Massive Oil Spill In Houston Bird Sanctuary

A big clean-up operation has begun after a barge carrying nearly one million gallons of thick oil collided with a ship in a popular bird sanctuary.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Kendrick said it is not known how much marine fuel oil, also known as special bunker, has spilled in Galveston Bay, near Houston, Texas.

At least one of the vessel's tanks - which each carry up to 168,000 gallons of oil - was holed, and a large slick was visible on the surface.

The barge, owned by Kirby Inland Marine, was being towed from Texas City to Bolivar when it collided with the 585ft-long ship Summer Wind.

The barge collided with a 585ft-long vessel in the estuary

Mr Kendrick said skimmers are trying to recover the oil and a boom is in place to protect the area's environmentally-sensitive mud flats.

The remaining oil is being removed from the sunken barge.

People worked through the night with infrared cameras to locate and skim the oil.

Jim Suydam, a spokesman for the General Land Office, said the oil is "sticky, gooey, thick, tarry stuff."

"That stuff is terrible to have to clean up," he said.

Richard Gibbons, conservation director of the Houston Audubon Society, said: "The timing really couldn't be much worse since we're approaching the peak shorebird migration season."

He said tens of thousands of wintering birds are in the area.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Plane Mystery: Pilot's Simulator 'Key'

The pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane invested vast amounts of time and money in an ultra-realistic flight simulator that is being pored over by investigators trying to solve the mystery of the jet's disappearance.

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah spent thousands of hours in the virtual cockpit of the machine playing flying games and boosting its capabilities.

The state-of-the-art setup is a key part of the investigation into flight MH370, which has been missing for more than two weeks.

Flight MH370 pilots Fariq Abdul Hamid and Zaharie Ahmad Shah

There is no evidence Mr Zaharie was responsible for the loss of the jet, and it is not uncommon for pilots to enjoy flying so much they have simulators at home.

In a post on an online message board in 2012 he posted a picture of his finished simulator, calling it "awesome" and adding it was his "passion".

The simulator was seized from the 53-year-old's home west of Kuala Lumpur by police last week, and its capabilities are extraordinary.

Mr Zaharie's simulator setup included a motion controller, which made the chair pitch and turn like in a real cockpit in order to simulate the climbs, descents and banked turns of a real plane.

There was also a centre pedestal, where aircraft controls are located, and an overhead panel.

The pair pass through airport security before the flight

The software would have allowed him to practise landing at more than 33,000 airports, on aircraft carriers, oil rigs, frigates and helipads on top of buildings.

Mr Zaharie would also have been able to use the internet to fly with friends and simulate "a lot of malfunctions, emergencies, go-arounds, return-to-base or divert with fairly exact procedures", said Naoya Fujiwara, a flight simulator expert from Japan.

Mr Fujiwara added he could have simulated weather conditions and even downloaded real weather, wind and temperature information from a professional server.

One thing he could not have simulated was evading radar. There has been speculation the jet could have flown as low as 5,000ft using "terrain masking" to try to avoid radar, claims Malaysian authorities have rejected.

Mr Zaharie's home in Kuala Lumpur

Investigators are looking at the games he was running, including Microsoft's "Flight Simulator" series and the latest "X-plane" title.

"Looking through the flight logs in these simulator games is a key part of the investigation," an official with direct knowledge of the investigation said.

"X-plane 10 was interesting to investigators because it was the latest thing Zaharie bought. Also it is the most advanced out there and had all sorts of emergency and combat scenarios."

A family photo of Malaysia Airlines pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah

The authorities in the country have also asked the FBI for help with memory recovery after discovering some data was deleted from the simulator on February 3.

Given the large amount of memory computers have, it is unclear why this happened. It could have been part of a regular maintenance routine or to help improve the simulator's performance, other users say.

The exact cost of Mr Zaharie's simulator is not known, but a rough estimate puts the sum at several thousands of pounds.

Costs vary on the parts used. A replica Boeing-737 seat from Flight Simulator Centre, a website which sells simulators, costs almost £3,000 ($5,000). An overhead panel listed on another website costs £400 ($800).

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: French Satellite Spots 'Debris'

A French satellite has spotted potential objects floating in the sea in the southern search corridor of the Indian Ocean.

