Ancient mass grave found on Olympics site
An ancient burial pit containing 45 severed skulls, that could be a mass war grave dating back to Roman times, has been found under a road being built for the 2012 British Olympics.
Archaeologists, who have only just begun excavating the site, say they do not yet know who the bones might belong to.
"We think that these dismembered bodies are likely to be native Iron Age Britons. The question is -- how did they die and who killed them," said dig head, David Score, of Oxford Archaeology.
"Were they fighting amongst themselves? Were they executed by the Romans? Did they die in a battle with the Romans?
"The exciting scenario for us possibly is that there were skirmishes with the invading Romans and that's how they ended up chopped up in a pit," he told Reuters.
When the main Roman invasion force landed in Britain in AD 43, Claudius' legions moved swiftly through western England to subdue fierce Celtic tribes.
The skulls and other bones were unearthed at a place called Ridgeway Hill, on the construction site of a new major relief road to Weymouth, on the Dorset coast in southwest England.
The seaside town -- in the heart of Thomas Hardy country -- is to host sailing events for the London Olympics.
The grave site is close to Maiden Castle -- Europe's largest Iron Age hill fort where local tribes are said to have staged a last stand against the Roman legions after the invasion.
Some historians believe the Romans sacked the site, butchering its population including women and children, before burning it to the ground.
Score said they had counted 45 skulls so far in the 6-meter wide pit, together with a tangle of torsos, arms and legs, More could be found in the coming weeks.
Most of the skulls were those of young men, supporting the theory they could have been killed in battle or executed en masse.
"One of the things that we will be looking for is do they have sword cut marks on the bones, and how were the heads dismembered: prior to or after death in an act of victory," Score said.
Archaeologists say they could also be Roman citizens or indigenous people who had died through disease or disaster.
Few artifacts have so far been found with the bones, though pottery shards dating to the late Iron Age and early Roman period have been found scattered around the pit.
It is rare to find a burial site like this one," Score said. "There are lots of different types of burial where skeletons may be aligned along a compass axis or in a crouched position, but to find something like this is just incredible."
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Air France chief questions sensor role in crash
Air France is not convinced so far that faulty speed sensors were to blame for the loss of one of its planes over the Atlantic, but is replacing old sensors as a precaution, the airline's chief executive said on Thursday.
Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told reporters that Air France was in a state of shock over the worst disaster in its 75-year history and expected more information about what happened within a week.
An Air France Airbus 330 crashed into the sea on June 1 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing all 228 aboard.
Brazil said three more bodies had been found on Thursday in the main area of ocean where search operations were being conducted, bringing the total number of bodies recovered to 44.
Air accident investigators have said the Airbus registered inconsistent speed readings just before contact was lost, raising speculation the pilots might inadvertently have flown at the wrong speed and precipitated the disaster.
Air France subsequently reported it had noticed temporary loss of air speed data on previous Airbus flights due to ice collecting in the sensors, known as pitot tubes, and said it was speeding up a pre-planned replacement program.
"As circumstances would have it, the first replacements arrived practically on the eve of the accident, on the Friday," Gourgeon told a news briefing, adding: "I am not convinced that speed sensors were the cause of crash."
The French air accident agency has said it is too early to pinpoint any possible cause for the crash, saying there were only two certainties -- that the plane had hit stormy weather before the crash and that the speed readings were incoherent.
A French lawyer representing families of some of the victims said they planned to take legal action to gain access to files from the investigation.
She said in a statement they felt information had been withheld and that there had been a delay in issuing an alert after the plane disappeared.
AIRBUS REASSURANCES
Airbus denied a French newspaper report that it was considering grounding its fleet of A330 and A340 planes following the disaster, saying they were safe to fly.
Gourgeon said the planemaker had reassured clients that all three types of speed sensors available for its jets were safe, including the one used on the crashed A330.
Industry sources said the planemaker had also ruled out for the time being that there was an electrical power failure or loss of cockpit instrument display on the Air France jet.
Air France said at the weekend it had noticed the icing problems on the speed sensors in May 2008, although Gourgeon said these "incidents" had not been deemed catastrophic.
The airline said tests had later convinced it that probes developed for another model would be more efficient and that it had decided to go ahead and start fitting them from April 27 without waiting for further testing proposed by Airbus.
The speed sensors on the Air France A330 were supplied by France's Thales, which has produced two versions of the pitot tube for the Airbus aircraft. A third model made by U.S. firm Goodrich have not been called into question.
The crashed plane had an earlier Thales model, which is being replaced by a more recent probe.
Brazilian and French search teams are searching for bodies and plane debris in the Atlantic some 1,000 km (620 miles) from Brazil's northern coast. A nuclear-powered French submarine is leading the search for the plane's flight recorders.
Gourgeon said more information about the crash would be available once autopsies had revealed the exact cause of death and after experts had scrutinized the debris.
"I think we will have a little bit more information in a week," he said.
Air France is not convinced so far that faulty speed sensors were to blame for the loss of one of its planes over the Atlantic, but is replacing old sensors as a precaution, the airline's chief executive said on Thursday.
Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told reporters that Air France was in a state of shock over the worst disaster in its 75-year history and expected more information about what happened within a week.
An Air France Airbus 330 crashed into the sea on June 1 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing all 228 aboard.
Brazil said three more bodies had been found on Thursday in the main area of ocean where search operations were being conducted, bringing the total number of bodies recovered to 44.
Air accident investigators have said the Airbus registered inconsistent speed readings just before contact was lost, raising speculation the pilots might inadvertently have flown at the wrong speed and precipitated the disaster.
Air France subsequently reported it had noticed temporary loss of air speed data on previous Airbus flights due to ice collecting in the sensors, known as pitot tubes, and said it was speeding up a pre-planned replacement program.
"As circumstances would have it, the first replacements arrived practically on the eve of the accident, on the Friday," Gourgeon told a news briefing, adding: "I am not convinced that speed sensors were the cause of crash."
