Monthly Archives: April 2014

The captain of a South Korean ferry that capsized three days ago, leaving 28 people dead and 268 missing, has been arrested and charged.

Lee Joon-seok faces five charges, including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

A joint investigation team of police and prosecutors on Friday had sought arrest warrants for Lee, 52, and two of his crew, without specifying charges.

Yonhap says a local court in Mokpo had issued warrants for him and two other crew members, citing the possibility that they may flee or destroy evidence.

During his police arraignment, Lee defended his decision not to issue a mandatory evacuation immediately when the ship started listing.

Lee was asked by TV reporters why passengers had been ordered to remain in their seats and cabins for more than 40 minutes after the ferry first sent a distress signal.

“At the time a rescue ship had not arrived. There were also no fishing boats around there for rescues or other ships to help,” he said.

“The currents were very strong and water was cold at that time in the area.

“I thought that passengers would be swept far away and fall into trouble if they evacuated thoughtlessly without wearing lifejackets.

“It would have been the same even if they did wear lifejackets,” he said.

Earlier, prosecutors said Lee had handed the helm to his third officer before the ferry capsized.

The ship captain has come under scrutiny after witnesses said he was among the first to escape the sinking vessel, which was on a 400-kilometre voyage from the port city of Incheon to the Korean holiday island of Jeju.

Earlier, Park Kyoung-nam, who was working in the ship’s wheelhouse, told reporters he was unsure if an evacuation order he said was made by the captain was received by passengers.

“The captain made the order, but I do not know if it was properly communicated,” he said.

“What is announced through the speakers in the cabin cannot really be heard in the wheelhouse because they have different microphone systems.”

Crew interviews to give insight into accident cause: expert

Captain James Staples, a US-based maritime safety consultant, told the AM program that authorities should be able to determine the cause of the accident through interviews with the captain and crew, without pulling the vessel from the water.

“[The captain] should be able to answer probably 80 per cent of the questions, along with the chief engineer,” he said.

“They should be able to come to some kind of conclusion as to what happened, putting together the bridge team to see where the position of the vessel was.

“They don’t need the ship right now, but they could use the ship later on for forensics if she does indeed have what we call a VDR – a voice data recorder – which is very similar to what airlines have with black boxes.”

He says authorities will have broader questions about the safety protocols on the vessel.

“What we need to look at is to see what the procedures and protocols were for lashing of cargo on that type of vessel, and to see if it was being done or if the crew had been complacent. From what I understand … they hadn’t even run evacuation drills on board the ship.

“So it sounds like there may be some training issues here we have to look at, some complacency with being on runs for a long period of time. There’s quite a few things we need to look at, but training would be the first one I would be looking at.”

Divers unable to access passenger area

Meanwhile, the vice principal of a South Korean high school, who accompanied hundreds of pupils on the ferry and survived, has committed suicide.

Kang Min-gyu, 52, had been missing since Thursday. His body was found outside a gym in the port city of Jindo where relatives of the people missing on the ship, mostly children from the school, were gathered.

Authorities are still searching for any survivors of the maritime disaster, which is South Korea’s worst in 21 years, based on possible casualties.

Divers gained access to the cargo deck of the ferry on Friday, although that was not close to the passenger quarters, according to a coastguard official.

Other coastguard officials said that divers made several attempts to make it to the passenger areas but failed.

Marine salvage expert Captain John Noble has told the ABC it would be a “miracle” if anyone were found alive inside the sunken ferry.

“The water temperature is about 12 degrees. It is now many hours … since the tragedy occurred. People just cannot survive in water at that temperature for that length of time and if they found an air pocket I doubt that there would be much chance of survival by now.

“If there is, it would be a miracle.”

Cranes have been deployed near the wreck site as preparations begin to raise the ship.

source: abc.net.au

THE Australian football community is mourning the loss of youth international Dylan Tombides, who passed away yesterday following a three-year battle with cancer. He was aged 20.

The Perth-born Tombides made the first-team squad at English Premier League club West Ham United while being treated for testicular cancer and represented Australia at U-17 and Under-23 level.

Football Federation Australia boss David Gallop paid tribute to Tombides as an outstanding player of his generation.

“On behalf of the Australian football community, we offer our deepest condolences to Dylan’s family, team mates and friends during this extremely sad time,” said Gallop in a statement.

“The Tombides family has lost a fine young man and Australian football has lost one of its most promising football players. He will be remembered for the courage he showed in his personal battle as much as the prodigious talent he displayed on the football field.”

