Death toll of rare saiga antelope reaches 85,000 in Kazakhstan

Saiga antelope

    

Authorities in Kazakhstan says around one-third of the endangered saiga antelope population in this Central Asian nation has mysteriously died off in the last few days.

Kazakhstan's agriculture ministry said Friday the number of saiga that have died may have reached 85,000.

The ministry says it suspects the animals, which are recognizable for their distinctive humped snout, may have been struck by an epidemic of pasteurellosis caused by a bacterial infection. Officials say international veterinarian experts have been flown to Kazakhstan to study other possible causes for the catastrophic die-off.

The number of saiga plummeted in the 1990s as a result of poaching. At the latest Kazakh government count in 2014, the saiga population stood at 257,000.

Saiga are also found in smaller numbers in parts of Russia.

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Investigation underway: Russian rocket launch costs increase after recent failure

© RT

    

According to the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, recent loss of the Proton-M rocket will push up launch costs and affect the overall number of contracts.
"No doubt, the latest failure will affect the number of orders that we expected to sign in the near future because insurance costs will grow. Naturally, this will affect the overall price of a launch," Andrei Kalinovsky told the Rossiya-24 TV.

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The latest of seven Proton carrier rocket failures over the past five years occurred on May 16. A Proton-M with a payload of cargo for the International Space Station lost its telemetry contact with the Earth after reaching space and began spinning out of control. A few days later, it fell from an uncontrollable orbit and burned up in the atmosphere.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered an investigative commission to uncover the exact causes of the Proton-M accident. The commission will present recommendations on personal and financial responsibility as well as ways to repair what went wrong.

It was revealed in mid-May that Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center sustained losses nearing $180 million last year due to employee embezzlement and fraud. An investigation into the Moscow-based spacecraft and space-launch systems producer's losses is ongoing.

© NASA
With the apparent loss of the Progress M-27M spacecraft, the failings of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) have come into sharper focus.

    

Roscosmos has also decided to send additional cargo craft to the International Space Station (ISS) following the loss of the Progress M-27M resupply ship on April 28.

"It has been decided to send three resupply ships to the ISS instead of two before the end of this year, in July, September and November," a source in the space industry said.

Meanwhile, Rogozin admitted that Russia won't be able to launch the Proton rocket until the investigation is over:
He also suggested that Russian space specialists should inform their European and U.S. partners about the investigation results so "everyone understands that we have taken exhaustive steps to restore the reliability of our technology and this is important for Russia to keep its place on the market of space services."

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Fukushima leak 'could cause hydrogen explosion' at nuclear plant

© EPA
Tokyo Electric Power Co. Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant

    

Warnings of risk of hydrogen explosion due to build up of gases in containers leaking radioactive water at Japan's disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant

Leaking containers at Japan's embattled Fukushima nuclear power plant are at risk of possible hydrogen explosions, experts have claimed.

Almost 10 per cent of recently inspected containers holding contaminated water at the nuclear plant in northeast Japan were found to be leaking radioactive water.

The leakages, discovered during inspections by Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), the operators of the plant, were thought to be caused by a build-up of hydrogen and other gases due to radiation contamination.

The discovery was reported to the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), which raised concerns surrounding the potential hazards of accumulated hydrogen building up in the containers.

"If the concentration level is high, a spark caused by static electricity could cause a container to explore," one NRA official told the Asahi Shimbun.

Tepco officials made the discovery while inspecting 278 of the plant's 1,307 containers and found that 26 - close to ten per cent - had a leakage or overspill from their lids.

It is believed that gases had accumulated in the sediment at the base of the containers, prompting the volume of the liquid to expand and resulting in the overflow.

However, officials at Tepco stated that the risk of an explosion was believed to be minimal, with a series of measures being undertaken as a matter of urgency to resolve the faulty storage containers.

The operators also emphasised that there was no sign of radioactive water escaping beyond the confines of the concrete structures that encase the leaking containers.

"We think the possibility of an occurrence of hydrogen explosion from these storage facilities is extremely low, since there is no fire origin, or anything that generates static electricity nearby," Mayumi Yoshida, a spokeswoman for Tepco, told the Telegraph.

Outlining measures to fix the problem, she added: "For temporary measures, we have been removing the leaked water, installing absorption materials, monitoring by patrol, keeping water level inside those facilities lower than set and keeping equipment which may generate fire away.

"In the long term, we're going to lower the water level of current facilities so as to prevent further leakages."

The plant, currently embroiled in a complex decades-long process of decommissioning, has been plagued by problems since it was damaged in the earthquake and tsunami four years ago.

