U.N. can facilitate IAEA power plant visit, but Russia puts conditions

A serviceman with a Russian flag on his uniform stands guard near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine August 4, 2022. 

REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo

By Michelle Nichols

NEW YORK, Aug 15 (Reuters) - The United Nations has the logistics and security capacity to support a visit by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, a spokesman said, but a Russia diplomat imposed conditions, saying routing any mission through Ukraine's capital was too dangerous.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, speaking on Monday, also said: "The U.N. Secretariat has no authority to block or cancel any IAEA activities."

Dujarric was responding to an accusation by Russia that U.N. security had blocked a visit by IAEA inspectors to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which Russia seized in March following its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

He said that "in close contact with the IAEA, the U.N. Secretariat has assessed that it has in Ukraine the logistics and security capacity to be able to support any IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from Kyiv."

But he said both Russia and Ukraine have to agree. Both countries have said they want IAEA inspectors to visit. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he was ready to lead a mission and called on Russia and Ukraine to cooperate.

In Moscow, Russian news agencies quoted a senior diplomat as saying that no such mission could pass through Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, as proposed by the United Nations.

"Imagine what it means to pass through Kyiv -- it means they get to the nuclear plant through the front line," RIA news agency quoted Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy head of the foreign ministry's nuclear proliferation and arms control department, as telling journalists.

"This is a huge risk, given that Ukraine's armed forces are not all made up in the same way," he was quoted as saying.

Russia describes its actions in Ukraine as a "special military operation" and accuses Kyiv's military -- and much of its political structures -- as being beholden to nationalists and "Nazis."

Tass news agency quoted Vishnevetsky as saying that any such mission had no mandate to address the "demilitarization" of the plant as demanded by Kyiv as it could only deal with "fulfillment of IAEA guarantees."

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called for an end to military activity around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power complex as Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for shelling of the area. read more

Guterres spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Monday about the conditions for the safe operations of the Zaporizhzhia, the United Nations and Russia said.

Russia: Too dangerous for IAEA to go

through Kyiv to visit Zaporizhzhia 

nuclear plant

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv

Mon, August 15, 2022

(Reuters) - Any mission undertaken by the U.N.'s nuclear agency to inspect Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant cannot pass through the capital Kyiv as it is too dangerous, a senior Russian diplomat was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Tuesday.

"Imagine what it means to pass through Kyiv -- it means they get to the nuclear plant through the front line," RIA news agency quoted Igor Vishnevetsky, deputy head of the foreign ministry's nuclear proliferation and arms control department as telling journalists.

"This is a huge risk, given that Ukraine's armed forces are not all made up in the same way."

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday in New York that the U.N. Secretary had assessed that it had the logistics and security capacity to be able to support any IAEA mission to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia plant from Kyiv.

Tass news agency quoted Vishnevetsky as saying that any such mission had no mandate to address the "demilitarisation" of the plant as demanded by Kyiv as it could only deal with "fulfillment of IAEA guarantees".

Australia's PM says predecessor 'undermined democracy' with secret roles

By Kirsty Needham


Australia PM says Morrison 'undermined democracy'

SYDNEY, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his predecessor Scott Morrison had "undermined our democracy" by secretly appointing himself minister for home affairs and treasury during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to the health, finance and resources portfolios previously revealed.

Morrison, who stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing a general election in May, has come under fire from senior members of his own party and its coalition partner, the National Party, who were unaware of the arrangements.

After a review of the matter by the Prime Minister's department, Albanese told reporters Morrison had taken on the health and finance portfolios in March 2020, home affairs and treasury in May 2021, and resources in April 2021.

"Its completely extraordinary that these appointments were kept secret by the Morrison government from the Australian people," he said.

Albanese will receive legal advice on the issue from the solicitor general on Monday, and said he was critical of the Morrison government for allowing a centralisation of power by the prime minister.

Former home affairs minister in Morrison's government, Karen Andrews, said she had no knowledge that Morrison also held the role, and called for Morrison to resign from parliament.

"You can't govern in a veil of secrecy," Andrews, a Liberal Party lawmaker, told ABC radio after Albanese's press conference.

Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who left politics after losing his seat in the May election, was also unaware Morrison held responsibility for treasury, The Australian newspaper reported.

Liberal Opposition leader Peter Dutton said legal advice from the solicitor general was needed before any decisions on next steps were made.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attends the third leaders' debate at the Seven Network Studios during the 2022 federal election campaign, in Sydney, Australia May 11, 2022. 