Tombides played his early football in Perth and Hong Kong, before joining West Ham as a 15-year-old.

After impressive performances for the Hammers at youth and reserve levels, Tombides was named on the bench for the final Premier League fixture of the 2010/11 season against Sunderland. In June 2011 Tombides was named in Australia’s squad for the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico where his disease was diagnosed in a routine drug test.

Tombides played in all four of Australia’s matches and scored the winning goal against Cote d’Ivoire in their opening match.

After treatment and months of recovery in London, Tombides battled back to make his West Ham first-team debut off the substitutes’ bench in a League Cup match against Wigan in 2012.

In January this year, he was in the Olyroos squad (Australia U-23) that competed at the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship in Oman. As a mark of respect, the Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United will wear black armbands and hold a minute’s silence at today’s A-League elimination final at Gosford.

His death will also be marked by a minute’s applause before West Ham’s home match against Crystal Palace in London this weekend. West Ham posted a statement on the club’s website praising his resilience through months of surgery and chemotherapy.

“Away from the pitch, Dylan did a huge amount of work to raise awareness of male cancer, supporting the One for the Boys campaign at a number of high-profile events alongside the likes of Hollywood star Samuel L Jackson, snooker star Jimmy White and fellow Australian Peter Andre.

“Dylan was respected by everyone who knew him for his intelligent views on the game and his larger than life character. He was a loving son, amazing brother and well-respected member of the West Ham squad. He will be hugely missed by everyone who had the honour of knowing him.”

source: theaustralian.com.au

Japan has laid out a roadmap back to commercial whaling in its first comprehensive response to the International Court of Justice ban on its Antarctic “scientific” hunt.

The Japanese government announced plans to continue its North Pacific “research” whaling, though in reduced numbers, and set a path to a lethal Antarctic catch in late 2015.

The Fisheries Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said the government’s plans had given maximum consideration to the ICJ ruling.

“We will continue our research hunts aimed at collecting scientific data and seek to resume commercial whaling,” Mr Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo.

Japan was forced to reconsider its hunts after Australia won a case against it at the ICJ, which ruled that the Antarctic program, known as JARPA II, breached International Whaling Commission rules for scientific research.

Japanese Fisheries Agency officials previously said the whalers would not go south in 2014-15, but Mr Hayashi indicated there would be a voyage next summer, limited to whale observation.

He confirmed a move back to the Antarctic with “hunting plans” in 2015-16, after Japan prepared a new program.

“We will carry out extensive studies in co-operation with ministries concerned to submit a new research program by this (northern) autumn to the International Whaling Commission, reflecting the criteria laid out in the verdict.”

Environment Minister Greg Hunt cast doubt on Japan’s’ ability to persuade the IWC, which meets in Slovenia in September.

“Given the strength of the ICJ court order, it would seem the prospect of the IWC approving any further whaling is quite low,” Mr Hunt said.

In its judgement the ICJ called on Japan to take account of the court’s findings in any further scientific permits it issued to its whalers.

But ANU Professor of International Law Don Rothwell said the actual orders of the court covered the Antarctic hunt, and did not extend to the North Pacific.

“As such Japan is under no legal obligation to suspend that program for the time being,” Prof. Rothwell said.

In the North Pacific hunt, to commence on 26 April, the quotas have been halved to a total 210, but still include 90 endangered sei whales.

Mr Hayashi said the scale of the hunt was being reduced in view of the ICJ verdict, but Greenpeace said it still flew in the face of the ICJ ruling.

Such a defiant stance would damage Japan’s international standing at a time when whale meat stockpiles showed no sign of reducing, Greenpeace Japan executive director Junichi Sato said.

“The continued commercial hunting of whales supposedly for research purposes will surely be challenged legally, especially when endangered species are being targeted,” Mr Sato said.

source: smh.com.au

The rising pension age. Source: TheAustralian

THE pension age will be pushed out to 70 in next month’s budget and may come into effect as early as 2029 under a razor-gang proposal to accelerate Labor’s plan to raise the pension age from 65 to 67.

There are no plans to cut the existing pension but consideration is being given to changing the rate of indexation for age-pension payments.

Under a “live option” being reviewed by the Abbott government’s expenditure review committee, the planned rises in entitlement age for the pension, between 2017 and 2023, would continue from 2023 to 2029. Every worker entitled to an age pension born since 1959 would be affected by the new retirement age of 70, effective in 2029.

