Hurricane Ida could become costliest weather disaster: UN

Issued on: 01/09/2021 - 

Hurricane Ida is known to have killed four people, although the death toll is expected to rise 

Mark Felix AFP


Geneva (AFP)

Hurricane Ida, which slammed into the US Gulf Coast at the weekend, could become the costliest weather disaster on record, the UN said Wednesday, hailing though that prevention measures had dramatically limited casualties.

Louisiana and Mississippi are still taking stock of the disaster inflicted by the powerful Category 4 storm that hit exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall and devastated the area.

Ida is known to have killed four people, although the death toll is expected to rise, and knocked out power for more than a million properties across Louisiana.

"There is a chance that the economic cost will be higher then Katrina," Petteri Taalas, who heads the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told reporters in Geneva.

He pointed as an illustration to the "major damage to the electric system in Louisiana."

Until now, Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people and destroyed large parts of New Orleans, had been considered by far the costliest weather-related disaster.

A fresh WMO report that examined mortality and economic losses from weather, climate and water extremes between 1970 and 2019, found that Katrina had raked in nearly $164 billion in economic losses.

Currently, hurricanes Harvey and Maria, which both hit in 2017, are considered the second and third-costliest weather-related disasters, carrying price tags of nearly $97 billion and over $69 billion respectively.

Taalas said it would likely take a month or more before a full cost estimate for the losses caused by Ida could be made.

But he hailed that improved early warning and flood protection systems as well as evacuation procedures appeared to have saved numerous lives.

"The good news when it comes to Ida is that the casualties as compared to Katrina, they were much lower," Taalas said.

Mami Mizutori, who heads the UN office for disaster risk reduction, agreed.

She told reporters that the differences between the impacts of the two storms showed the importance of investing in prevention.

"The economic loss indeed will be quite big, but the good news is that ... the mortality has been very, very low, and this is because the city of New Orleans and Louisiana ... invested in prevention."

What had made the biggest difference since Katrina, she said, was the $14.5 billion invested in building flood walls and levees as part of a new "hurricane and storm damage risk-reduction system."

"They did not wait for another century to do this. They did it very quickly."

© 2021 AFP

Weather, climate disasters surge fivefold in 50 years: UN

Issued on: 01/09/2021 

On average, a disaster linked to weather, climate and water extremes has occurred every single day over the past 50 years

JOSH EDELSON AFP/File

Geneva (AFP)

The United Nations warned Wednesday that weather-related disasters have skyrocketed over the past half-century, causing far more damage even as better warning systems have meant fewer deaths.

A report from the UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) examined mortality and economic losses from weather, climate and water extremes between 1970 and 2019.

It found that such disasters have increased fivefold during that period, driven largely by a warming planet, and warned the upward trend would continue.

"The number of weather, climate and water extremes are increasing and will become more frequent and severe in many parts of the world as a result of climate change," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said in a statement.

In total, there were more than 11,000 of disasters attributed to these hazards globally since 1970, causing more than two million deaths and some $3.64 trillion in losses.

- 115 deaths each day -

On average, a disaster linked to weather, climate and water extremes has thus occurred every single day over the past 50 years, killing 115 people and causing $202 million in daily losses, WMO found.

More than 91 percent of the deaths occurred in developing countries, it said.

Droughts were responsible for the largest losses of human life during the period, alone accounting for some 650,000 deaths, while storms have left over 577,000 people dead.

Floods have meanwhile killed nearly 59,000 over the past 50 years and extreme temperatures have killed close to 56,000, the report found.

On a positive note, the report found that even as the number of weather and climate-related disasters ballooned over the past half-century, the number of associated deaths declined nearly threefold.

The toll fell from over 50,000 deaths each year in the 1970s to fewer than 20,000 in the 2010s, WMO said.

And while the 1970s and 1980 reported an average of 170 related deaths per day, the daily average in the 1990s fell to 90, and then to 40 in the 2010s.