The French air accident agency has said it is too early to pinpoint any possible cause for the crash, saying there were only two certainties -- that the plane had hit stormy weather before the crash and that the speed readings were incoherent.
A French lawyer representing families of some of the victims said they planned to take legal action to gain access to files from the investigation.
She said in a statement they felt information had been withheld and that there had been a delay in issuing an alert after the plane disappeared.
AIRBUS REASSURANCES
Airbus denied a French newspaper report that it was considering grounding its fleet of A330 and A340 planes following the disaster, saying they were safe to fly.
Gourgeon said the planemaker had reassured clients that all three types of speed sensors available for its jets were safe, including the one used on the crashed A330.
Industry sources said the planemaker had also ruled out for the time being that there was an electrical power failure or loss of cockpit instrument display on the Air France jet.
Air France said at the weekend it had noticed the icing problems on the speed sensors in May 2008, although Gourgeon said these "incidents" had not been deemed catastrophic.
The airline said tests had later convinced it that probes developed for another model would be more efficient and that it had decided to go ahead and start fitting them from April 27 without waiting for further testing proposed by Airbus.
The speed sensors on the Air France A330 were supplied by France's Thales, which has produced two versions of the pitot tube for the Airbus aircraft. A third model made by U.S. firm Goodrich have not been called into question.
The crashed plane had an earlier Thales model, which is being replaced by a more recent probe.
Brazilian and French search teams are searching for bodies and plane debris in the Atlantic some 1,000 km (620 miles) from Brazil's northern coast. A nuclear-powered French submarine is leading the search for the plane's flight recorders.
Gourgeon said more information about the crash would be available once autopsies had revealed the exact cause of death and after experts had scrutinized the debris.
"I think we will have a little bit more information in a week," he said.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A French nuclear submarine with advanced sonar equipment began searching on Wednesday for the flight recorders of an Air France airliner that crashed into the Atlantic last week, the French military said.The Emeraude was sent to the area to hunt the "black box" recorders, which may help explain the disaster and which are believed to lie on the ocean floor.
Investigators face a long search for clues to what went wrong when the Airbus A330 jet disappeared on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris killing all 228 people on board, French military spokesman Christophe Prazuck said.
"Up to now, the time frame for the search for victims and debris has been of the order of days or a week. Here, at the very least, it's going to be of the order of weeks or months," he told LCI television.
The Air France flight is believed to have run into trouble when it hit a violent storm midway over the Atlantic Ocean and potential problems with speed sensors have become one of the focal points of the inquiry.
The European Aviation Safety Agency said on Tuesday it issued a reminder to pilots on how to proceed when they suspect airspeed readings are unreliable.
It said it was analyzing speed sensor data "with a view to issuing mandatory corrective action." The agency added it would not prejudge the outcome of the investigation and reiterated that Airbus planes are "airworthy and safe to operate."
Late on Wednesday, Airbus denied a report in an early edition of French daily newspaper Le Figaro that it was considering grounding its fleet of A330 and A340 planes following the crash.
"We are not considering grounding the fleet because it is safe to operate," said Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath.
Other causes have not been ruled out, but France's interior ministry said two passengers identified as suspicious turned out not to be a concern. The website of the French weekly L'Express had quoted a French military spokesman as saying they could have been linked to Islamic terrorism.
WEATHER HAMPERS SEARCH
Brazilian military search teams using planes and ships had recovered 41 bodies by Tuesday, but none were found on Wednesday. Briefing reporters, Air Force Brigadier Ramon Borges Cardoso said visibility had been poor in the search areas.
Television pictures showed a military plane preparing late on Wednesday to fly the first 16 bodies found to Recife on mainland Brazil from the archipelago Fernando de Noronha off the northeast coast, where the search operations are based.
The 16 bodies had undergone preliminary identification procedures which would be continued in Recife.
Cardoso said the search for bodies would continue until around June 19, but could go on further if weather conditions and ocean currents were
Military planes expanded their search into airspace controlled by Senegal due to ocean currents that may have swept some bodies in that direction, Brazil's Air Force said, but searches there on Wednesday were interrupted by bad weather.
France has sent about 400 military personnel, three planes, one frigate with a helicopter, and a research vessel with mini-submarines as well as the nuclear submarine.
In the search zone, where scattered pieces of debris including a large section from the aircraft tail have been recovered, vessels are trying to comb a rugged area of the ocean floor, thousands of meters below the surface.
Prazuck said searchers had taken two weeks to locate the black box recorders after the crash of a Boeing 737 at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt in 2004, despite much easier conditions.
"Here the accident happened 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the coast. The situation is very complex," he said.
He said the Emeraude was searching an area of 36 square kilometers (14 sq miles) and the search zone would change daily. If the recorders are found, miniature submarines from the Pourquoi Pas, the French exploration and survey ship, could be used to retrieve them.
The doomed plane sent 24 automated messages in its final minutes on June 1, detailing a rapid series of systems failures.
The speed sensors that gauge how fast an aircraft is flying have become the focus of the investigation after some of the messages showed they provided inconsistent data to the pilots.
Air France said on the weekend it had noticed icing problems on the speed sensors known as pitot tubes in May 2008 and had asked Airbus for a solution. Airbus responded by reaffirming existing operating procedures, according to Air France, which decided to go ahead and change the sensors from April 27. The A330 that crashed had not yet been modified.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Amazon
The Amazon rainforest (Brazilian Portuguese: Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia; Spanish: Selva Amazónica or Amazonia), also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, and with minor amounts in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations bear the name Amazonas after it. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.
The Amazon rainforest was short-listed in 2008 as a candidate to one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation. As of February 2009 the Amazon was ranking first in Group E, the category for forests, national parks and nature reserves.[1]
The Amazon rainforest (Brazilian Portuguese: Floresta Amazônica or Amazônia; Spanish: Selva Amazónica or Amazonia), also known as Amazonia, or the Amazon jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America. This basin encompasses seven million square kilometers (1.7 billion acres), of which five and a half million square kilometers (1.4 billion acres) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, and with minor amounts in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. States or departments in four nations bear the name Amazonas after it. The Amazon represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests, and it comprises the largest and most species-rich tract of tropical rainforest in the world.