The government is also considering the option of increasing the retirement age to 70 but using the same formula as Labor’s rate of a six-month rise every two years, which would see the retirement age of 70 ­effective in 2034. Earlier reports suggested the change would take effect by 2040.

No decision has been taken on the rate of the rise in the ­retirement age and neither scheme will have any impact on the four-year budget period from Joe Hockey’s first budget on May 13.

The emphasis in the changes is on making the aged-pension system sustainable in the long term and not delivering savings to this budget through cuts to pensions. This will allow the government, which promised before the September election to leave the pension unchanged, to put any decisions to voters before they take effect.

The Rudd government’s decision to increase the pension age from 65 to 67 — introduced in the 2008 budget — begins in 2017 with six-month rises in the qualifying age every two years.

It is estimated that the budget savings when the pension age rises to 67 in 2023 will be $6 billion a year.

In 2008, then treasurer Wayne Swan said lifting the ­retirement age for the pension would “improve the long-term sustainability” of the pension system. “To reflect improvements in life expectancy and to help counter the long-term costs of demographic change, the government will progressively increase the qualifying age for the age pension to 67 years,’’ Mr Swan said at the time.

The Rudd government also changed the pension income test by lifting the rate at which the pension was cut for each dollar of private income from 40c to 50c. This was aimed at saving $1.2bn over four years.

While the expenditure review committee is looking at the indexation rate for the pension and its relation to the inflation rate and average male weekly earnings, the emphasis is on the longer term changes rather than immediate budget cuts.

On Tuesday, Tony Abbott committed to keeping election promises on pensions.

“If there is one lesson to be learned from the political quagmire that the previous government got itself into, it is: keep your commitments. So we will keep them,’’ the Prime Minister said. “So we will be doing that but, as for pensions and pensioners, I am confident that pensioners will be better off because under this government they will lose the carbon tax, but keep the compensation.”

On Sunday Joe Hockey said the age pension was one area that had to be addressed and there needed to be a discussion on the retirement age.

“That’s certainly one of the ­issues that needs to be addressed and it will affect my generation,’’ the Treasurer told the ABC’s ­Insiders.

“This doesn’t happen overnight, but it may be the case that my generation has to work for an extra three years.

“Don’t forget that the Labor Party increased the retirement age from 65 to 67 from 2023-24 and the fact is that now, as in the United Kingdom, as is probably the case in Australia, that one in every three children born today will live to 100.

“Quite frankly, we need to redesign our systems to manage the fact, and celebrate the fact that we’re all living longer and we want to maintain a good quality of life along the way.

“We need to have a health and welfare system that appropriately deals with the changing demographics of the nation.”

source: theaustralian.com.au

Οι γονείς των μαθητών που αγνοούνται μετά το ναυάγιο την Τετάρτη ενός οχηματαγωγού στα ανοικτά της Νότιας Κορέας κατηγόρησαν σήμερα για ανικανότητα την κυβέρνηση της χώρας, τα σωστικά συνεργία, αλλά και το πλήρωμα του πλοίου, στο πηδάλιο του οποίου την ώρα του δυστυχήματος βρισκόταν ο τρίτος αξιωματικός και όχι ο πλοίαρχος.

Οι ειδικοί εκτιμούν ότι 48 ώρες μετά το δυστύχημα είναι απίθανο να βρεθούν ζωντανοί κάποιοι από τους 268 ανθρώπους που εξακολουθούν να αγνοούνται, πολλοί εκ των οποίων είναι μαθητές.

Μέχρι στιγμής 28 σοροί έχουν εντοπιστεί, σύμφωνα με τον τελευταίο απολογισμό του λιμενικού.

Στο Sewol, το οποίο εκτελούσε ένα τακτικό δρομολόγιο προς το νησί Τζετζού, επέβαιναν 475 άνθρωποι, μεταξύ των οποίων 352 μαθητές λυκείου που είχαν πάει σχολική εκδρομή. Από αυτούς 179 άνθρωποι έχουν διασωθεί.

Εκατοντάδες δύτες που βρίσκονται στο σημείο του δυστυχήματος, περίπου 20 χιλιόμετρα από τις νοτιοδυτικές ακτές την Νότιας Κορέας, δεν έχουν καταφέρει ακόμη να εισέλθουν στο πλοίο εξαιτίας των ισχυρών ρευμάτων και των άσχημων καιρικών συνθηκών.