Mick Tsikas/Pool via REUTERS

In a lengthy statement, Morrison, who remains a Liberal backbencher, said he regretted that his actions had caused concern but he had "acted in good faith in a crisis".

Morrison defended taking on extra ministerial roles without his cabinet's knowledge during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it was "an unprecedented time" and that the powers served as a safeguard.

"I used such powers on one occasion only. I did not seek to interfere with Ministers in the conduct of their portfolio," he said in the statement.

He added that "in hindsight these arrangements were unnecessary".

Morrison said in a radio interview earlier on Tuesday he didn't make the arrangements public because they were a safeguard only, and it was an "oversight" the ministers weren't informed their roles were duplicated.

"We had to take some extraordinary measures to put safeguards in place," he told radio station 2GB, likening it to having two keys on a nuclear submarine.

The resources minister role he took on in 2021 was different, he said, because he had used the power to stop approval for a gas exploration project off the coast of Australia which was opposed by local communities. The decision is being challenged in court.

"I believe I made the right decision in the national interest. This was the only matter I involved myself directly with in this or any other Department," he said in the statement.

Albanese said it was concerning that two people had responsibility for the resources portfolio and had different positions on matters.

Not tabling in parliament who was responsible for ministerial portfolios was "a very clear breach of the obligations that the prime minister has to the parliament", he told ABC radio earlier on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka will not extend emergency as protests tail off

By Waruna Cudah Nimal Karunatilake

August 16, 2022


Ranil Wickremesinghe who has been elected as the Eighth Executive President under the Constitution speaks to media as he leaves a Buddhist temple, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 20, 2022. REUTERS/ Dinuka Liyanawatte

COLOMBO, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's state of emergency imposed in the middle of last month will not be extended beyond this week, President Ranil Wickremesinghe's media office said on Tuesday, as protests against the country's economic devastation petered out.

Lawmakers voted Wickremesinghe in as president on July 20 after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled a popular uprising against months of acute shortages of fuel, food and medicine. read more

Six-time Prime Minister Wickremesinghe imposed the emergency from July 18 when he was acting president, after tens of thousands of people stormed into government buildings, seeking solutions to the country's worst economic crisis in more than seven decades.

Wickremesinghe's office cited the president as saying at an event in the main city of Colombo that the emergency would lapse this week.

He has sought peace and political support to help advance bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund. The country has already defaulted on its sovereign debt.

S&P Global on Monday slashed its rating on Sri Lankan bonds to 'D', representing default, after the country missed interest payments due on June 3, June 28, and July 18, and a principal payment due on July 25.

The country is considering restructuring its local and foreign debt in the hope of securing a $3 billion IMF loan.

S&P pushes Sri Lankan bonds deeper into junk territory with 'default' rating


People walk along the Pettah Market, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo

Mon, August 15, 2022 

(Reuters) - Global ratings agency S&P Global on Monday slashed its rating on Sri Lankan bonds to 'D', representing default, following missed interest and principal payments.

The South Asian nation, which had defaulted on a bond payment earlier this year and has $12 billion in overseas debt with private creditors, has been battling the worst financial crisis in its independent history.

Sri Lanka's external public debt freeze prevents payment of interest and principal obligations due on the government's international sovereign bonds.

S&P said it did not expect the Sri Lankan government, which remains in default on some foreign currency obligations, to make the bond payments within 30 calendar days after their due dates.

The ratings agency affirmed its 'SD' long-term and 'SD' short-term foreign currency sovereign ratings on Sri Lanka, as well as reiterated the outlook for the island nation at 'negative'.

The country is considering a restructuring of local and foreign debt. It is due to restart bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in August in the hope of securing $3 billion in funding.

Chinese military survey ship docks at Sri Lanka port

 

By Uditha Jayasinghe


COLOMBO, Aug 16 (Reuters) - The Chinese survey vessel Yuan Wang 5 docked on Tuesday at Sri Lanka's Chinese-built port of Hambantota, a port official said, a move likely to stoke concern in neighbouring India about the growing influence of its bigger and more powerful rival.

The movements of the ship have fuelled contention between India and China, two of Sri Lanka's biggest allies in its current economic crisis, as India fears China could use the port, near the main Asia-Europe shipping route, as a military base.