The images were immediately relayed to the rescue co-ordination centre in Australia, where civilian and military aircraft have been carrying out sweeps of the area looking for signs of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

It is the third possible sighting of debris in the area. On Saturday, the Chinese government released a satellite image showing a large floating object.

A fourth day of searches proved unsuccessful on Sunday

That object, measuring 74ft (22.5m) by 43ft (13m), was photographed on Tuesday just 75 miles from where two other potential pieces of debris were spotted by an Australian satellite.

China has said further analysis is needed to determine if this is related to the plane.

A statement from Malaysia's acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said: "This morning, Malaysia received new satellite images from the French authorities showing potential objects in the vicinity of the southern corridor.

A Chinese satellite spotted this potential debris on Saturday

"Malaysia immediately relayed these images to the Australian rescue co-ordination centre.

"Australia, China and France have now released satellite images that show potential objects, which may be related to MH370, in the vicinity of the southern corridor.

"All this information has been forwarded to Australia, as the lead country in the area of concern."

Eight aircraft, based at an air base north of Perth in Australia, were involved in a fruitless fourth day of searching for the debris on Sunday in a zone around 1,550 miles southwest of the coast.

Two objects spotted by an Australian satellite last Sunday

A statement from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the search area - which extends 1,553 miles from Perth - was affected by sea fog.

Volunteers from the State Emergency Service (SES) were on board civil aircraft as observers. The search will resume on Monday.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had earlier spoke of the "increasing hope" of finding out what happened to MH370.

The southern corridor and the area of ocean being searched

He said: "It's still too early to be definite, but obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads and there is increasing hope, no more than hope, no more than hope, that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."

The authority said the search operation had been split into two areas, with a total of eight aircraft involved in an operation that covers 22,800 sq miles (59,000 sq km).

The wing of a Boeing 777-200ER is approximately 88ft (27m) long and 45ft (14m) wide at its base, according to estimates taken from scale drawings.

The fuselage is 208ft (63.7m) long and 20ft (6.2m) wide.

Malaysian authorities held a six-hour briefing in Beijing with relatives of passengers on board the flight.

Bad weather has threatened the operation after a cyclone warning was declared for Tropical Cyclone Gillian, which is forecast to move into the southern search corridor.

A cold front is also predicted to move through the region later on Sunday, which could bring clouds and wind.

The Malaysia Airline flight disappeared from air traffic control screens in the early hours of March 8 with 239 people on board.

Investigators believe it was deliberately diverted by someone on board shortly after leaving Malaysian air space.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Officer And Two Others Shot Dead In Florida

A police officer and two people he stopped for questioning have been found shot dead in Florida.

Robert German, 31, called for backup after seeing a young man and woman acting suspiciously at around 4am on Saturday in Windermere, 15 miles west of Orlando.

When police arrived they heard gunshots and found Mr German fatally wounded, said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

An unnamed man and woman matching the description of the pair stopped were found dead nearby and it was likely they had killed themselves, he told a news conference.

Mr German was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation into the "senseless tragedy" is ongoing, said Windermere Police Chief David Ogden.

"Officer German was a good cop," he said.

Mr German had been with the department for five years and recently returned to duty after recovering from a shoulder injury.

Windermere has a population of about 3,000 people and one of the lowest crime rates in Florida, Mayor Gary Bruhn said.

He said it was the first line-of-duty death in the town's history.

"Violent crime is just not something that happens in the town of Windermere," Mr Bruhn said. "So it's really, really difficult."

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chaos As Russians Smash Their Way Into Air Base

Ukraine Monitoring Mission Will Stop 'Bandits'

Updated: 12:52pm UK, Saturday 22 March 2014

Russia has agreed to civilian observers monitoring the political and security situation in Ukraine, claiming it will help stamp out "ultra-radical tendencies" in the country.

However, Russia said it was barring them from the recently-annexed region of Crimea.

The country also hit back at the widening of sanctions, calling them "divorced from reality" and said it reserved the right to impose sanctions of its own.

The 57 member countries of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) have agreed an initial deployment of 100 monitors to regions in the east, south and west of Ukraine.

They will spend six months in the country and 400 more could be added "as necessary and according to the situation", diplomats said.

