UNITED STATES
Activist’s bubble bursts
A longtime endurance runner and peace activist whose latest goal was to reach Bermuda in a homemade floating “Hydro Pod” was rescued by the coast guard on Saturday after he began suffering from fatigue. Coast guard air crew were able to safely pick up Reza Baluchi and the bubble on Saturday, spokeswoman Marilyn Fajardo said in a statement. He was transported to a nearby coast guard station and found to be uninjured, Fajardo said. A statement on Baluchi’s Web site said the Iranian exile had planned to make the 1,660km trip in his self-designed bubble to raise money “for children in need” and “to ... inspire those that have lost hope for a better future.” Baluchi has made headlines before, including with a six-month journey in which he ran around the perimeter of the US and a seven-year bike trip that he said brought him across 55 countries on six continents.
UNITED STATES
Passenger jet tires explode
A pair of tires blew out on an Aeromexico jetliner carrying 129 passengers and six crew members as it was getting ready to take off from Los Angeles International Airport at about 6:30am on Saturday, forcing the pilot to stop the plane, but causing no injuries. No one was injured and all were safely taken off Aeromexico Flight 18 and boarded onto buses to the terminal, where they took other flights bound for Mexico City. A pair of blown tires on the left side of the Boeing 737 caused the breakdown, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration said the left landing gear had collapsed. Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the blown tires were discovered later.
UNITED STATES
Sept. 11 flag burns in fire
A flag that flew over the Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, was consumed in a fire at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, the National Park Service said on Saturday. Friday’s fire in Shanksville destroyed the park’s headquarters complex. State police and the park service are conducting a joint investigation into the blaze, whose cause has not been determined, the park service said. Park staff completed an initial inventory on Saturday and said that, in addition to the flag, the losses included a handful of personal items of passengers and crew; DVD copies of the annual commemoration ceremony and meetings of the Flight 93 National Memorial Federal Advisory Commission; and about 100 tribute items left by visitors since 2001. Park staff saved hundreds of oral histories and a photograph collection. The memorial marks the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed during the Sept. 11 attacks after passengers fought back against its hijackers.
UNITED STATES
Folsom forges Cash tribute
The city of Folsom has completed the first section of the “Johnny Cash Trail” that will pay tribute to the country music icon and his 1968 album At Folsom Prison. City officials unveiled the first section of the 4km trail on Saturday: a pedestrian and bike bridge designed to echo Folsom State Prison’s east gate guard towers, according to the Sacramento Bee. The trail will traverse prison property and link to area trails. The newspaper reports that the city is planning a US$3 million fundraising drive to pay for a 0.8 hectare park next to the bridge and art installations along the trail, including a 12m-tall steel statue of Cash.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was