"The vessel will be berthed for three days," the official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media, told Reuters from the southern port.

"The purpose of staying at the port is to stock up on fuel, food and other essentials."

Hours after the ship docked, a Sri Lankan cabinet spokesman said the island nation was working to ensure there was no friction between friendly countries.

"Even before this, there have been ships from the United States, India and other countries coming to Sri Lanka," Media Minister Bandula Gunawardana told reporters.

"We have allowed these ships to come. In the same way, we have allowed the Chinese ship to dock."

Foreign security analysts describe the Yuan Wang 5 as one of China's latest generation space-tracking ships, used to monitor satellite, rocket and intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Pentagon says the Yuan Wang ships are operated by the Strategic Support Force of the People's Liberation Army.

On Saturday, Sri Lanka said it had agreed the vessel could dock at Hambantota, despite security concerns raised by India and the United States. read more

India has rejected claims that it has put pressure on Sri Lanka to turn the vessel away.

Solar Giant Hanwha Weighs US Expansion With Massive New Facility



Brian Eckhouse
Mon, August 15, 2022 

(Bloomberg) -- Hanwha Q Cells -- one of the few solar-panel makers with US production -- is considering sites for a massive new facility as the country prepares to incentivize cleantech manufacturing.

The company is evaluating sites in Georgia, South Carolina and Texas, according to documents filed in Texas. The potential project in Dallas County, Texas, would feature a suite of manufacturing -- panels, ingots, wafers and cells. Korea-based Hanwha Solutions is the manufacturer’s parent company.

Congress recently approved the Inflation Reduction Act, which is designed to accelerate renewable power and reignite domestic cleantech manufacturing. China has long dominated solar making, especially ingot and wafer production. The landmark climate bill now awaits the signature of President Joe Biden and is expected to spur new domestic investments in solar manufacturing as well as in other sectors including batteries.

Read: Manchin-Schumer deal would boost US cleantech makers

Hanwha is in the due-diligence and exploration phase of potential expansion, according to a spokesman. The company operates a factory in Georgia and is building another facility in the state.

Senate Republican campaign arm cuts ad spending in at least 4 key battleground races


Peter Weber, Senior editor
Mon, August 15, 2022 

Mehmet Oz Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has canceled more than $10 million in ad spending in the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada since Aug. 1, in a potential sign of financial troubles heading into the heart of the 2022 campaign season, Politico and The New York Times reported Monday, citing ad-tracking firms. "People are asking, 'What the hell is going on?'" one GOP strategist told Politico. "Why are we cutting in August? I've never seen it like this before."

NSRC spokesman Chris Hartline said the Senate GOP campaign arm is being "creative in how we're spending our money and will continue to make sure that every dollar spent by the NRSC is done in the most efficient and effective way possible," adding, "Nothing has changed about our commitment to winning in all of our target states." A source familiar with the NRSC's deliberations told Politico the committee is being forced to "stretch every dollar we can." The NRSC could buy back some of the ad time or move the funds to a joint committee with the candidates, taking advantage of lower candidate rates.

"While the scale of these cuts is unprecedented, the NRSC is also ahead of its typical schedule on its ad spending, having already spent $36.5 million on television spots this cycle, as opposed to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's $1.9 million to date," Politico reports. A second Republican strategist called the cuts "unreal," especially because the NRSC did not pull ad spending in less-competitive New Hampshire, Washington, or Colorado races.

The NRSC has had to step after the GOP candidate in battleground have failed to raise enough money to run their own ads. At the same time, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) Senate Leadership Fund super PAC is pouring money into ads in Pennsylvania and other states where the NSRC is pulling back. McConnell's group has reserved $150 million in ads for this fall.

The former Israeli army trainer of a military dog killed in action said he is saddened that the death a Palestinian girl got less media coverage


Bethany Dawson
Sun, August 14, 2022 

Ben Silberstein (right) and Zili, the dog he trained (left) with a handler from Israel's National Counter Terror UnitBen Silberstein

Former IDF soldier Ben Silberstein trained a dog called Zili and died in a shootout with Palestinian militants.

Silberstein took to Facebook to remember the dog but also to highlight a Palestinian girl's death.

"An Israeli dog that is killed captures more media coverage than a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza," he said.

Zili was a nine-year-old male Belgian Malinois that served with Israel's elite Yamam counterterrorism police unit.