Western countries have been pushing hard for an observer mission as a way of preventing an escalation of tensions in Ukraine following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Russia had blocked the plan on previous occasions.

OSCE vice-chairperson Thomas Greminger welcomed the decision as a "very meaningful contribution to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine".

But, in a statement on Saturday, Russia's Foreign Ministry made it clear Crimea is a 'no-go area' for the observers.

It said: "The mission's mandate reflects the new political and legal realities and does not apply to Crimea and Sevastopol, which became a part of Russia."

"Russia hopes that the objective and impartial work of the international observers will help to overcome the internal Ukrainian crisis, stop rampant nationalist banditry, eradicate ultra-radical tendencies."

US ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel Baer, said he remained optimistic that the mission would have access throughout Ukraine, including Crimea.

Mr Baer said OSCE teams would start deploying within 24 hours.

Prime Minister David Cameron and other EU leaders have imposed sanctions on 12 more people to punish Moscow for its takeover of the Ukrainian territory.

There are now 33 Ukrainians and Russians on the list.

"It's a pity that the European Council made a decision that is divorced from reality," said Russia's Foreign Ministry in a statement on its website.

"We believe it is time to return to the platform of pragmatic cooperation that reflects the interests of our countries.

"However, of course, the Russian side reserves itself the right to give a comparable answer to the actions taken."

The EU also agreed to step up moves to reduce the bloc's reliance on Russian energy.

Mr Cameron said EU members needed to do more to develop their own reserves, as well as their ability to use gas from overseas producers, including the US.

The Prime Minister said: "Our message to Russia is clear: choose the path to diplomacy and de-escalation or face increasing isolation and tighter and tighter sanctions."

Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander also said Russia must realise there are "costs and consequences" in order to deter President Putin from any repeat of what has happened in Crimea.

David Cameron also refused to rule out further sanctions against several oligarchs, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's foreign affairs minister said that a political association agreement signed between the European Union and Ukraine was the choice of the Ukrainian people.

Andrii Deshchytsia said the agreement had been on the table for years.

The highly symbolic piece of paper is part of the same EU deal that sparked Ukraine's political crisis when then-President Viktor Yanukovych rejected it in November and chose a bailout from Russia instead.

At the Kremlin on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed parliamentary legislation incorporating Crimea into Russia and hailed it as a "remarkable event".

As the crisis goes on, US President Barack Obama heads to Europe on Monday for a six-day trip.

He will visit The Hague for a nuclear security summit and a meeting of the G7, then to Brussels for a summit of European leaders and a meeting with the Nato secretary general.

He will also be going to Rome and the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, before leaving the continent to head to Saudi Arabia.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Russia Troop Build-Up 'Sizeable And Ready' - Nato

The Russian military force on Ukraine's eastern border is "very, very sizeable and very, very ready", according to Nato's top military commander.

General Philip Breedlove said he was worried they could make a move for Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region.

"There is absolutely sufficient force postured on the eastern border of Ukraine to run to Transdniestria if the decision was made to do that and that is very worrisome," said Nato's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.

Transdniestria, a narrow strip of land to Ukraine's southwest, already has a Russian military presence and most people there favour a union with the country.

General Breedlove is worried about the size of Russian troop build-up

Russian troops violently flushed out the remaining pockets of Ukrainian military influence in Crimea on Saturday, smashing armoured vehicles through the walls of Belbek airforce base in a swift takeover.

President Putin last week signed papers making Crimea part of Russia at a ceremony in Moscow, and most experts agree there is no way of winning back the region.

Transdniestria is a thin sliver of land in east Moldova (pictured in blue)

Speaking to Sky News, Ukraine's Ambassador to the UK, Volodymyr Khandogiy, said European powers had not done enough to help his country.

"The US is more resolute in their actions and words. We appreciate what Europe is doing (but) we would have liked a more aggressive approach," said Mr Khandogiy.

"If I'm asked if Europe has done enough I would say no."

Foreign Secretary William Hague has also warned Russia it is not simply facing "short-term pain" of limited sanctions, but long-term "isolation and stagnation" following its landgrab in Crimea.

In an article for The Sunday Telegraph, he wrote: "The European Commission are working now on more far-reaching economic measures that will be imposed if Russia takes further steps to undermine Ukraine."