The Amazon rainforest was short-listed in 2008 as a candidate to one of the New7Wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation. As of February 2009 the Amazon was ranking first in Group E, the category for forests, national parks and nature reserves.[1]
Etymology
The name Amazon is said to arise from a war which Francisco de Orellana had with a tribe of Tapuyas and other tribes from South America. The women of the tribe fought alongside the men, as was the custom among the entire tribe.[2] Orellana's descriptions may have been accurate, but a few historians speculate that Orellana could have been mistaking indigenous men wearing "grass skirts" for women.[citation needed] Orellana derived the name Amazonas from the ancient Amazons of Asia and Africa described by Herodotus and Diodorus in Greek legends.[2]
Another etymology for the word suggests that it came originally from a native word amazona (Spanish spelling) or amassona (Portuguese spelling), meaning "destroyer (of) boats", in reference to the destructive nature of the root system possessed by some riparian plants.
Another etymology for the word suggests that it came originally from a native word amazona (Spanish spelling) or amassona (Portuguese spelling), meaning "destroyer (of) boats", in reference to the destructive nature of the root system possessed by some riparian plants.
History
The rainforest likely formed during the Eocene era, following the evolutionary appearance of angiosperm plants. It appeared following a global reduction of tropical temperatures when the Atlantic Ocean had widened sufficiently to provide a warm, moist climate to the Amazon basin. The rain forest has been in existence for at least 55 million years, and most of the region remained free of savanna-type biomes during that time period.[3][4]
Following the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the wetter climate may have allowed the tropical rainforest to spread out across the continent. From 65–34 Mya, the rainforest extended as far south as 45°. Climate fluctuations during the last 34 million years have allowed savanna regions to expand into the tropics. During the Oligocene, for example, the rainforest spanned a relatively narrow band that lay mostly above latitude 15°N. It expanded again during the Middle Miocene, then retracted to a mostly inland formation at the last glacial maximum.[5] However, the rainforest still managed to thrive during these glacial periods, allowing for the survival and evolution of a broad diversity of species.[6]
During the mid-Eocene, it is believed that the drainage basin of the Amazon was split along the middle of the continent by the Purus Arch. Water on the eastern side flowed toward the Atlantic, while to the west water flowed toward the Pacific across the Amazonas Basin. As the Andes Mountains rose, however, a large basin was created that enclosed a lake; now known as the Solimões Basin. Within the last 5–10 million years, this accumulating water broke through the Purus Arch, joining the easterly flow toward the Atlantic.[7][8]
There is evidence that there have been significant changes in Amazon rainforest vegetation over the last 21,000 years through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and subsequent deglaciation. Analyses of sediment deposits from Amazon basin paleolakes and from the Amazon Fan indicate that rainfall in the basin during the LGM was lower than for the present, and this was almost certainly associated with reduced moist tropical vegetation cover in the basin.[9] There is debate, however, over how extensive this reduction was. Some scientists argue that the rainforest was reduced to small, isolated refugia separated by open forest and grassland;[10] other scientists argue that the rainforest remained largely intact but extended less far to the north, south, and east than is seen today.[11] This debate has proved difficult to resolve because the practical limitations of working in the rainforest mean that data sampling is biased away from the center of the Amazon basin, and both explanations are reasonably well supported by the available data.
Based on archaeological evidence from an excavation at Caverna da Pedra Pintada, human inhabitants first settled in the Amazon region at least 11,200 years ago.[12] Subsequent development led to late-prehistoric settlements along the periphery of the forest by 1250 CE, which induced alterations in the forest cover.[13] Biologists believe that a population density of 0.2 persons/km2 is the maximum that can be sustained in the rain forest through hunting. Hence, agriculture is needed to host a larger population.[14] The first European to travel the length of the Amazon River was Francisco de Orellana in 1542.
Following the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event, the extinction of the dinosaurs and the wetter climate may have allowed the tropical rainforest to spread out across the continent. From 65–34 Mya, the rainforest extended as far south as 45°. Climate fluctuations during the last 34 million years have allowed savanna regions to expand into the tropics. During the Oligocene, for example, the rainforest spanned a relatively narrow band that lay mostly above latitude 15°N. It expanded again during the Middle Miocene, then retracted to a mostly inland formation at the last glacial maximum.[5] However, the rainforest still managed to thrive during these glacial periods, allowing for the survival and evolution of a broad diversity of species.[6]
During the mid-Eocene, it is believed that the drainage basin of the Amazon was split along the middle of the continent by the Purus Arch. Water on the eastern side flowed toward the Atlantic, while to the west water flowed toward the Pacific across the Amazonas Basin. As the Andes Mountains rose, however, a large basin was created that enclosed a lake; now known as the Solimões Basin. Within the last 5–10 million years, this accumulating water broke through the Purus Arch, joining the easterly flow toward the Atlantic.[7][8]
There is evidence that there have been significant changes in Amazon rainforest vegetation over the last 21,000 years through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and subsequent deglaciation. Analyses of sediment deposits from Amazon basin paleolakes and from the Amazon Fan indicate that rainfall in the basin during the LGM was lower than for the present, and this was almost certainly associated with reduced moist tropical vegetation cover in the basin.[9] There is debate, however, over how extensive this reduction was. Some scientists argue that the rainforest was reduced to small, isolated refugia separated by open forest and grassland;[10] other scientists argue that the rainforest remained largely intact but extended less far to the north, south, and east than is seen today.[11] This debate has proved difficult to resolve because the practical limitations of working in the rainforest mean that data sampling is biased away from the center of the Amazon basin, and both explanations are reasonably well supported by the available data.