The dog had been on duty in hundreds of operations, say local reports, but last week was his final mission. Zili died in a shootout in Nablus on the West Bank earlier this week.

Zili's unit exchanged fire with three suspected Palestinian militants, including Ibrahim Nabulsi, 26, a wanted senior member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, according to the BBC.

Nabulsi was killed, along with two other militants, and 40 Palestinian were injured. The dog was the only Israeli causality reported.

His bravery was lauded in Israel. "Zili was part of the unit, appreciated and professional. He will be missed by the unit, the dog handlers and the fighters he accompanied on numerous operational missions," Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement, per i24 News.

Ben Silberstein, 29, the former IDF soldier who trained Zili, his namesake, took to Facebook to remember the dog and also to highlight the moral ambiguity of the treatment of a dog's death in the wider context of the civilian victims of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"I must admit that I initially felt mixed feelings regarding the story – on the one hand, sadness for the loss of a dog that I knew from the day he was born, and pride that his name is being shared by so many people and referred to as a 'hero'," he wrote.

But, he added: "I am indeed a dog person, but I am also a people person. The death of a 5-year-old girl saddens me, the indifference to her death saddens me."

Silberstein was apparently referring to the death of five-year-old Alaa Qadoum, who was playing outside a relative's home in the Gaza Strip when an Israeli airstrike hit the street and killed her, The New York Times reported.

She was one of the victims of the latest bout of fighting earlier this month between Israel and Palestinian militants based in the Gaza Strip. It began when Israeli forces assassinated the commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The militants responded by firing hundreds of rockets into Israel, mostly shot down by the Iron Dome defense system.

After three days of fighting, 49 Palestinian civilians were dead. Thirty were killed during Israeli strikes, including 17 civilians, among them three girls, a boy, and four women. Botched launches of Palestinian rockets killed 19, including 12 children, according to a report by Haaretz.

"The reality in which we live is a reality that an Israeli dog that is killed captures more media coverage than a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who was killed in Gaza," he wrote on Facebook.

"I loved Zili," wrote Silberstein, "I know he did a lot of good things to protect me and my friends, both in the army and outside of it. Even now - I hope he helps me bring up an issue that is important to me to be discussed and that I hope will even better protect me and my friends in the future. May his memory be a blessing."

"She was an innocent little girl"

The grandfather of Palestinian girl Alaa Qadoum carries her body in Gaza City on. August 5.

Ashraf Amra/Reuters

Alaa Qadoum was killed around 4:30 p.m. on August 5 by an Israeli airstrike in the Shuja'iyya neighborhood of Gaza City.

Alaa instantly died when shrapnel hit her forehead, chest, and right leg, according to Mohammed Abu Selmeyeh, director of Al Shifa Hospital, per Middle East Eye.

"She was an innocent little girl," her grandfather said, per The New York Times. "Was she launching rockets on the border? She was a child who wanted to see her whole life ahead of her."
We have to humanize casualties to end the conflict, says former IDF soldier

Speaking to Insider, Silberstein said that he made his Facebook post to draw attention to what he believes needs to be done to end the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"We need to speak about the casualties of this conflict on both sides," he said "If it's a dog, if it's a five-year-old kid from Gaza, or an Israeli soldier, Israeli civilian, or Palestinian civilian. I just think that we have to speak about it more, that's the only way we can go into reconciliation between the two peoples."

He added that it is important to focus on what living amid perpetual conflict means. He described communities "wounded by anxiety," tormented by the knowledge that they or their loved ones could be killed at any moment.

Silberstein now works for the Geneva Initiative, a joint Israel-Palestine organization that is working to end the conflict.

Independence day speech: PM Narendra Modi calls on Indians to fight misogyny

Geeta Pandey and Cherylann Mollan - BBC News
Mon, August 15, 2022 

PM Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort

On Monday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the citizens from the ramparts of the historic Red Fort on the occasion of India's 75th birthday.

Upon his arrival at the 17th Century monument, Mr Modi unfurled the national flag and was greeted by a 21-gun salute. As he took to the stage, helicopters flew past, showering flower petals on the flag.

In a speech watched by millions of Indians on live TV, Mr Modi spoke on a plethora of issues, laying out a roadmap for the country's development, calling for an end to misogyny and weeding out corruption and nepotism.