Armed men seized the navy ship Slavutich

He said Britain and its allies had "never given up on diplomacy or sought a path of permanent confrontation with Russia".

"But nor should European nations run scared before bullying behaviour," he added.

Mr Hague said it was now necessary to "contemplate a new state of relations with Russia that is very different to the last 20 years".

Russia took control of several Ukrainian military bases on Saturday, in a territory which it now firmly considers its own.

Several hundred protesters raised the Russian flag after storming an airforce base in the western Crimean town of Novofedorivka while pro-Kremlin forces watched.

Armoured carriers smashed their way into the airbase near Sevastopol

In the city of Sevastopol, armed men seized control of the Slavutich, one of the last navy ships in Crimea still flying Ukraine's flag.

But the most dramatic episode saw Russian special forces break into the nearby Belbek air base, which has long been the pride of Ukraine's air force.

Sky News Chief Correspondent Stuart Ramsay was inside the sprawling compound as the attack took place.

"They came through the walls in armoured personnel carriers," he said, adding that the forces were "all balaclaved" and wore "slightly different uniforms to regular Russian soldiers".

Ramsay also heard "big explosions" which he said were probably blast bombs to disorientate the Ukrainian troops, who were then made to line up on a parade ground.

The base is in a key strategic position on Crimea's Black Sea coast

He said the Ukrainians were "massively outnumbered and outgunned" by the Russians, with just small arms and a few machine guns.

Ukraine's defence ministry later confirmed its men had left the base and said a journalist and a Ukrainian soldier had been wounded during the takeover.

Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor Sam Kiley said the base was an important capture for the Russians.

The Ukrainian troops were 'outnumbered'

"It is a base that is home to a significant number, possibly a third, of the main combat aircraft of the Ukrainian air force - the MIG-29s - and their support aircraft and the structures that go with them," he said.

"If you look at that and the blockage of the Ukrainian Navy in the shared port of Sevastopol in Crimea, what you see here is the Russians doing two things.

"The first is to seize territory that they now lay claim to and the second is to cripple the Ukrainian armed forces.

"That is extremely important to them if they want to move into the Ukrainian eastern provinces where there are a predominance of Russian speakers."

The Foreign Office has extended its travel warnings and is advising against all but essential travel to Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk due to increased tension in eastern Ukraine.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Michelle Obama Tours China's Great Wall

US First Lady Michelle Obama has toured the Great Wall of China after her arrival at the US embassy in Beijing caused a minor security alert.

She and her daughters Malia and Sasha are in China as part of a week-long visit focused on education and "soft issues" rather than politics.

They strolled along a popular section of the wall at Mutianyu, northeast of Beijing, and then descended the mountain on a toboggan.

Vendors at the tourist site appeared to have removed T-shirts showing President Barack Obama in a Mao hat, with one merchant revealing a boxful of the souvenirs stored in the back of her tent.

Michelle Obama walks with her daughters Malia and Sasha

Earlier in the day, as Mrs Obama's motorcade arrived at the US embassy for a meeting with education chiefs, parents and students, two people outside the building began shouting.

Police hurried to detain them, and it was unclear why they were yelling.

Since arriving in China on Thursday night, Mrs Obama, who is also travelling with her mother Marian Robinson, has played table tennis with students and toured the Forbidden City with her counterpart Peng Liyuan.

She touched on human rights in a speech at Peking University's Stanford Centre, but refrained from naming China.

The family are also visiting other famous tourist sites in China

"As my husband has said, we respect the uniqueness of other cultures and societies," she told a crowd of about 200 students, most of them from the US.

"But when it comes to expressing yourself freely, and worshipping as you choose, and having open access to information - we believe those are universal rights that are the birthright of every person on this planet.

"We believe that all people deserve the opportunity to fulfil their highest potential, as I was able to do in the United States."

But the majority of her speech was devoted to encouraging American students to study in China.

Mrs Obama is also visiting the northern city of Xian, site of the famous ancient Terracotta Warriors, and Chengdu in the southwest.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Frantic Search For Survivors In Deadly Mudslide

Rescue crews have been frantically searching for survivors of a mudslide which killed three people after hearing shouts for help from under the debris.

