World News Random, Random

[ti-amie]

European Nation Reports Epidemic Caused By Bacteria Linked to Chinese Outbreak
The bacteria is a known pathogen
Published 11/29/23 05:25 PM ET|Updated 15 min ago
Mansur Shaheen

anish officials have declared a current outbreak caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae an epidemic. It is the same bacteria health officials in China have blamed for a spate in cases that has overwhelmed some children’s hospitals.

The Statens Serum Institut (SSI), a Government funded research institute in Copenhagen, declared the epidemic Wednesday, according to the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

“Since the summer, there has been an increase in the number of respiratory infections with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the occurrence has now reached an epidemic level with significantly more cases than usual,” SSI wrote in a statement translated into English by the Avian Flu Diary.

"In the past five weeks, the number of new cases has increased significantly, and we are now seeing significantly more cases than usual, and that there is widespread infection throughout the country,” Hanne-Dorthe Emborg, M.D., senior SSI researcher, said in a statement.

Over the last week, 541 new cases of M. pneumoniae have been reported in Denmark, a three-fold increase in case figures from five weeks earlier.

The bacteria is largely known across the world. In Denmark, officials say the infection would reach epidemic level in the nation every four years before the COVID-19 pandemic began and disrupted regular infection patterns.

However, increased focus has been placed on the infection after a recent outbreak in China. In Beijing, a city of more than 20 million residents, and the province of Liaoning, children’s hospitals have reportedly been overrun by a surge of pneumonia cases among the youth.

https://themessenger.com/health/china-d ... -sick-kids

[ti-amie]

David Adler
@davidrkadler
BREAKING: President-elect Javier Milei has appointed Rodolfo Barra as the new Attorney General of Argentina. Barra is pictured here, a member of the neo-Nazi 'Tacuara Nationalist Movement'.

[ti-amie]

Maduro vote to claim Guyana’s territory backfires as Venezuelans stay home
Turnout was minimal in vote on referendum intended to rubber-stamp Venezuela’s claim to Essequibo region

Luke Taylor in Bogotá
Mon 4 Dec 2023 19.57 GMT

The government of Guyana has breathed a sigh of relief after a referendum intended to rubber-stamp Venezuela’s claim to about two-thirds of the tiny South American country’s territory appeared to have backfired.

Nicolás Maduro had hoped to leverage his country’s century-long claim to the disputed Essequibo region to mobilise public support but voting stations across the country were largely quiet on Sunday as most voters shunned the issue.

The turnout appeared so underwhelming that the Venezuelan government has been widely accused by analysts of falsifying the results.

“The Venezuelan people have sent Maduro a very strong message and I do hope that Maduro has taken note of what they’ve said,” said Robert Presaud, Guyana’s foreign secretary, on Monday.

Guyanese officials would not comment directly on the results but sources close to the government told the Guardian they were “relieved” by the surprisingly poor turnout.

Venezuela has laid claim to the oil-rich Essequibo region ever since it gained independence from Spain in 1811, alleging that its borders were drawn up unfairly in an act of international collusion.

The dispute is being reviewed in the international court of justice but Maduro has pleaded for weeks on TikTok and national TV for the Venezuelan public to back the government to take matters into its own hands.

Among the five questions asked on Sunday were whether Venezuela should ignore the international arbitrators at the Hague, grant Venezuelan citizenship to Essequibo’s English-speaking inhabitants and convert the 160,000 sq km of territory into a new Venezuelan state.

Both Guyana and Venezuela have increased military activity on their borders in recent weeks as tensions between the bickering nations reached unprecedented heights. Brazil also sent troops to its jungle frontier over the weekend as fears grew that the vote could spark military action.

But voting stations across the country were largely empty, national and international media reported.

“I have seen no independent reports of queues anywhere in the country. It looked like a normal Sunday in Caracas,” says Phil Gunson, analyst at international crisis group. “It was a resounding failure for Maduro.”

Nonetheless, Maduro was quick to hail the vote – in which 95% of those who voted yes to the government’s five questions – as a victory.