Taalas said dramatic improvements in early warning systems were largely to thank for the drop in deaths.

"Quite simply, we are better than ever before at saving lives," he said.

- More people exposed -

WMO stressed though that much remains to be done, with only half of the agency's 193 member states currently housing the life-saving multi-hazard early warning systems.

It also cautioned that severe gaps remained in weather and hydrological observing networks in Africa and parts of Latin America and in Pacific and Caribbean island states.

Mami Mizutori, who heads the UN office for disaster risk reduction, also hailed the life-saving impact of the improved early warning systems.

But she warned in the statement that "the number of people exposed to disaster risk is increasing due to population growth in hazard-exposed areas and the growing intensity and frequency of weather events."

And while early warning systems save lives, they have done little to shield disaster-prone areas from swelling economic damage.

In fact, the reported losses from 2010 to 2019 stood at $383 million per day -- seven times more than the some $49 million in average daily losses in the 1970s.

Seven of the costliest 10 disasters in the past 50 years have happened since 2005, with three of them in 2017 alone: Hurricane Harvey, which caused nearly $97 billion in damages, followed by Maria at close to $70 billion and Irma at almost $60 billion.

© 2021 AFP

FIGHTING ABLEISM

Blind video game champion takes on Twitch audience

Issued on: 01/09/2021 - 

The blind 35-year-old Dutchman has beaten some of the world's best players at tournaments around Europe 

Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD AFP

The Hague (AFP)

With a joystick in one hand, a Braille device under the other and a mask over his eyes, BlindWarriorSven efficiently disposes of yet another opponent.

"I put this mask on because sometimes people tell me I'm not really blind," he says with a smile, in reference to the sore losers he has beaten on the video game streaming site Twitch.

Sven van de Wege was only six when he was struck by cancer. He lost his sight, but was determined not to let his disability get in the way of his childhood passion for video games.

And it hasn't: the 35-year-old Dutchman has beaten some of the world's best players at tournaments around Europe, and claimed a champion's title for playing the iconic "Street Fighter" series.

His hearing is his crucial weapon. Van de Wege navigates his way around Street Fighter V, a game with "a very detailed sound design", using solely its sound effects.

After years of training for several hours a day, the volume of his opponent's footsteps tells him how far away they are; the sound of each punch and blow tells him how to react.

"By those audio cues, I'm able to know if I'm on the left, if I'm on the right, how I need to attack," he explains.

- Streaming with no screen -

It's a skill he's now monetising via Twitch, a website with some 30 million users per day -- most of whom log in to watch others play video games.

Putting together a streaming studio adapted to van de Wege's needs required specialist equipment as well as a fair amount of creativity from the gaming champion, who works by day as an IT engineer.

The studio, which sits within his apartment in The Hague, includes two computers hooked up to a Braille display.

This device translates comments from the stream's live chat into Braille that he can read by touch, allowing him to interact with the viewers watching him play.

There's no computer screen in front of him, just a wall.

"I don't need a screen, and it saves energy," he points out.

He finds that "the most difficult thing is keeping an eye on the chat": the comments, offering encouragement or wisecracks, whizz by and can be difficult to follow even for seeing players who are focused on trying to crush their rivals in the game.

Van de Wege, who joined Twitch in 2017, challenges subscribers to his channel every Sunday in furious combat.

"When I play versus my viewers, I think eight out of 10 matches I win," he says.

A headset stays glued to his ears, so that he can track his enemies' every move via the side effects.

- Accessibility features needed -

The Street Fighter obsessive occasionally dips into other games, although he says too many titles lack the accessibility features needed for players with disabilities.

Twitch has faced pressure to encourage diversity on the platform, particularly since the best-paid players on the site are overwhelmingly able-bodied white men.

In May, the site added some 350 tags to allow members of different communities to find each other more easily, including one for people with disabilities.

But van de Wege says Twitch could do more to make the platform accessible for sight-impaired players.