Based on archaeological evidence from an excavation at Caverna da Pedra Pintada, human inhabitants first settled in the Amazon region at least 11,200 years ago.[12] Subsequent development led to late-prehistoric settlements along the periphery of the forest by 1250 CE, which induced alterations in the forest cover.[13] Biologists believe that a population density of 0.2 persons/km2 is the maximum that can be sustained in the rain forest through hunting. Hence, agriculture is needed to host a larger population.[14] The first European to travel the length of the Amazon River was Francisco de Orellana in 1542.
Deforestation
Main article: Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest
Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land.[26] Prior to the early 1960s, access to the forest's interior was highly restricted, and the forest remained basically intact. Farms established during the 1960s was based on crop cultivation and the slash and burn method. However, the colonists were unable to manage their fields and the crops because of the loss of soil fertility and weed invasion.[28] The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short period of time, so farmers are constantly moving to new areas and clearing more land.[28] These farming practices led to deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage.[29]
Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to 587,000 km2, with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for cattle.[30] Seventy percent of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since 1970, is used for livestock pasture.[31][32] In addition, Brazil is currently the second-largest global producer of soybeans after the United States. The needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon. The first two highways successfully opened up the rain forest and led to increased settlement and deforestation. The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km2 per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km2 per year).[33] At the current rate, in two decades the Amazon Rainforest will be reduced by 40%.[34]
Main article: Deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest
Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas. The main sources of deforestation in the Amazon are human settlement and development of the land.[26] Prior to the early 1960s, access to the forest's interior was highly restricted, and the forest remained basically intact. Farms established during the 1960s was based on crop cultivation and the slash and burn method. However, the colonists were unable to manage their fields and the crops because of the loss of soil fertility and weed invasion.[28] The soils in the Amazon are productive for just a short period of time, so farmers are constantly moving to new areas and clearing more land.[28] These farming practices led to deforestation and caused extensive environmental damage.[29]
Between 1991 and 2000, the total area of forest lost in the Amazon rose from 415,000 to 587,000 km2, with most of the lost forest becoming pasture for cattle.[30] Seventy percent of formerly forested land in the Amazon, and 91% of land deforested since 1970, is used for livestock pasture.[31][32] In addition, Brazil is currently the second-largest global producer of soybeans after the United States. The needs of soy farmers have been used to validate many of the controversial transportation projects that are currently developing in the Amazon. The first two highways successfully opened up the rain forest and led to increased settlement and deforestation. The mean annual deforestation rate from 2000 to 2005 (22,392 km2 per year) was 18% higher than in the previous five years (19,018 km2 per year).[33] At the current rate, in two decades the Amazon Rainforest will be reduced by 40%.[34]
Monday, June 8, 2009
ആര്എസ്എസില് യോജിപ്പിന്റെ മേഖലകള്: ജ:കെ.ടി.തോമസ്
നാഗ്പൂര്: ആര്എസ്എസിനെതിരെ യാതൊരു മുന്വിധികളും തനിക്കില്ലെന്ന് ജസ്റ്റിസ് കെ.ടി.തോമസ്. രേശംബാഗില് ആര്എസ്എസ് തൃതീയ വര്ഷ സംഘശിക്ഷാ വര്ഗിന്റെ സമാപനപരിപാടിക്ക് അയച്ചുകൊടുത്ത സന്ദേശത്തിലാണ് അദ്ദേഹം വ്യക്തമാക്കിയത്. ആര്എസ്എസിന്റെ പ്രവര്ത്തനങ്ങളെയും പരിപാടികളെയും തുറന്ന മനസ്സോടെയാണ് താന് സമീപിക്കുന്നത്. വിയോജിപ്പിനേക്കാളേറെ യോജിപ്പിന്റെ വിശാലമായ മേഖലകളാണ് ഈ സംഘടനയില് തനിക്ക് കണ്ടെത്താനായതെന്ന് ജസ്റ്റിസ് കെ.ടി.തോമസ് ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി.വിമര്ശനത്തേക്കാളേറെ ആദരവാണ് സംഘപ്രവര്ത്തനങ്ങളോടുള്ളത്. ‘ഭാരതം ഒന്ന്, ഭാരതീയരൊന്ന്’ എന്ന ആര്എസ്എസിന്റെ ആശയത്തെ യാഥാര്ത്ഥ്യമാക്കേണ്ടതുണ്ട്. ഭാരതത്തെ ഒരു മതേതര ജനാധിപത്യ രാഷ്ട്രമാക്കി നിലനിര്ത്താന് വേണ്ടുന്ന പരിശ്രമങ്ങള് ഭരണഘടനാ നിര്മാണ വേളയില് നടന്നു. ഏകീകൃത സിവില് നിയമം ആവശ്യപ്പെടുന്ന 44-ാം വകുപ്പ് അതിന്റെ ഭാഗമാണ്. എന്നാല് അതിനുവേണ്ടിയുള്ള വാദങ്ങളെ വര്ഗീയമെന്ന് മുദ്ര കുത്തുകയാണ് പ്രഖ്യാപിത മതേതരവാദികള് ചെയ്യുന്നത്. ‘ഞാന് ആദ്യം ഒരു ഭാരതീയനാണ്’ എന്ന് അഭിമാനത്തോടെ അവകാശപ്പെടുന്നവ എത്ര ഭാരതീയരുണ്ട് എന്നതാണ് ഇന്നത്തെ ചോദ്യമെന്ന് ജസ്റ്റിസ് തോമസ് പറഞ്ഞു.ന്യൂനപക്ഷ സമുദായക്കാരനായതിന്റെ പേരില് ഈ നാട്ടില് ആര്ക്കെങ്കിലും അരക്ഷിതാവസ്ഥയുണ്ടെന്ന് താന് കരുതുന്നില്ല. എണ്ണംകൊണ്ട് ഏറ്റവും ചെറിയ മതവിഭാഗത്തില്പ്പെട്ട തനിക്ക് ഇതുവരെ അത്തരമൊരു അസ്തിത്വ പ്രതിസന്ധിയുണ്ടായിട്ടില്ല. അത്തരം വാദമുഖങ്ങള് ഉന്നയിക്കുന്നവരോട് ആദ്യം ഭാരതീയനെന്ന നിലയില് ചിന്തിക്കണമെന്നാണ് പറയാനുള്ളത്. മതവിശ്വാസം പൗരബോധത്തെ ഹനിക്കുന്നതാവരുത്. അത് തീര്ത്തും സ്വകാര്യമാവണമെന്നതാണ് തന്റെ അഭിപ്രായമെന്ന് ജസ്റ്റിസ് തോമസ് പറഞ്ഞു.