Here are some of the highlights:

'Do nothing that lowers the dignity of women'

In his first Independence-Day speech after taking over as prime minister in 2014, Mr Modi had condemned rapes in India and questioned parents for putting restrictions on their daughters while letting their sons do as they pleased.

On Monday too, he spoke about gender equality and emphasised the importance of treating sons and daughters as equal at home.

"Maybe this is not a topic for the Red Fort, but who else can I share my pain with if not with the people of my country?" he said.

"For some reason, a distortion has crept into our conduct, our behaviour, our words so at times we insult women. Can we take a pledge to stop this behaviour?" he asked.

Mr Modi emphasized the need for gender equality in India

Paying tributes to several women freedom fighters, Mr Modi said women's role in India's progress was ever growing.

Hailing women's work in judiciary, governance, academics, science and sports, the prime minister said that respect for women was key to India's growth and "we need to support our nari shakti" (woman power).

"For India to achieve the goals envisioned by its freedom fighters in the next 25 years, women have to play a critical role. If we uplift women and empower them, we can achieve our goals quickly and easily.

"The more opportunities we give to our daughters, the more they will take India forward," he said.

Mr Modi's emphasis on gender equality hits all the right notes but critics point out that 75 years after independence, India remains a largely patriarchal society where misogyny is rampant.

Some took to social media to point out the misogynistic comments made by Mr Modi himself or his party members and said that to make India a gender just society, we need much more than lip service.
'Our wait for 5G is over'

The announcement that India will soon have 5G mobile services will make many happy in a country with a young population and 1.2 billion mobile phone subscribers.

With more than 500 million internet users, India is among the fastest-growing digital markets with more and more people logging in. But the growth has been uneven, mostly restricted to cities and towns while millions in rural areas have to put up with patchy connectivity.

India recently sold spectrum for 5G airwaves for approximately $19bn and reports say that the much-awaited high-speed mobile services would be launched in a few weeks.

5G services are expected to be rolled out in October this year

In his speech on Monday, Mr Modi said that digital services would reach every village and that 400,000 digital entrepreneurs were being trained in rural areas.

"India's techade [tech decade] is here. With 5G, semiconductor manufacturing and Optical Fibre Cables (OFCs) in villages, we will bring in revolutions in education, health and agriculture to the grassroots level," he said.

"The Digital India Movement can bring about revolutionary changes in India and in the lives of the common man," he added.'

'Corruption and nepotism'

In an apparent attack on his political opponents, Mr Modi said two of the biggest challenges facing India were "corruption and nepotism".

"Corruption is hollowing out the country like a termite and we will have to fight it. We are going against those who have looted the country and we are trying to get the loot back. We are entering a decisive phase and no high or mighty would be spared now."

Mr Modi said "while some people did not have homes, others did not have enough space to keep their ill-gotten wealth" and wondered why people felt sympathy for those politicians who had been jailed for corruption.

"For this mentality to end," he said "people must hate corruption and the corrupt and look down upon them socially."

In the same breath, Mr Modi talked about nepotism, calling on "citizens of India to stand against dynasty and dynastic politics".

Since its independence in 1947, India has been ruled for a large part by the Congress party which is led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. Many Indian states are also ruled by local political families.

Mr Modi, who often speaks proudly of his humble origins, never fails to take potshots at dynasties and Monday's speech was no different.
'Nepotism is not just in politics'

But on this occasion, Mr Modi went a step ahead to say that when he talked about nepotism, it was not just about politics.

"Dynasty kills merit, but unfortunately dynasty is not just limited to politics. We need to discourage this in institutions, in sports. We need to start a revolution against it."

Mr Modi credited India's recent success in sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics to the transparency in the selection process of athletes.

"It's not that we didn't have talent earlier, but transparent selection bereft of nepotism has led to Indians winning medals," he said.

Some, however, have pointed out that Mr Modi's government has been spending more money on athletes, but India's medal haul has been better in the past - in Birmingham, India won 61 medal while in 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India's tally was 101.