Among its biggest challenges relate to the disposal of the constant stream of water flushed over reactors to keep them cool enough to prevent further radioactive releases.

Leakages, technical glitches and storage space problems have tainted the plant's on-going efforts to deal with the vast quantities of contaminated water created daily as a result.

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#SayHerName: Activists push to recognize black women victimized by police violence

© Reuters/Elizabeth Shafiroff

    

Much of the debate surrounding police behavior in the United States has revolved around fatal confrontations between unarmed black men and law enforcement, but a new movement wants to remind Americans that black women are also victims.

In order to do so, a new report was released Wednesday called 'Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women,' which documents cases in which black women have been killed, beaten or sexually assaulted by law enforcement. The report was authored by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF), the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies at Columbia University, and Andrea Ritchie, a Soros Justice Fellow and expert on women's experiences with police.

said Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, Director of the African American Policy Forum and co-author of the report, in a statement.

The group is using the hashtag #SayHerName to get its message out on social media.

On Wednesday, a vigil was held at New York City's Union Square, where dozens of people rallied, and relatives of women victimized by police brutality spoke about their experiences.

Meanwhile, a National Day of Action is planned for Thursday in numerous cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, and Seattle, organized by the Black Youth Project 100.

the group stated on its website.

Several black women have already been lost to police, according to the AAPF. In April, Alexia Christian of Atlanta was shot and killed by police inside of a patrol car. Authorities said she stole a truck and managed to free one of her hands from handcuffs before shooting at the officers inside the car, but relatives and activists question the story.

Another incident mentioned in the report concerns an Oxnard, California woman who was shot in March after local police responded to calls regarding a domestic dispute. A mother of three, 26-year-old Meagan Hockaday reportedly ran at responding officers with a knife before being shot. An investigation into the incident has been announced.

said Andrea Ritchie, who co-authored the report.

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Rain deluge brings floods to Texas and Oklahoma, killing 2 and forcing thousands to evacuate

© AP
Police officers make an emergency water rescue of a stranded motorist after heavy rain showers flood much of Amarillo, Texas, May 23, 2015.

    

A deluge of rainfall has burst rivers and brought flood warnings to several southern US states, with Texas and Oklahoma the worst hit so far.

Two people died in weather-related accidents in Oklahoma and a man died in San Marcos, Texas.

Parts of Texas saw up to 10 inches (25cm) of rain over a 24-hour period, with more predicted across the region.

There were numerous rescues on Sunday after banks burst, and hundreds of homes were destroyed in central Texas.

Warnings and alerts stretch from Colorado through to Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and eastern Kansas.

© AP
The Blanco river basin in Texas is one of the worst hit areas

    

'Worst I've seen'

One of the worst hit rivers was the Blanco in Texas.

At one point it crested at 43ft (13m) - some 30ft above the designated flood stage and 7ft higher than the 1929 record.

A flash flood emergency - reserved for the most life-threatening situations - is in effect in the river basin area.

Some 1,000 people nearby were evacuated and parts of the Interstate 35 highway were flooded and closed.

Rudy Olivo, a resident of San Marcos, told Associated Press: "This is the worst I've seen it because the water rose so fast."

© AP
Highway patrolmen use air boats for rescues in Purcell, Oklahoma

    

© AP
Several hundred houses have been destroyed in Wimberley

    

San Marcos emergency management coordinator, Kenneth Bell, said the body of one man had been recovered but had no more details. Three more people are missing.

Kristi Wyatt, communications director for the town, said: "We have people on car tops and rooftops awaiting rescue. People in homes are going to higher levels."

She said hundreds of people were now in evacuation centres and that floodwaters had washed away five police cars.

    

Several hundred houses were destroyed in the town of Wimberley.

"It looks pretty bad out there," said Hays County emergency management coordinator Kharley Smith.

"We do have whole streets with maybe one or two houses left on them and the rest are just slabs," she said.

A tornado hit Houston briefly on Sunday, damaging buildings and injuring at least two people.

Warnings of more tornados have been issued for parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.

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Flood victims are rescued in Kyle, Texas

    

© AP
A couple in Oklahoma had to make three trips to rescue their pets

    

The storm sewer system in parts of San Antonio saw water exploding from sewer covers.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered at Lake Lewis, 50 miles (80km) north of Houston, which itself saw high winds bringing down trees and blowing out windows.

Wichita Falls, also in Texas, was warned its river could burst its banks.

A fire-fighter died in Oklahoma after being swept away as he took part in a rescue effort in the town of Claremore, in the north-east of the state. He was named as Capt Jason Farley.

A woman was also killed in a weather-related traffic accident in Tulsa.

Residents were rescued from roofs in the state's Cleveland and Comanche counties.