Sven van de Wege doesn't need a screen to play games

 Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD AFP

Deciphering the messages in the live chat can be difficult because people post images, which messes with his Braille device.

"I wish there was an option that you could just have a plain chat without all the graphical stuff," he says.

Van de Wege currently holds affiliate status on Twitch, where the size of his payouts is linked to the number of subscribers -- he has 3,000 -- and the amount they donate.

He currently earns less than 100 euros a month on the platform but hopes to one day achieve partner status, which would allow him to stream as a full-time job.

"If I had thought 'I'm blind, I cannot play video games anymore', I would have given up," he says.

"If I can do it, I'm sure that more people can do it."

© 2021 AFP

New law stokes tension in Nigeria's blighted oil delta

Issued on: 01/09/2021

A resident stands in oil-polluted land in B-Dere, southern Nigeria 

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI AFP


EJAMAH-EBUBU (Nigeria) (AFP)

Nigerian farmer Nwale Nchimaonwi celebrated when he learnt that an oil law to overhaul the industry and improve the plight of communities living on crude-producing land had passed after two decades wait.

His Niger Delta region has long seethed with discontent as communities face a potent mix of poverty, crude pollution and state neglect despite the wealth pumped from the ground beneath them.

But Nchimaonwi's enthusiasm soon gave way to anger after it emerged that the law demanded oil companies contribute only 3 percent of operating costs to communities, far below the 10 percent they see as fair compensation.

Disappointment with the Petroleum Industry Bill is again testing patience in Nigeria's delta where many lost farming and fishing livelihoods to contamination even as foreign oil giants pumped crude from Africa's largest producer.

"How do you think three percent can clean the spills, provide potable water, roads, hospitals and jobs in the oil communities?, Nchimaonwi, a leader for the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) group, told AFP outside his home in Ejamah-Ebubu.

A decade ago, the Niger Delta was a hotbed of militants who abducted foreign oil workers and raided their installationsto push for more share of the oil wealth.

A truck drives along the path of a high pressure oil pipeline in Ejamah-Ebubu 

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI AFP

OPEC-member Nigeria's output was slashed before a 2009 amnesty finally restored peace.

For communities, the years since were spent waiting for lawsuits against foreign oil companies for environment damages to meander though the courts, but tensions are simmering again.

- Nearly 3,000 spills -

Ejamah and three villages make up the Ogoni community of Ebubu, which recently won a ruling for $111 million (97.3 million euros) in compensation from Shell.

Shell agreed to compensate the community over a 1970 spill that polluted over 225 hectares of their farmlands and fishing waters, though without acknowledging responsibility.

Shell says spills came during Nigeria's 1967-1970 civil war when oil infrastructure was damaged.

Community leader Emmanuel Olako Oluji said the compensation money from Shell could provide for the community and 'put smiles on the faces of the people' 

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI AFP

Acting Ogoni community ruler Emere Emmanuel Olako Oluji told AFP the money was a relief and could provide for the community and "put smiles on the faces of the people."

But other community leaders say the damage is vast.

Ejamah boasts 57 oil wells once operated by Shell before the Anglo-Dutch oil giant was forced to quit in 1993 because of the unrest.

While oil production has ceased, pipelines operated by Shell still traverse the land, creeks and waterways of Ogoniland.

Nigeria's state-run oil company NNPC recently took over the oil wells following a court order but Ogoni leaders vow to resist any resumption of production.

According to industry data, between 1976 and 1991, over two million barrels of oil polluted Ogoniland in 2,976 separate spills.

"Just take a look at this spill," MOSOP's Nchimaonwi said, pointing to large swath of blackened, dried ground left abandoned in the B-Dere area of Ogoniland.

"Saro-Wiwa died fighting for justice for his people," he said, referring to writer, environmental campaigner and MOSOP founder Ken Saro-Wiwa who was hanged along with eight Ogoni activists in 1995 after a trumped up murder charge.