Expert advances ‘active’ pilot theory after MH370 crash investigation, ATSB orders search data review

Ryan General

• British aerospace engineer Richard Godfrey has pinpointed what he claims to be the location of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370).
• The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft carrying 239 people mysteriously disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.
• Previous multinational search efforts failed to find the wreckage of the plane.
• According to Godfrey, Flight 370 hit the ocean about 1200 miles (1,933 kilometers) west of Perth, Australia, and some 13,123 feet (4,000 meters) under the water.
• Godfrey pinpointed the location using Weak Signal Propagation Reporter analysis to monitor radio frequency disturbances the plane created around the world.
• Godfrey also noticed irregular patterns the aircraft made throughout its journey that fateful day which shows that pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah may have contributed to causing the plane to go off course.
• It remains unclear whether the new findings will lead to renewed efforts to search for the wreckage in the new location.
• Australian Transport Safety Bureau released a statement saying that Godfrey is a credible expert on the subject of MH370 but declined to endorse a new search.

A retired aerospace engineer believes he has uncovered the whereabouts of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), the passenger aircraft from Malaysia that disappeared nearly eight years ago, after conducting an unofficial investigation. His findings have led to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to order a review of search data.

The Malaysian Airlines flight shocked the world when it mysteriously “vanished,” along with the 239 people on board (227 passengers and 12 crew), while traveling to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, 2014.

The global effort to find the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft began in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea before eventually extending to the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The four-year search, which eventually became known as the most expensive aviation search in history for its $200 million cost, yielded no wreckage from the doomed flight.

According to retired British aerospace engineer and physicist Richard Godfrey, flight 370 could have fallen into the ocean about 1,200 miles (1,933 kilometers) west of Perth, Australia, and some 13,123 feet (4,000 meters) under the water in an area known as the “seventh arc.”

Godfrey determined the plane’s purported final destination by using Weak Signal Propagation Reporter analysis to monitor radio frequency disturbances the plane created around the world.  

He pointed out the irregular patterns the aircraft made throughout its journey, such as the 360-degree turns it made over the ocean

In an interview with “60 Minutes Australia” on Sunday, Godfrey said, “Everyone has assumed up until now there was a straight path, perhaps even on autopilot. I believe there was an active pilot for the whole flight.”

Godfrey said such aircraft behavior shows pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah appears to have caused the plane to go off course deliberately, supporting a theory about the pilot’s alleged involvement in the crash

He revealed that the plane displayed an unusual holding pattern for around 20 minutes, about three hours into the flight. A pilot typically keeps the plane in the holding pattern within specified airspace, which happens when an aircraft is waiting for permission to leave or getting ready before a landing.

“He may have just simply wanted time to make up his mind, where he would go from here,” he told “60 Minutes Australia.” “I hope that if there was any contact with Malaysian authorities that after eight years now they’d be willing to divulge that.”

He then showed 160 points pinned on a map where radio frequency signals over the Indian Ocean were purportedly disturbed by MH370

In a statement, the ATSB wrote that Godfrey is a credible expert on the subject of MH370 and that it had ordered Geoscience Australia review its search data “to re-validate that no items of interest were detected” in the search area recommended by Godfrey. The Bureau concluded by saying that any further searches would be up to the Malaysian government, however.

“The ATSB acknowledges the importance of locating the aircraft to provide answers and closure to the families of those who lost loved ones,” ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell noted. “The ATSB remains an interested observer in all efforts to find the missing aircraft.

Featured Image via 60 Minutes Australia (left) CGTN (right)

MY THEORY IS THAT MH370 WAS TAKEN DOWN BY A WATERSPOUT

PM Kishida vows Japan will never again wage war as China, S. Korea condemn visits to Yasukuni Shrine



Michelle De Pacina

NextShark

Mon, August 15, 2022 

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed his country would never again wage war during a ceremony on the anniversary of Japan’s World War II defeat.

In Kishida’s first address since taking office in October, he promised Japan would “never again repeat the horrors of war” at a somber ceremony on Monday which marked the 77th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender.

“I will continue to live up to this determined oath,” Kishida said. “In a world where conflicts are still unabated, Japan, under the banner of proactive pacifism, will do its utmost to work together with the international community to resolve the various challenges facing the world.”

In his speech, Kishida highlighted the damages Japan has suffered from the U.S. atomic bombings during World War II, and he said that the prosperity that Japan has today is due to the sacrifices of those who died in the war.

The anniversary is traditionally marked by visits to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates those who died in service of Japan, including 14 wartime leaders who were convicted as war criminals. The visits, which often spark disputes, are viewed by China and South Korea as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.

Although Kishida did not visit the shrine, he reportedly sent a religious ornament, as he also did in 2021, as an offering instead. Three of his cabinet members, including Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, Disaster Reconstruction Minister Kenya Akiba and Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, decided to visit the shrine.