Στο μεταξύ τα σωστικά συνεργεία εγχέουν οξυγόνο στην αίθουσα του εστιατορίου του πλοίου όπου πιστεύεται ότι βρίσκονταν οι περισσότεροι επιβάτες την ώρα του δυστυχήματος.

Τρεις γερανοί έχουν φτάσει στο σημείο του ναυαγίου, όμως θα ξεκινήσουν την ανάσυρση του πλοίου μόλις εξανεμιστούν οι ελπίδες για τον εντοπισμό επιζώντων.

Η έρευνα για τα αίτια του χειρότερου ναυτικού δυστυχήματος που έχει σημειωθεί στη Νότια Κορέα εδώ και 21 χρόνια επικεντρώνονται στον 69χρονο πλοίαρχο του Sewol και το πλήρωμα.

«(Ο καπετάνιος) ενδέχεται να μην ήταν στη γέφυρα. Και ο άνθρωπος στο πηδάλιο την ώρα (του δυστυχήματος) ήταν ο τρίτος αξιωματικός», δήλωσε ο Παρκ Τζάε Οκ εισαγγελέας που ερευνά την υπόθεση.

Πάντως είναι συνηθισμένο κατώτεροι αξιωματικοί να αναλαμβάνουν το πηδάλιο στη διάρκεια του ταξιδιού των 400 χιλιομέτρων από το λιμάνι Ιντσεόν στην ηπειρωτική Νότια Κορέα ως το νησί Τζεζού, καθώς πρόκειται για ένα τακτικό δρομολόγιο σε γνωστά νερά.

Το δυστύχημα συνέβη σε ήρεμα, ρηχά νερά και οι ερευνητές έχουν επικεντρωθεί στον ρόλο του πληρώματος του Sewol καθώς το πλοίο φαίνεται να έχει καθαρό μητρώο ασφάλειας.

Οι γονείς των αγνοούμενων μαθητών κατηγορούν τον πλοίαρχο Λι Τζουν Σοκ για την τραγωδία, καθώς την ώρα που εκατοντάδες επιβάτες του πλοίου βρέθηκαν παγιδευμένοι εκείνος βρισκόταν στο πίσω μέρος του πλοίου, όπως δήλωσε ο Παρκ Τζάε Οκ.

Εξάλλου αυτόπτες μάρτυρες είπαν ότι ο πλοίαρχος και μερικά μέλη του πληρώματος εγκατέλειψαν το σκάφος την ώρα που άλλα μέλη του πληρώματος καλούσαν τους επιβάτες να μείνουν εκεί όπου βρίσκονταν, καθώς το πλοίο άρχιζε να βυθίζεται, περίπου 25 χλμ. νοτιοδυτικά του Τζιντό, ενός μεγάλου νοτιοκορεάτικου νησιού.

Τόσο ο πλοίαρχος όσο και η ναυτιλιακή εταιρεία στην οποία ανήκει το Sewol έχουν ζητήσει συγγνώμη για την απώλεια ανθρώπινων ζωών, όμως κανένας από τους δύο δεν έχει αναλάβει την ευθύνη για το δυστύχημα.

Τα αίτια της τραγωδίας δεν είναι ακόμη γνωστά. Πολλοί επιβάτες που διασώθηκαν δήλωσαν ότι άκουσαν έναν δυνατό θόρυβο και στη συνέχεια το φέρι ακινητοποιήθηκε απότομα, γεγονός που ενδέχεται να σημαίνει ότι το πλοίο χτύπησε στο βυθό ή σε κάποιο βυθισμένο αντικείμενο.

Οι ειδικοί επισημαίνουν επίσης ότι είναι πιθανό το φορτίο του Sewol, περίπου 150 αυτοκίνητα, να μετακινήθηκαν, αποσταθεροποιώντας το.

Ο πλοίαρχος από την πλευρά του λέει ότι δεν χτύπησε σε ύφαλο.

Σύμφωνα με την εταιρεία στην οποία ανήκει το πλοίο, ο 69χρονος καπετάνιος έχει πολύχρονη εμπειρία και εκτελούσε το δρομολόγιο Ιντσεόν-Τζεζού εδώ και οκτώ χρόνια.

Πάντως η οργή και η αγανάκτηση των συγγενών των θυμάτων μεγαλώνουν καθημερινά. Κυρίως οι γονείς των μαθητών επικρίνουν έντονα τις αρχές, τις οποίες κατηγορούν για αδιαφορία και ψεύδη.