RECIFE, Brazil/PARIS - Searchers found 15 more bodies from a crashed Air France jet on Sunday and retrieved a large amount of debris from the plane that plunged into the Atlantic ocean in the worst air disaster since 2001.
Nearly a week after the Airbus A330 crashed on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris killing all 228 people on board, a total of 17 bodies have been recovered, following the discovery of two unidentified males on Saturday.
Investigators are considering the possibility the speed sensors on Flight 447 may have iced up and Air France said late on Saturday it was accelerating the replacement of speed sensors on all its Airbus long-haul planes.
Brazil's navy and air force said in a statement on Sunday night that they had retrieved seven more bodies and were transporting them along with the two corpses found on Saturday to the islands of Fernando de Noronha, 230 miles off the coast of Brazil.
Of the nine corpses, four were male and four were female, while the sex of the other body could not be identified.
A French ship picked up eight bodies on Sunday, the Brazilian military said, without giving further details.
"Hundreds of items are being found and being stored until we know where they should go," Brazilian Air Force spokesman Henry Munhoz told reporters in the northeastern city of Recife, where the bodies and debris will eventually be brought.
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS FOUND
Brazil's military declined to give details about the debris found on Sunday, saying only that it was "structural components."
Brazilian network Globo reported on its website that a refrigerated truck used to store corpses was waiting on Fernando de Noronha. Brazilian media also said police were taking DNA samples from passengers' relatives to help identify the bodies.
Twelve Brazilian planes, one equipped with radar equipment that can detect material in the water, two French planes, one French ship and five Brazilian navy ships are searching the area about 680 miles northeast of Brazil's coast.
France also has sent a nuclear-powered submarine that should arrive on Wednesday to search for the black box flight data recorders that will be crucial to understanding why the plane fell from the sky as it passed storms on Monday.
The plane's pilots may have set the aircraft at a dangerous speed because they were relying on faulty speed readings, investigators say.
Air France said it had begun the switchover of speed sensors five weeks before the crash but only after disagreeing with Airbus over the planemaker's proposal to carry out tests before replacing them.
An Airbus spokesman declined to comment and said it could only discuss the investigation with French air authorities .The head of France's air accident agency BEA said on Saturday it was too soon to say if problems with the speed sensors, known as pitot tubes, were in any way responsible.
LOST DATA
The agency said the A330 had sent out 24 error messages in four minutes including one indicating a discrepancy in speed data. It said similar problems had happened before.
Air France said it had first noticed in May 2008 that ice in the sensors was causing lost data in planes like the A330, but that it failed to agree with Airbus on steps to take.
According to Air France, Airbus offered to carry out an in-flight test on new sensors this year but the airline decided to go ahead and started changing them anyway from April 27.
It did not say whether the crashed plane had the new sensors but its last maintenance hangar visit was on April 16.
Some of the A330s 50 or so other operators defended the plane's safety record at an airlines meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, saying the crash was an isolated incident.
Airbus has faced problems with the speed sensors dating to at least 2001, forcing changes in equipment as well as the pilot's flight manual, according to online filings.
In 2001, France reported several cases of sudden fluctuation of A330 or A340 airspeed data during severe icing conditions and Airbus was ordered to change the cockpit manual, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Nearly a week after the Airbus A330 crashed on its way from Rio de Janeiro to Paris killing all 228 people on board, a total of 17 bodies have been recovered, following the discovery of two unidentified males on Saturday.
Investigators are considering the possibility the speed sensors on Flight 447 may have iced up and Air France said late on Saturday it was accelerating the replacement of speed sensors on all its Airbus long-haul planes.
Brazil's navy and air force said in a statement on Sunday night that they had retrieved seven more bodies and were transporting them along with the two corpses found on Saturday to the islands of Fernando de Noronha, 230 miles off the coast of Brazil.
Of the nine corpses, four were male and four were female, while the sex of the other body could not be identified.
A French ship picked up eight bodies on Sunday, the Brazilian military said, without giving further details.
"Hundreds of items are being found and being stored until we know where they should go," Brazilian Air Force spokesman Henry Munhoz told reporters in the northeastern city of Recife, where the bodies and debris will eventually be brought.
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS FOUND
Brazil's military declined to give details about the debris found on Sunday, saying only that it was "structural components."
Brazilian network Globo reported on its website that a refrigerated truck used to store corpses was waiting on Fernando de Noronha. Brazilian media also said police were taking DNA samples from passengers' relatives to help identify the bodies.
Twelve Brazilian planes, one equipped with radar equipment that can detect material in the water, two French planes, one French ship and five Brazilian navy ships are searching the area about 680 miles northeast of Brazil's coast.
France also has sent a nuclear-powered submarine that should arrive on Wednesday to search for the black box flight data recorders that will be crucial to understanding why the plane fell from the sky as it passed storms on Monday.
The plane's pilots may have set the aircraft at a dangerous speed because they were relying on faulty speed readings, investigators say.
Air France said it had begun the switchover of speed sensors five weeks before the crash but only after disagreeing with Airbus over the planemaker's proposal to carry out tests before replacing them.
An Airbus spokesman declined to comment and said it could only discuss the investigation with French air authorities .The head of France's air accident agency BEA said on Saturday it was too soon to say if problems with the speed sensors, known as pitot tubes, were in any way responsible.