He said frustrations were growing among the youth with few opportunities in the delta.

"Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gunpowder," he said.

- Major step -

President Muhammadu Buhari's government hopes the oil law will draw in more investment to Nigeria, whose petroleum industry has long been troubled by corruption, inefficiency, high costs and security concerns.

But officials said it should also provide for the host communities.

"My prayer is that the people would see this as a major step," Godswill Akpabio, the minister in charge of the Niger Delta told reporters.

"People are arguing about percentages, I am not interested in that. We could manage with this percent but the major thing is to use it well."

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI AFP

Tamaranebi Benjamin, president of Host Communities Organisation, applauded the new law's passage, but said a provision holding communities liable for sabotage in their areas should be removed.

"It's only by expunging the obnoxious provisions that lasting peace can be guaranteed."

For many like cassava farmer Gideo Loole, the law and its 3 percent compensation feels like an insult stirring up anger.

"We cannot farm and fish. Our people are suffering and all the government and oil companies could do is to give us a paltry three percent," he told AFP, brandishing a cutlass to show his anger.

"We are going to mobilise the youth to fight the government and take back our God-given resources."

© 2021 AFP

The Era of Private Space Travel Has Arrived But How Did We Get Here?

Jamie Carter 

We are all astronauts. Step outside after dark and look up at a starry sky, and your mind will take the same journey our ancestors' minds did many thousands of years ago. "Since our primitive ancestors first walked on this planet, we have been both mystified and fascinated by such heavenly bodies as the sun and moon," says Colin Burgess, author of "The Greatest Adventure: A History of Human Space Exploration." "In awe they worshipped the sun, the moon, and the stars, revering them as gods, while trying to make some sense of their purpose." Our ancestors also had a luxury most us have lost — totally clear night skies unspoiled by man-made light.

© Photo Illustration by Mariah Tyler Here's how space tourism went from sci-fi dream to reality.

Related: More space travel and astronomy

From Dreams to Reality

The pivotal moment for space exploration came on July 20, 1969 with Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission, but early sci-fi from authors like Jules Verne ignited imaginations long before technology caught up. "Remarkably, in one of his most famous and prescient works, Verne told of three men being launched to the moon from Florida in an aluminium spacecraft fitted with retrorockets and an eventual splashdown in the ocean," says Burgess.

In 1956, "The Forbidden Planet" became the first film to be set entirely on a foreign planet in interstellar space. A year later, the Space Age began when, on October 4, 1957, the USSR put Sputnik 1, the first artificial Earth satellite, into orbit. Two years later, the U.S. named the Mercury Seven astronauts, and in 1961, the USSR launched Vostok 1 to make Yuri Gagarin the first man in orbit. In retaliation, NASA sent Alan Shepherd up to space for a few minutes the same year.

From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond

Video: What Space Tourists Should Know Before Traveling to Space, According to Astronauts (Travel + Leisure)

By the time the Star Trek television series started in 1966, the Space Age was well underway, and the moon was the target. The movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" was released a year before that first moon landing, but in the wake of Apollo 11, public interest in space exploration appeared to wane. NASA's budget was slashed, but a rare alignment of the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune persuaded the space agency to launch Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 on a tour of the solar system. In 1979, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" used them as the inspiration for a sentient being called "V'Ger" that was seeking its creator.

The Space Shuttle Era

NASA's 1981 Space Shuttle launch rekindled interest in space exploration. In 1983, "The Right Stuff" romanticized the Apollo space program, followed by "Apollo 13" in 1995 and Tom Hanks' magnificent miniseries for HBO, From the Earth to the Moon, in 1998. But, Houston, there was a problem. "The advent of the Space Shuttle gave fresh stimulus to space exploration, but we became inured over the next thirty years to seeing it launch and land," says Burgess. Was the dream over?