The National Weather Service says Oklahoma City already has a new monthly rainfall record for May - at 18.19 inches.

In Colorado, El Paso and Pueblo counties and the city of Sterling were badly affected.

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Magnitude 5.6 earthquake rattles Tokyo

© Getty Images
An aerial view of the Tokyo.

    

TOKYO—A powerful earthquake shook central Tokyo on Monday afternoon, causing the temporary suspension of some bullet trains and the closure of airport runways at one of the capital's air hubs.

There was no danger of a tsunami and no initial reports of any damage, according to national broadcaster .

The magnitude 5.6 quake, centered north of Tokyo, struck at 0528 GMT. It measured a lower 5 on Japan's earthquake intensity scale in southern Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo. The intensity scale has a highest reading of 7.

Narita International Airport temporarily closed its two runways following the quake, but Haneda airport, located closer to the center of Tokyo, was running flights as scheduled, according to .

Some bullet shinkansen train services were temporarily suspended following the temblor, also said.

There were no reports of irregularities at the Tokaimura nuclear plant in southern Ibaraki, the national broadcaster said.

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Peel Region Public Health threatens to suspend boy who got vaccinations two days too soon

© Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star

    

Caledon student was immunized two days before his first birthday and now Peel Public Health could suspend him because his shots aren't valid.

Cheryl Fulcher dutifully got her son Mason,6, his necessary shots and thought he was fine until she received a letter from Peel Public Health. Now, because her son got his meningitis shot two days before his first birthday, it doesn't count.

Cheryl Fulcher is no anti-vaxxer. In fact, she has been so zealous getting shots for her son, Mason, that she had him vaccinated ahead of schedule: two days before his first birthday.

Five years on, as Mason wraps up Grade 1 at Caledon Central Public School, Peel Region Public Health is threatening to suspend him — not because he didn't get his shots, but because they were 48 hours premature.

"My doctor's office never flagged that it was a day or two early. I'm pretty anal about getting those things done when they're supposed to happen," Fulcher told the . "It's a complete surprise. It makes you feel like you aren't doing your job properly — but I thought I was."

Provincial guidelines, updated for the 2014/2015 school year, require children to receive their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot as well as a meningitis vaccination "on or after the first birthday." The Immunization of School Pupils Act stipulates that students can be suspended if they aren't properly immunized.

"We're required to adhere to the legislation," said Peel Region Public Health spokesperson Janet Eagleson. "We send out at least four different correspondences to parents well in advance, working (with them) because we don't want to suspend kids."

But Mason is courting suspension next fall because he got his shots too early and Public Health says they don't count.

"If you want to get technical, he was born five days overdue," Fulcher said.

Fulcher received a letter from Peel Public Health in March, claiming that Mason did not have his MMR and meningitis shots. Thinking there had been a mix-up, she says she called them up and explained that the record shows he received both shots at 11 months and 28 days old. She says the public health nurse told her that was too early and Mason would have to get another shot, be tested for immunity, or she could sign an affidavit saying that he wasn't being vaccinated for religious or moral reasons.

"I'm definitely not going to sign it because you have to say 'I refuse to vaccinate my kid,' which is not the truth," said Fulcher. "But if I don't do anything, they're going to suspend my kid until I do."

She appealed her son's case but found out this week that he wouldn't get an exemption.

"Peel Public Health will uphold the provincially legislated requirements for the 12 month minimum age cut-off for students," wrote Dr. Monica Hau, associate medical officer of health at Peel Public Health, explaining that the vaccinations aren't as effective if delivered before the first birthday. "There will be no exceptions made."

The Peel District School Board has no discretion to allow students any leeway with their vaccinations, said spokesperson Brian Woodland.

The board must suspend students who are deemed by Public Health to be not up to date on their vaccinations, he said. "They provide the direction, we follow."

Peel Public Health's acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, pointed to the recent outbreaks of measles as justification for why the immunization rules are so strict.

"It's not about the rules. It's actually about protecting children against diseases that we can prevent," she said.

Because the guidelines have recently changed, she expects other situations like this to arise because there's a learning curve for both doctors and parents.

Fulcher is now looking at getting Mason tested for immunity so that he won't have to get another needle.

Because the shots are covered by OHIP, they won't cost Mason's family anything, but Fulcher questions the time and resources that have gone into enforcing the rule. "It's a waste," she said.

"It needs to be more well known," said Fulcher. "If we knew this ahead of time, it would have saved everybody a huge amount of headache, hassle and worry."

"They kept saying, 'it's less effective if it's before the first birthday,' and I'm thinking, 'it's two days!' Do we really think that's going to make the difference between it working or not?"

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