The 41m (135ft) wide and 55m (180ft) deep slide of mud, rock and trees bulldozed six homes and blocked the highway and river in Oso, 17 miles east of Arlington, in Washington State.

The slide flattened six homes

Eight people were injured, including a six-month-old boy who is critically ill in the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

A number of people are still missing and 100 rescuers are desperately trying to get to victims whose voices were heard under the debris.

The river was blocked causing fears of flooding

Snohomish County Fire District 21 Chief Travis Hots said searchers are not giving up on finding people alive.

He said: "We have people who are yelling for our help, and we are going to take extreme risks."

Rescue teams gather to search for the missing

Rescuers have been warned of the threat of flooding because the slide blocked the river.

Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said two other victims - an 81-year-old man and a 58-year-old man - are in a critical condition, while a 37-year-old man is seriously hurt.

The slip blocked the highway

Eyewitness Paulo Falcao told the Daily Herald newspaper he was driving and had to brake to avoid the mudslide.

He said: "I just saw the darkness coming across the road. Everything was gone in three seconds."

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

L'Wren Scott Funeral Location Revealed

The funeral for L'Wren Scott will be held in Los Angeles, Sir Mick Jagger's representative has said.

The fashion designer, 49, was found dead at her New York apartment on March 17. A post-mortem confirmed she had taken her own life.

A precise location or date for the service is still to be announced.

Sir Mick is in Los Angeles being comforted by his children and has reportedly hired out an entire floor of a upscale hotel to ensure privacy.

To keep the funeral low key, the other members of the Rolling Stones are thought to be staying away.

Sir Mick was in a relationship with the American designer and former model for 13 years.

The 70-year-old singer said he was "struggling to understand" why she killed herself. No suicide note was found.

L'Wren Scott's British fashion company made a £3.5m loss in 2012, but was apparently not in danger of shutting down.

New York-based PR Consulting said in a statement that while she was considering restructuring her business, the long-term prospects were encouraging.

The Rolling Stones postponed Australian and New Zealand dates following the tragedy but are planning to be back on stage soon.

The band's French promoter said on Sunday they would play Paris's Stade de France stadium on June 13 - their first gig at the venue since 2007.

Other new summer dates on their 14 On Fire tour will also be announced shortly.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius Trial Extended Until Mid-May

The Oscar Pistorius murder trial has been extended until the middle of May.

The trial was expected to last three weeks but will enter week four on Monday with prosecutors yet to conclude their case.

Now "all parties" have consented to a sizeable extension.

Pistorius claims he shot dead his model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, 29, after mistaking her for an intruder on Valentine's Day 2013.

Prosecutors argue the shots fired through a bathroom door were part of a pre-meditated murder.

They are expected to start bringing their case to a conclusion this week before the court adjourns for a recess on April 4.

Pistorius has yet to take the stand

The trial will resume on April 14 until May 16.

A total of 107 witnesses could be called - but the court has heard from just 18 in the 13 days so far.

Pistorius must still be questioned by both the prosecution and defence.

The trial's extension comes as a South African legal expert claimed a strong case for murder had been made by the state over the past three weeks.

"Suddenly what we have is Oscar Pistorius firing at Reeva Steenkamp while her hands are covering her head while she's screaming in the toilet, and that's murder," said Marius du Toit, a former state prosecutor involved in scores of murder cases.

"There's definitely a golden thread here. A golden thread of someone who was screaming and who was shot.

"The objective facts, which are the injuries she sustained, coupled with the expert opinion, tied with your circumstantial evidence presented by witnesses.

"And if that ties up with one another then Oscar has got a major problem."

The trial has attracted interest from media across the world

Mr du Toit believes Pistorius' own evidence will be key for the defence.

"The only question is whether there was intent and intent is subjective," Mr du Toit said.

"That means the accused must come and dispel that. Oscar is definitely going to be the key, but I wonder if it's going to be good for him."

South African trials do not have juries and the verdict and any sentence will be decided by Judge Thokozile Masipa, assisted by two assessors.

If found guilty Pistorius faces a minimum of 15 years in jail.

The 27-year-old is a double amputee who has six Paralympic medals and competed in the London Olympics.

23.59 | 0 komentar | Read More