The Universe Is Back in Fashion

After the loss of 14 astronauts in accidents in 1986 and 2003 (along with its astronomical cost), the Space Shuttle's demise was inevitable. NASA then had a game-changing idea: Why not cut costs by helping to create a highly competitive private space industry? After a decade of grants and test flights, NASA's Commercial Crew Program finally came to fruition in the summer of 2020 when Elon Musk's SpaceX flew two NASA astronauts to the ISS. Its Falcon 9 reusable rocket — which blasts satellites and spacecraft into orbit and then lands back on the launchpad — has helped reignite the public's interest in space. Musk has been talking about Mars colonies since well before 2015's iconic movie "The Martian" starring Matt Damon.

A New Age

SpaceX is set to go into partnership with NASA to get the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024. Meanwhile, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have both successfully launched into space to kick-start space tourism. "Now we have the spectacle of fabulously wealthy figureheads engaged in a whole new race into space, with a return to the moon and even Mars on their radars," says Burgess. "Without this commercial effort, such things would undoubtedly be decades instead of years away."

As Tom Cruise heads to the International Space Station later this year to film the first movie shot in space, sci-fi and the reality of space exploration are about to come full circle.

NOT TOURISTS BUT WORKERS

Stingray's protruding eyes, mouth aid swimming efficiency


The eyes and protruding mouth of stingrays, like the one pictured at the World Aquarium in St. Louis, help them swim with greater thrust and accelerated cruising, according to a new study. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Stingrays are able to glide so effortlessly through the water thanks in part to their protruding eyes and mouth.

Sea rays, including stingrays and skates, are noted for their streamlined body and flexible pectoral fins. These features offer obvious hydrodynamic benefits, but some scientists assumed their protruding eyes and mouth were hindrances.

In a new study, scientists modeled the effects of these protuberances on a variety of forces, such as pressure and vorticity, that influence propulsion.

Their analysis -- published Tuesday in the journal Physics of Fluids -- showed a stingray's protruding eyes and mouth actually help it move through the ocean water more efficiently.

Researchers began by building a model of the stingray's self-propelled flexible plate. They clamped the front end of the plate and programmed it to perform rhythmic, up-and-down oscillations -- the same movement pattern stingrays use to swim.

Next, the researchers added rigid plates to the model to mimic the effects of the stingray's eyes and mouth, comparing the hydrodynamic efficiency of models with and without the added plates.

"Managing random fish swimming and isolating the desired purpose of measurement from numerous factors are difficult," study corresponding author Hyung Jin Sung said in a press release.

"To overcome these limitations, the penalty immersed boundary method was adopted to find the hydrodynamic benefits of the protruding eyes and mouth," said Sung, a researcher at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Data showed both the stingray's eyes and mouth yielded a front-back vortex of flow that increased the negative pressure in front of its body, easing its path through the water.

The eyes and mouth of a stingray help it swim more efficiently, researchers found in a modeling study. Illustration by Qi-an Mao

A side-to-side vortex created by the protuberances also boosted negative pressure above and below the stingray, the researchers said.


According to the model, these pressure shifts provided the stingray with greater thrust and accelerated cruising.

In total, scientists determined the stingray's protruding eyes and mouth boost propulsion efficiency between 10% and 20%.

The insights provided by the modeling effort could be used to design more hydrodynamic autonomous underwater vehicles, according to the researchers.

Owner surrenders pet cougar kept in New York City apartment




Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Animal welfare authorities in New York said a cougar is on its way to Arkansas after being surrendered by an owner who was keeping the 80-pound animal in a Bronx, N.Y., apartment.

The Humane Society of the United States, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York Police Department and the Bronx Zoo worked together to rescue the animal after the owner contacted authorities to say they could no longer care for the 11-month-old cougar.

Investigators said the owner had purchased the cougar as a cub from an out-of-state seller and recently decided to find a new home for the big cat once it started to show signs of aggression.