LOST DATA
The agency said the A330 had sent out 24 error messages in four minutes including one indicating a discrepancy in speed data. It said similar problems had happened before.
Air France said it had first noticed in May 2008 that ice in the sensors was causing lost data in planes like the A330, but that it failed to agree with Airbus on steps to take.
According to Air France, Airbus offered to carry out an in-flight test on new sensors this year but the airline decided to go ahead and started changing them anyway from April 27.
It did not say whether the crashed plane had the new sensors but its last maintenance hangar visit was on April 16.
Some of the A330s 50 or so other operators defended the plane's safety record at an airlines meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, saying the crash was an isolated incident.
Airbus has faced problems with the speed sensors dating to at least 2001, forcing changes in equipment as well as the pilot's flight manual, according to online filings.
In 2001, France reported several cases of sudden fluctuation of A330 or A340 airspeed data during severe icing conditions and Airbus was ordered to change the cockpit manual, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Air France replaces speed sensors
Air France said it began noticing sensor problems in May 2008
Air France has said it is accelerating replacement of speed monitors on Airbus planes following the disappearance of a jet over the Atlantic six days ago.
It said it had noticed problems arising from icing on the monitors last year and had begun changing them in April.
There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-type sensors may have caused the crash of the Rio de Janeiro-Paris flight with 228 people on board.
Brazil says two bodies from the missing plane have been recovered.
See a map of the plane's route
Items - including a case with a ticket for the flight - were also picked up on Saturday - some 800km (500 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where the AF Flight 447 disappeared in turbulent weather.
Investigators' warning
Investigators say that sensors on board the missing Airbus 330 were providing "inconsistent data" in the minutes before it went missing.
Air France said it began noticing sensor problems in May 2008
Air France has said it is accelerating replacement of speed monitors on Airbus planes following the disappearance of a jet over the Atlantic six days ago.
It said it had noticed problems arising from icing on the monitors last year and had begun changing them in April.
There has been speculation that faulty data on the old-type sensors may have caused the crash of the Rio de Janeiro-Paris flight with 228 people on board.
Brazil says two bodies from the missing plane have been recovered.
See a map of the plane's route
Items - including a case with a ticket for the flight - were also picked up on Saturday - some 800km (500 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where the AF Flight 447 disappeared in turbulent weather.
Investigators' warning
Investigators say that sensors on board the missing Airbus 330 were providing "inconsistent data" in the minutes before it went missing.
On Saturday, Air France said that in May 2008 it had begun noticing "incidents of loss of airspeed information during cruise flight" on its A330s and A340s jets - although only a "small number" of incidents had been reported.
The airline said it then contacted Airbus, who sent a recommendation to replace the monitors.
However, Air France stressed that the manufacturers had not made this a safety requirement.
The statement said that "without prejudging a link with the causes of the accident, Air France has accelerated this [replacement]programme".
It added that this did not necessarily mean the aircraft was not safe to fly.
French investigators also warned against drawing early conclusions.
Data recorders
The statement came as the Brazilian air force announced that two male bodies and debris from the Air France plane had been recovered.
Air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said objects linked to passengers known to be on the flight were also found. Those included a suitcase with an Air France ticket and a backpack with a computer inside.
"It was confirmed with Air France that the ticket number corresponds to a passenger on the flight," Col Amaral said.
A blue seat was also found, and Air France is checking the serial number to see whether it came from the flight.
The remains were found not far from where the last signal from the plane was received, and taken to the islands of Fernando de Noronha.
Experts on human remains are on their way to examine the find.
The items were the first to be definitely linked to the plane, nearly six days after the crash.
But the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says the authorities are adopting a cautious approach after previous reports of debris being found proved false.
Correspondents say that much of the search effort so far has been focused on finding flight data recorders, which have sonar beacons - or "pingers" - attached to them.
But French officials say there was no guarantee the beacons were still attached to the flight recorders, and they may have been separated in the impact of the crash.
A French submarine is being sent to join in the search. It has sonar equipment that could help locate the airliner's flight data recorders.
The US is also sending specialised listening equipm
The airline said it then contacted Airbus, who sent a recommendation to replace the monitors.
However, Air France stressed that the manufacturers had not made this a safety requirement.
The statement said that "without prejudging a link with the causes of the accident, Air France has accelerated this [replacement]programme".
It added that this did not necessarily mean the aircraft was not safe to fly.
French investigators also warned against drawing early conclusions.
Data recorders
The statement came as the Brazilian air force announced that two male bodies and debris from the Air France plane had been recovered.
Air force spokesman Jorge Amaral said objects linked to passengers known to be on the flight were also found. Those included a suitcase with an Air France ticket and a backpack with a computer inside.
"It was confirmed with Air France that the ticket number corresponds to a passenger on the flight," Col Amaral said.
A blue seat was also found, and Air France is checking the serial number to see whether it came from the flight.
The remains were found not far from where the last signal from the plane was received, and taken to the islands of Fernando de Noronha.
Experts on human remains are on their way to examine the find.
The items were the first to be definitely linked to the plane, nearly six days after the crash.
But the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says the authorities are adopting a cautious approach after previous reports of debris being found proved false.
Correspondents say that much of the search effort so far has been focused on finding flight data recorders, which have sonar beacons - or "pingers" - attached to them.
But French officials say there was no guarantee the beacons were still attached to the flight recorders, and they may have been separated in the impact of the crash.
A French submarine is being sent to join in the search. It has sonar equipment that could help locate the airliner's flight data recorders.