“I paid respects to the spirits of those who sacrificed their lives for the national policy,” Takaichi reportedly told reporters, while also noting her prayer for the end of the war in Ukraine.

“In any country, it is natural to pay respects to those who sacrificed their lives to their nation,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno reportedly said, defending the visits. “There is no change to Japan’s policy of strengthening its ties with its neighbors China and South Korea.”

However, the shrine visits continue to spark criticism from China and South Korea.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wengbin said Japan needs to “deeply reflect” on its history and to gain the trust of its Asian neighbors by acting responsibly.

“Some Japanese political figures frequently distort and glorify the history of aggression in various ways, and openly violate the Cairo Declaration and other important legal documents that clearly provide for the return of Taiwan to China,” Wang said.

In South Korea, officials have expressed “deep disappointment” towards the shrine visits, which they believe beautifies Japan’s past invasions.

“The Korean government is urging Japan’s responsible people to face history and show humble reflection and genuine reflection on the past through action,” a spokesperson for South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly said in a statement.

The day also marks the National Liberation Day of Korea, a holiday that is celebrated in both North and South Korea. It annually commemorates Victory over Japan Day, when the U.S. and the Soviet Union restored Korea’s independence after 35 years of Japanese rule.

Featured Image via Reuters

Korea Inc's foreign labour crunch puts older workers back in factories

The skyline of central Seoul is seen during a foggy day in Seoul

Mon, August 15, 2022 
By Cynthia Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - When Hwang Kwang-jo's factory in Seoul faced a staffing crunch earlier this year after the departure of Nepalese workers and younger locals, he hired a 61-year-old to pick up some of the work.

While the job, which involves handling heavy alloy bars, is less than ideal for workers close to retirement, the pandemic has diminished South Korea's pool of foreign labour, forcing firms to widen the net.

Compounding that challenge is younger Koreans' reluctance to take up blue-collar jobs.

"It's incredibly difficult to fill vacancies, I never received any resumes from those in their 20s," said Hwang, chief executive at Iljin Enterprise, an aluminium moulding plant that usually employs about 35 people. "We were able to find Mr. Oh in April after the two Nepalese had to leave the country due to visa issues.

The scramble for labour in South Korea, where unemployment hit a near-record low of 2.9% in July, has led to a surge in the number of elderly people in the workforce with 58% of the job increases driven by people aged 60 and older.

But even that hasn't been enough to ease staff shortages across the industrial and farming sectors in Asia's fourth-largest economy, setting up new price pressures with inflation already running at a 24-year high.

In South Korea, the world's fastest ageing society, 33.1% of people aged between 70-74 are still working, topping the OECD's scale measuring the employment for the age group and far higher than the OECD average of 15.2%.

Central bank data shows over 230,000 of those aged 60 or over have found jobs at factories and construction sites since early 2020, while younger people have been leaving those sectors.

While South Korea's foreign worker contingent, at 848,000, is relatively small compared with other industrialised economies, migrants make an important contribution to the factory sector.

Since early 2020, the monthly inflow of new foreign workers is about 35% of what the country had in 2019, before the pandemic, government data showed.

Japan is experiencing a similar problem, with strict pandemic controls keeping migrant labour out, prompting an even greater reliance on the elderly population to fill vacancies.

Hwang at Iljin Enterprise says while the physical demands of work at his factory make it better suited for younger foreign and local workers, he doesn't have much choice.

"If I can't get any younger folks or foreign workers, it would be my bottom choice but I might need to hire more older folks," said Hwang, who recently gave all his crew a raise on top of the 700,000 won monthly bonuses he gave his foreign staff.

The government said last week it plans to loosen visa restrictions and cut red tape for foreign workers to help fill vacancies.

For Kim Ji-hwang, a land developer in Danyang, two-and-a-half hours south of Seoul, a staff shortage prompted him to hire 64-year-old Park Jang-young.

Park's new job requires him to clean trucks and equipment at the development site and earns him about 3.7 million won ($2,844.18) a month, significantly more than his previous job at a parking lot.

"I know my boss prefers to find younger folks but young people go to Seoul after graduation - even foreign workers are picky, they have a good network and community to share information about pay, working conditions," Park said. "I will stick to this job unless I get fired - it's good pay I think for my age."

(Reporting by Cynthia Kim; Additional reporting by Choonsik Yoo, Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Sam Holmes)