“It has been a total success for our country, for our democracy,” Maduro told supporters in Caracas on Sunday evening, praising the “very important level of participation”.

Venezuela’s government has said that more than 10.5 million people voted in the referendum – which would be a higher number than voted to re-elect Maduro’s more popular predecessor, Hugo Chávez, in 2012.

Venezuela’s electoral authority said it had extended the voting window on Sunday evening due to “massive participation”.

The government figures have been widely scrutinised, however, given that analysts say they do not correspond with the scenes at voting stations.

“They haven’t admitted it explicitly but it’s obvious [they rigged the results],” Gunson said.

An image purported to have been shared and later deleted by Venezuela’s electoral authority showed a table with about 2 million votes for each of the five questions, suggesting that they tallied the number of votes rather than voters to spin the public relations disaster.

The Venezuelan government has not published any detailed or regional results, adding to doubts around their validity. “If the government stands by their claim that this is a massive success they should have no difficulty in publishing the breakdown of votes,” said Geoff Ramsey, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

“This is a massive PR disaster for Maduro. They’ve been firing the propaganda machine on all cylinders for months but despite their best efforts turnout is way below what we expected,” he added.

Intelligence collected by Guyana and its allies suggest the actual turnout was fewer than 1.5 million people – less than a 10th of the population – said a source close to the Guyanese government who described the move as “rigonomics”.

“I think Maduro miscalculated in a very, very big way,” the source added.

Guyana remains on high alert given the unpredictability of the Venezuelan president, Guyana’s foreign minister, Hugh Todd said.

“What we see from afar is that he is operating as a one man-show, as a dictator telling the people what they need and not the other way around,” Todd told the Guardian.

“Ninety-five per cent of people voted yes, so he can still claim a victory out of that … We are not jubilant. We’re still very cautious,” he said.

The Essequibo is home to only 120,000 of Guyana’s 800,000 people but the vast swath of jungle is rich in natural resources including copper and gold.

Maduro’s rhetoric over the region has become more bellicose since massive oil reserves were discovered in 2015 but the weekend’s plebiscite is seen foremost as a way to gauge how many people he can mobilise in presidential elections expected for next year.

The opposition candidate María Corina Machado is widely predicted to defeat Maduro if the election is a free contest and the US is threatening to snap back recent sanctions relief if the dictator does not permit a fair election.

The Essequibo is the only issue that unites Venezuelans across the political spectrum but the vote suggests people care more about more pressing issues, such as the economic collapse which has driven more than 7 million people to flee the country, Gunson said.

If Maduro is unable to rally the people under the banner of Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo, there are few options left but to rig the contest.

“This leaves an enormous gap where there used to be a resemblance of a strategy. What are they going to do now? They have an unpopular president heading for a disaster in anything remotely approaching a free and fair election,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... te-turnout

Map of the area in dispute is at the link.

[ponchi101]

Increased military activity along the border between Guyana and Venezuela. A few extra donkeys and three dozen bayonets probably arrived.

[ti-amie]

Increased military activity along the border between Guyana and Venezuela. A few extra donkeys and three dozen bayonets probably arrived.

[ti-amie]

Thousands of tons of dead fish wash ashore in Japan - three months after the nation released treated Fukushima radioactive water into the sea
By DAVID AVERRE and AP

PUBLISHED: 15:13, 8 December 2023 | UPDATED: 16:57, 8 December 2023

Thousands of tons of dead fish have washed up on a beach in northern Japan, prompting speculation that the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has wrought havoc on local ecosystems.

The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline.

Officials could not come up with an explanation for the phenomenon, but Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute researcher, posited a number of theories as to why the fish could have died en-masse.

He said they may have become exhausted due to a lack of oxygen while moving in a densely packed school in shallow waters, or may have suddenly entered cold waters during their migration and succumbed to shock.

There have been several recorded cases of similar phenomena springing up on several parts of Japan's coastline.

But this particular phenomenon occurred just three months after Japanese authorities began releasing treated radioactive water back into the sea - a move which angered its neighbours including China and South Korea.