The US is also sending specialised listening equipm
SEARCH FOR FLIGHT AF 447
1 June: Contact lost with plane over mid-Atlantic
2 June: First debris spotted from the air includes an airline seat. Brazilian defence minister says debris is from missing plane
3 June: More debris spotted, including a 7m-wide chunk of metal. Fuel slick seen on ocean surface
4 June: Buoys and pallet recovered from ocean said to be from plane. Officials later retract statement
6 June: First two bodies, plus suitcase and backpack found, along with seat thought to be from the plane
7 June: Three additional bodies recovered, more sighted
1 June: Contact lost with plane over mid-Atlantic
2 June: First debris spotted from the air includes an airline seat. Brazilian defence minister says debris is from missing plane
3 June: More debris spotted, including a 7m-wide chunk of metal. Fuel slick seen on ocean surface
4 June: Buoys and pallet recovered from ocean said to be from plane. Officials later retract statement
6 June: First two bodies, plus suitcase and backpack found, along with seat thought to be from the plane
7 June: Three additional bodies recovered, more sighted
More bodies found from lost jet
Brazilian searchers found confirmed debris from the plane on Saturday
More bodies have been recovered from the Atlantic in the area where a French jet disappeared last week, bringing the total number to 17, officials say.
Dozens of pieces of debris from the Air France plane were also picked up by Brazilian and French ships.
They were found some 1,000km (600 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where the Airbus disappeared with 228 people.
Meanwhile, the investigation is looking into faulty speed sensors on the plane.
Brazilian and French ships recovered 15 bodies on Sunday - six days after the crash. Two bodies had been retrieved on Saturday.
Brazilian officials say four of the bodies are of men and four are of women. There is no word on the others.
See a map of the plane's route
The remains will be taken by ship to the nearby archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, before being moved to the Brazilian city of Recife, where a temporary mortuary has been established.
Relatives of those on board the AF 447 flight have already provided DNA to help in the identification process.
A Brazilian navy spokesman said search crews were working despite poor weather.
He said about 100 objects had been spotted in the crash zone, including seats with the Air France logo and oxygen masks.
Some have spoken of "a sea of debris", the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo reports.
A total of six ships and 14 planes from France and Brazil are involved in the operation.
Speed sensors
The investigation is increasingly focusing on the aircraft's speed sensors, which had been providing inconsistent data in the minutes before it disappeared in turbulent weather.
Brazilian searchers found confirmed debris from the plane on Saturday
More bodies have been recovered from the Atlantic in the area where a French jet disappeared last week, bringing the total number to 17, officials say.
Dozens of pieces of debris from the Air France plane were also picked up by Brazilian and French ships.
They were found some 1,000km (600 miles) north-east of Brazil's Fernando de Noronha islands where the Airbus disappeared with 228 people.
Meanwhile, the investigation is looking into faulty speed sensors on the plane.
Brazilian and French ships recovered 15 bodies on Sunday - six days after the crash. Two bodies had been retrieved on Saturday.
Brazilian officials say four of the bodies are of men and four are of women. There is no word on the others.
See a map of the plane's route
The remains will be taken by ship to the nearby archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, before being moved to the Brazilian city of Recife, where a temporary mortuary has been established.
Relatives of those on board the AF 447 flight have already provided DNA to help in the identification process.
A Brazilian navy spokesman said search crews were working despite poor weather.
He said about 100 objects had been spotted in the crash zone, including seats with the Air France logo and oxygen masks.
Some have spoken of "a sea of debris", the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo reports.
A total of six ships and 14 planes from France and Brazil are involved in the operation.
Speed sensors
The investigation is increasingly focusing on the aircraft's speed sensors, which had been providing inconsistent data in the minutes before it disappeared in turbulent weather.
Air France has said it is stepping up the process of replacing speed monitors on board its Airbus planes.
The company said it had first noticed problems with speed monitors a year ago and began replacing them a few weeks before the accident.
But investigators said it was too soon to say if problems with the sensors were in any way responsible.
On Saturday, the Brazilian navy recovered the first confirmed debris from the plane, including a briefcase containing a ticket for Flight 447.
Other debris linked to the flight included a blue seat and a backpack containing a computer.
The remains were found not far from where the last signal from the plane was received on Monday, and were taken to the islands of Fernando de Noronha to be examined by experts.
The search for the plane's flight data recorders - or black boxes - continues.
The company said it had first noticed problems with speed monitors a year ago and began replacing them a few weeks before the accident.
But investigators said it was too soon to say if problems with the sensors were in any way responsible.
On Saturday, the Brazilian navy recovered the first confirmed debris from the plane, including a briefcase containing a ticket for Flight 447.
Other debris linked to the flight included a blue seat and a backpack containing a computer.
The remains were found not far from where the last signal from the plane was received on Monday, and were taken to the islands of Fernando de Noronha to be examined by experts.
The search for the plane's flight data recorders - or black boxes - continues.
Monday, June 1, 2009
UPDATE 7-Air France plane crashes into Atlantic with 228 aboard
PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) -
An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after hitting heavy turbulence during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
The airline offered its condolences to the families of the passengers, making clear it did not expect to find survivors.
At least 60 of those on board were French, roughly 60 were Brazilians and two were Slovaks, their countries said.
Air France (AIRF.PA) said the Airbus flew into stormy weather four hours after take-off from Brazil and soon afterwards sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults.
A company spokesman said several of the plane's mechanisms had malfunctioned.
"It is probably a combination of circumstances that could have led to the crash," he said, adding that the airliner might have been hit by lightning.
Aviation experts said lightning strikes on planes were common and were not enough alone to explain a disaster.
The Brazilian air force said the plane was far out over the the sea when it went missing.
Military planes took off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's northeast coast to look for it and the Brazilian navy sent three ships to help in the search.
France sent one of its air force planes from west Africa.
STORM PATCH
On its flight northeast from Rio, the jetliner would have had to pass through a notorious storm patch shifting around the equator known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
"It is a zone in the tropics where you can have particularly deep thunder clouds," said Barry Gromett, a meteorologist at the London Weather Centre.
The carrier said 216 passengers were on board, including seven children and one baby, as well as 12 crew members.
The passenger list was not released, but French tyre company Michelin said the head of its Latin American operations, Luis Roberto Anastacio, had been on the flight.