"Wildlife like cougars are not pets," Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner Basil Seggos said in a news release. "While cougars may look cute and cuddly when young, these animals can grow up to be unpredictable and dangerous."

The cougar was taken to the Bronx Zoo temporarily and now is being transported to a new home at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas.

"This cougar is relatively lucky that her owners recognized a wild cat is not fit to live in an apartment or any domestic environment," aid Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for the Humane Society of the United States.

YOU GOTTA BE VAXXED

Delta Airlines announces 1,500 more flight attendant positions


Delta Airlines is seeking to fill 3,000 flight attendant positions the company announced Tuesday. Photo Courtesy of Delta Airlines

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Delta Airlines will have 3,000 new flights attendants by next summer.

The company announced that in addition to its earlier announcement of 1,500 open flight attendant positions, it seeks 1,500 more flight attendants to join its 2021/2022 class.

Candidates can begin applying now. They must be fully vaccinated, at least 21 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and be willing to fly international and domestic routes.

Thousands of employees at Delta and other airlines took early retirement packages during the pandemic at the urging of their employers as they tried to cut labor costs.

Airlines have been struggling to quickly fill positions from ramp workers to flight attendants as travel demands surge.

Staffing woes have led to delayed customer service, flight delays, and flight cancellations. Some airlines have cut their schedules to avoid operational pains.

Last week, Delta said that staff who aren't vaccinated will have to pay $200 more per month for health insurance beginning in November.

Population of Ireland surpasses 5 million for first time in 170 years

The last time Ireland had a population exceeding 5 million was during the 1850s, when the country was still in the grips of a severe famine. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- For the first time since during the Great Famine in Ireland 170 years ago, the country has a population of more than 5 million people, government figures showed Tuesday.

The Central Statistics Office said that the population was estimated to be 5.01 million in April. It's the first time the population has risen past the mark since 1851, when the comparable population was 5.11 million.

Last year, Ireland had the lowest number of natural births since 2000 and an increase in those aged 65 and older.

CSO statistician James Hearty said the data reflects the demographic and social impacts of COVID-19, according to The Guardian.

In the 1840s, the Irish population exceeded 8 million before the Great Famine, known as an Drochshaol in Ireland, killed more than 1 million people and forced millions more to emigrate. The famine lasted between 1845 and 1852.

WHO SEZ VAX THE THIRD WORLD FIRST

Two top FDA vaccine regulators to depart in the fall


Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Two top vaccine regulators at the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to depart this fall as the Biden administration attempts to roll out booster shots for vulnerable Americans next month.

Dr. Marion Gruber, director of the FDA's vaccine office, will retire at the end of October, while her deputy, Dr. Philip Krause, will depart in November, according to an email sent to staff by Dr. Peter Marks that was obtained by The New York Times and Politico.

The outlets reported that the pair's departure was brought on by their opposition to the Biden administration's announcement earlier this month that it will make booster shots available to people more than eight months removed from receiving their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine beginning Sept. 20.

Neither Gruber nor Krause reportedly believed there was significant data to justify offering booster shots and viewed the announcement as pressure for the FDA to quickly authorize the additional shots.

Dr. Jeffrey Zients, the White House's COVID-19 response coordinator, hailed the FDA as the regulatory "gold standard" in a Tuesday press briefing.

"As our medical experts laid out, having reviewed all the available data, it is in their clinical judgement that it is time to prepare Americans for a booster shot," Zients said. "We announced our approach in order to stay ahead of the virus, give states and pharmacies time to plan and to be transparent with the American people."

The White House has also stressed that the plan for booster shots was endorsed by the most senior federal health officials, including acting FDA commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock.

Woodcock on Tuesday reiterated her support in a memo to vaccine regulators on Tuesday, Politico reported.

"The issues are complex and the days are long, but please know the work you all have done to date and will continue to do in the days, weeks and months ahead, will hopefully one day allow us to fully put COVID-19 behind us and better prepare us for future challenges," she wrote.