China has since banned Japanese seafood and criticised the country as being 'extremely selfish and irresponsible', with the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper The Global Times writing it could open 'Pandora's box' and trigger fears of a 'real-life Godzilla'.

South Korean protestors also attempted to enter the Japanese embassy in Seoul carrying banners which read 'The sea is not Japan's trash bin'.


Thousands of tonnes of fish are seen washed up on shores in Japan


The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning


The phenomenon created an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline

Local residents observing the shoreline in Hakodate said they had never seen anything like it.

Some gathered the fish to sell or eat, prompting the town to urge residents not to consume the fish in a notice posted on its website,

The decomposing fish could lower oxygen levels in the water and affect the marine environment, Fujioka said.

'We don't know for sure under what circumstances these fish were washed up, so I do not recommend eating them,' he concluded.

In March 2011 the Fukushima power plant was wrecked after an earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed the plant's cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt.

Now, an undersea tunnel is being used to discharge the radioactive water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System, which uses a process called isotopic dilution to render the water less dangerous.

This process sees tritium - a less harmful radioactive isotope - added to the contaminated water which is subsequently mixed with 'clean seawater', diluting the concentration of more harmful substances.

Japanese officials maintain that the treated water is safe.

But critics say a lack of long-term data means it is impossible to say with certainty that tritium poses no threat to human health or the marine environment.

Greenpeace said the radiological risks had not been fully assessed and that the biological impacts of tritium 'have been ignored'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... r-sea.html

The videos at the link are unbelievable.

[ti-amie]

The BBC coverage is more restrained

[ti-amie]

Duna Press Jornal
@dunapressjornal
The individual who tried to attack Milei with a bottle is a fervent Kirchnerist

Javier Milei was sworn in this Sunday as president of Argentina. At the ceremony an assassination attempt went unnoticed while he was traveling with his sister, Karina Milei , to the Casa Rosada . A member of the public threw a bottle at him, which passed a few centimeters above his head and hit one of the agents guarding him. The attacker is Gastón Ariel Mercanzini...

https://dunapress.com/2023/12/13/o-indi ... chnerista/

Translated from Português using DeepL.com

[Owendonovan]

Thousands of tons of dead fish wash ashore in Japan - three months after the nation released treated Fukushima radioactive water into the sea
By DAVID AVERRE and AP

PUBLISHED: 15:13, 8 December 2023 | UPDATED: 16:57, 8 December 2023

Thousands of tons of dead fish have washed up on a beach in northern Japan, prompting speculation that the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has wrought havoc on local ecosystems.

The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline.

Officials could not come up with an explanation for the phenomenon, but Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute researcher, posited a number of theories as to why the fish could have died en-masse.

He said they may have become exhausted due to a lack of oxygen while moving in a densely packed school in shallow waters, or may have suddenly entered cold waters during their migration and succumbed to shock.

There have been several recorded cases of similar phenomena springing up on several parts of Japan's coastline.

But this particular phenomenon occurred just three months after Japanese authorities began releasing treated radioactive water back into the sea - a move which angered its neighbours including China and South Korea.

China has since banned Japanese seafood and criticised the country as being 'extremely selfish and irresponsible', with the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper The Global Times writing it could open 'Pandora's box' and trigger fears of a 'real-life Godzilla'.

South Korean protestors also attempted to enter the Japanese embassy in Seoul carrying banners which read 'The sea is not Japan's trash bin'.


Thousands of tonnes of fish are seen washed up on shores in Japan


The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning


The phenomenon created an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline

Local residents observing the shoreline in Hakodate said they had never seen anything like it.

Some gathered the fish to sell or eat, prompting the town to urge residents not to consume the fish in a notice posted on its website,

The decomposing fish could lower oxygen levels in the water and affect the marine environment, Fujioka said.

'We don't know for sure under what circumstances these fish were washed up, so I do not recommend eating them,' he concluded.

In March 2011 the Fukushima power plant was wrecked after an earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed the plant's cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt.