Tearful relatives and friends were led away by airport staff after they arrived at Roissy expecting to greet the passengers.
About 20 relatives of passengers also arrived at Rio's Galeao airport on Monday morning seeking information.
Bernardo Souza, whose brother and sister-in-law were on the flight, complained he had received no details from Air France.
"I had to come to the airport, but when I arrived I just found an empty counter," he said.
Senior French government minister Jean-Louis Borloo ruled out the possibility of a hijacking.
"It's an awful tragedy," he told France Info radio.
If no survivors are found it will be the worst loss of life involving an Air France plane in the firm's 75-year history.
The plane was an Airbus 330-200 (EAD.PA) powered with General Electric (GE.N) engines. If the plane is confirmed to have crashed, it would be the first time an A330 has been lost during an operational airline flight.
Air France said the plane had 18,870 flight hours on the clock and went into service in April 2005. It last underwent maintenance in a hangar in April this year.
The last major incident involving an Air France plane was in July 2000 when one of its Concorde supersonic airliners crashed just after taking off from Paris, bound for New York.
All 109 people on board were killed along with at least four on the ground. (Additional reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey, Gerard Bon, Astrid Wendlandt and Tim Hepher in Paris, Pedro Fonseca in Rio; editing by Crispian Balmer and Richard Meares)
PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) -
An Air France plane with 228 people on board was presumed to have crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on Monday after hitting heavy turbulence during a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.
The airline offered its condolences to the families of the passengers, making clear it did not expect to find survivors.
At least 60 of those on board were French, roughly 60 were Brazilians and two were Slovaks, their countries said.
Air France (AIRF.PA) said the Airbus flew into stormy weather four hours after take-off from Brazil and soon afterwards sent an automatic message reporting electrical faults.
A company spokesman said several of the plane's mechanisms had malfunctioned.
"It is probably a combination of circumstances that could have led to the crash," he said, adding that the airliner might have been hit by lightning.
Aviation experts said lightning strikes on planes were common and were not enough alone to explain a disaster.
The Brazilian air force said the plane was far out over the the sea when it went missing.
Military planes took off from the island of Fernando de Noronha off Brazil's northeast coast to look for it and the Brazilian navy sent three ships to help in the search.
France sent one of its air force planes from west Africa.
STORM PATCH
On its flight northeast from Rio, the jetliner would have had to pass through a notorious storm patch shifting around the equator known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
"It is a zone in the tropics where you can have particularly deep thunder clouds," said Barry Gromett, a meteorologist at the London Weather Centre.
The carrier said 216 passengers were on board, including seven children and one baby, as well as 12 crew members.
The passenger list was not released, but French tyre company Michelin said the head of its Latin American operations, Luis Roberto Anastacio, had been on the flight.
Tearful relatives and friends were led away by airport staff after they arrived at Roissy expecting to greet the passengers.
About 20 relatives of passengers also arrived at Rio's Galeao airport on Monday morning seeking information.
Bernardo Souza, whose brother and sister-in-law were on the flight, complained he had received no details from Air France.
"I had to come to the airport, but when I arrived I just found an empty counter," he said.
Senior French government minister Jean-Louis Borloo ruled out the possibility of a hijacking.
"It's an awful tragedy," he told France Info radio.
If no survivors are found it will be the worst loss of life involving an Air France plane in the firm's 75-year history.
The plane was an Airbus 330-200 (EAD.PA) powered with General Electric (GE.N) engines. If the plane is confirmed to have crashed, it would be the first time an A330 has been lost during an operational airline flight.
Air France said the plane had 18,870 flight hours on the clock and went into service in April 2005. It last underwent maintenance in a hangar in April this year.
The last major incident involving an Air France plane was in July 2000 when one of its Concorde supersonic airliners crashed just after taking off from Paris, bound for New York.
All 109 people on board were killed along with at least four on the ground. (Additional reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey, Gerard Bon, Astrid Wendlandt and Tim Hepher in Paris, Pedro Fonseca in Rio; editing by Crispian Balmer and Richard Meares)
Nick Baker's Weird Creatures
Frankenstein Fish, Invisible Lizards and Real Gremlins are just some of the wild and wacky zoological oddities featured in Season 2 of Nick Baker's Weird Creatures.
Premiering Monday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT on Animal Planet, this eight-part series transports viewers to some of the most remote corners of the globe to find animals with unusual, to say the least, characteristics.
Nature's strangest animals are the stars of this intriguing series and Nick Baker's Weird Creatures travels the world to turn the cameras on these anomalies. Developed over time, these creatures' bizarre evolutionary features haven't done much for their social life but have helped them to survive some of the most inhospitable climates on earth.
Each episode, expert naturalist and host Nick Baker - along with specialists from the British Natural History Museum - showcases one of these quirky creatures by getting up close and personal in their native habitat. Studying these creatures since childhood, Baker is fulfilling his dream of tracking down these living oddities while taking viewers along for the ride.
Highlights from Nick Baker's Weird Creatures
Frankenstein Fish, Invisible Lizards and Real Gremlins are just some of the wild and wacky zoological oddities featured in Season 2 of Nick Baker's Weird Creatures.
Premiering Monday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/10 p.m. PT on Animal Planet, this eight-part series transports viewers to some of the most remote corners of the globe to find animals with unusual, to say the least, characteristics.
Nature's strangest animals are the stars of this intriguing series and Nick Baker's Weird Creatures travels the world to turn the cameras on these anomalies. Developed over time, these creatures' bizarre evolutionary features haven't done much for their social life but have helped them to survive some of the most inhospitable climates on earth.
Each episode, expert naturalist and host Nick Baker - along with specialists from the British Natural History Museum - showcases one of these quirky creatures by getting up close and personal in their native habitat. Studying these creatures since childhood, Baker is fulfilling his dream of tracking down these living oddities while taking viewers along for the ride.
Highlights from Nick Baker's Weird Creatures
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)