Central Community Chest of Japan’s public broadcaster NHK and the welfare of his arm, according to the Ministry of Health, raised the money.

Donations were also sent to Japan from 77 overseas branches of the Red Cross a total of ¥ 38,700,000,000 ($ 506,000,000) as of August 9, according to a statement from the Japan Red Cross. A total of ¥ 25 billion has been earmarked for the operation of programs to distribute relief supplies, medical services and appliances such as washing machines in the evacuation centers, and to help move household goods to shelters, said.

In Fukushima, one of the 15 prefectures of the requirements to receive donations, 37 percent of the funds were not transferred as of August 12, according to documents of the Ministry of Health.

In the prefecture of Chiba, near Tokyo, 36 percent of the funds for 34 towns in the municipality and the people still sitting in the bank accounts of local authorities. Urayasu, a suburb of the bay is home to Tokyo Disneyland, 42 percent of the funds have been distributed.

In Fukushima, the payments have been delayed, while officials in some municipalities addressed complaints that a policy to allocate a fixed amount per household since large families at a disadvantage.

“Our city has several large families,” said Minoru Shoji, who works at the local government office Iitate. His village in Fukushima was one of the cities, the government ordered to evacuate due to the threat of fallout on the ground paralyzed Tokyo Electric Power Co. nuclear.

“It’s not fair that if a family with only one gets the same amount that a family of 10,” he said.

A committee of the Red Cross, academics and local government officials in the affected areas established criteria for allocation of grants to survivors.

An emergency payment was made in April that gave families ¥ 350,000 (and 4570) for each family member died or disappeared. The same amount was also given to families whose homes were destroyed and people forced to evacuate in an exclusion zone of the Dai-Ichi Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The Committee devised a method of June when the funds are allocated according to the severity of damage to cities and towns, then devised his own method of disbursement of the homes. Local governments also supplement the grants to survivors of the funds raised independently.

In Iitate, ¥ 204,000 will be given to every 6567 inhabitants in late August, the city official, said Shoji.

Families whose homes were within 30 kilometers of the nuclear plant was halted and the residents of the area were evacuated will be paid 300,000 yen per person in the city of Fukushima Minamisoma. Those told to prepare for evacuation will receive 220,000 yen and the rest will be paid 200,000 yen, according to the website of the city.

The shortage of the Japan Red Cross delayed the use of funds raised abroad, Ramona Bajema, senior program manager with AmeriCares, a relief group profit and plans to distribute $ 8 million raised through donations, said in an interview in Yokohama, near Tokyo today.

“It’s a lot of paperwork,” Bajema said. “It takes an incredible amount of time” because staff has to go and consult with government officials to plan projects and supervise all the works sponsored by donations, he said.

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