Now, an undersea tunnel is being used to discharge the radioactive water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System, which uses a process called isotopic dilution to render the water less dangerous.

This process sees tritium - a less harmful radioactive isotope - added to the contaminated water which is subsequently mixed with 'clean seawater', diluting the concentration of more harmful substances.

Japanese officials maintain that the treated water is safe.

But critics say a lack of long-term data means it is impossible to say with certainty that tritium poses no threat to human health or the marine environment.

Greenpeace said the radiological risks had not been fully assessed and that the biological impacts of tritium 'have been ignored'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... r-sea.html

The videos at the link are unbelievable.

Maybe that radioactive water should just stay where it is?

[ti-amie]

Thousands of tons of dead fish wash ashore in Japan - three months after the nation released treated Fukushima radioactive water into the sea
By DAVID AVERRE and AP

PUBLISHED: 15:13, 8 December 2023 | UPDATED: 16:57, 8 December 2023

Thousands of tons of dead fish have washed up on a beach in northern Japan, prompting speculation that the release of treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant has wrought havoc on local ecosystems.

The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning, creating an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline.

Officials could not come up with an explanation for the phenomenon, but Takashi Fujioka, a Hakodate Fisheries Research Institute researcher, posited a number of theories as to why the fish could have died en-masse.

He said they may have become exhausted due to a lack of oxygen while moving in a densely packed school in shallow waters, or may have suddenly entered cold waters during their migration and succumbed to shock.

There have been several recorded cases of similar phenomena springing up on several parts of Japan's coastline.

But this particular phenomenon occurred just three months after Japanese authorities began releasing treated radioactive water back into the sea - a move which angered its neighbours including China and South Korea.

China has since banned Japanese seafood and criticised the country as being 'extremely selfish and irresponsible', with the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper The Global Times writing it could open 'Pandora's box' and trigger fears of a 'real-life Godzilla'.

South Korean protestors also attempted to enter the Japanese embassy in Seoul carrying banners which read 'The sea is not Japan's trash bin'.


Thousands of tonnes of fish are seen washed up on shores in Japan


The sardines and some mackerel washed ashore in Hakodate on Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday morning


The phenomenon created an unsettling sliver blanket that covered almost a mile of shoreline

Local residents observing the shoreline in Hakodate said they had never seen anything like it.

Some gathered the fish to sell or eat, prompting the town to urge residents not to consume the fish in a notice posted on its website,

The decomposing fish could lower oxygen levels in the water and affect the marine environment, Fujioka said.

'We don't know for sure under what circumstances these fish were washed up, so I do not recommend eating them,' he concluded.

In March 2011 the Fukushima power plant was wrecked after an earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed the plant's cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt.

Now, an undersea tunnel is being used to discharge the radioactive water treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System, which uses a process called isotopic dilution to render the water less dangerous.

This process sees tritium - a less harmful radioactive isotope - added to the contaminated water which is subsequently mixed with 'clean seawater', diluting the concentration of more harmful substances.

Japanese officials maintain that the treated water is safe.

But critics say a lack of long-term data means it is impossible to say with certainty that tritium poses no threat to human health or the marine environment.

Greenpeace said the radiological risks had not been fully assessed and that the biological impacts of tritium 'have been ignored'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... r-sea.html

The videos at the link are unbelievable.

Maybe that radioactive water should just stay where it is?

[dryrunguy]

The NY Times is reporting that the volcano in Iceland has finally erupted after a torrent of earthquakes signaling the event. Apparently, the eruption is located in close proximity to a power plant.

[ti-amie]

The NY Times is reporting that the volcano in Iceland has finally erupted after a torrent of earthquakes signaling the event. Apparently, the eruption is located in close proximity to a power plant.

Hoping everyone remains safe.

[Suliso]

It looks spectacular (the fissure is 4 km long)

[dryrunguy]

This morning NY Times newsletter indicated the Icelandic volcano is not a threat to people. That's good news.

[ti-amie]