«Η κυβέρνηση είπε ψέματα χθες», δήλωσε σήμερα ένας άνδρας, που είπε ότι μιλά εξ ονόματος όλων των γονιών, σε μια παρέμβαση που μεταδόθηκε απευθείας από την νοτιοκορεάτικη τηλεόραση.

«Σας ρωτώ όλους: Έτσι γίνονται τα πράγματα στη Νότια Κορέα; Σας παρακαλούμε μία ακόμη φορά, σας παρακαλώ, σώστε τα παιδιά μας».

Ο ίδιος είπε ότι στο σημείο της τραγωδίας έχει δει μερικά σκάφη και δύτες και όχι 500 δύτες, 169 πλοία και 29 αεροπλάνα, όπως ισχυρίζεται η νοτιοκορεάτικη κυβέρνηση.

Μαζί με άλλους γονείς μετέβη επί τόπου χθες Πέμπτη με ένα πλοίο το οποίο ναύλωσαν τα σωστικά συνεργεία για τις οικογένειες των θυμάτων.

Εξάλλου στις τάξεις του σχολείου Ντανουόν, στο οποίο φοιτούσαν οι αγνοούμενοι μαθητές, οι συμμαθητές τους αφήνουν μηνύματα στα θρανία τους, στους πίνακες και τα παράθυρα ζητώντας την ασφαλή επιστροφή των φίλων τους.

«Θα σε δω ξανά, θα σου πω ότι σε αγαπώ γιατί δεν στο έχω πει αρκετά», γράφει ένα από τα μηνύματα.

Δεκατέσσερις μαθητές και δάσκαλοι αυτού του λυκείου, που βρίσκεται στην πόλη Ασάν, μια βιομηχανική πόλη στα περίχωρα της Σεούλ όπου ζουν κυρίως εργάτες σε εργοστάσια και οικογενειάρχες της μεσαίας τάξης, έχουν βρεθεί νεκροί μετά το ναυάγιο, ενώ 247 εξακολουθούν να αγνοούνται.

Το σχολείο στο οποίο φοιτούν σχεδόν 1.400 μαθητές έχει κλείσει ως τις 23 Απριλίου.

Οι οικογένειες και οι φίλοι των αγνοούμενων είναι συγκεντρωμένοι στην αίθουσα του γυμναστηρίου του σχολείου, όπου μια γιγαντοοθόνη δείχνει απευθείας τις προσπάθειες των σωστικών συνεργείων.

Στην είσοδο του λυκείου ομάδες του Ερυθρού Σταυρού της Νότιας Κορέας μοιράζουν νερό και τρόφιμα στους φίλους και συγγενείς των αγνοούμενων μαθητών. Νοτιοκορεάτικες εταιρείες κινητής τηλεφωνίας έχουν εγκαταστήσει δωρεάν τηλέφωνα ώστε να μπορούν να επικοινωνούν με όσους έχουν μεταβεί στο σημείο της τραγωδίας.

Πηγή: newsbomb.gr

Ο γνωστός τραγουδιστής περνάει δύσκολές ώρες με την περιπέτεια υγείας του. Για αυτό μίλησε ο Χρήστος Δείξιμος που  είναι ετεροθαλή αδέλφια με τον Αντώνη Βαρδή κάτι το οποίο δεν ήταν ευρέως γνωστό…

Ο Χρήστος Δείξιμος είναι ο πατέρας του Άκη και του Κώστα και νοιώθει ευγνώμων στον αδελφό του, ο οποίος τον στήριξε στην ζωή του. «Είμαστε αδέλφια από διαφορετικό πατέρα, αλλά την ίδια μάνα. Ο Αντώνης έχει βοηθήσει πολύ κόσμο. Είναι μια πάρα πολύ ιδιαίτερη καρδιά. Έχει πολλές ευαισθησίες. Έχει περάσει πολύ δύσκολα στη ζωή του», εξήγησε στο ciao και συνέχισε: «Μεγαλώσαμε μαζί με τον Αντώνη. Ήταν πολύ δύσκολα τα χρόνια εκείνα και πολύ περισσότερο για τον αδελφό μου. Εγώ δεν γεύτηκα δυσκολίες, γιατί είχα τον αδελφό μου, τον Αντώνη και με στήριξε.

Ο Αντώνης με μεγάλωσε κυριολεκτικά, με έπλασε και με έκανε αυτό που είμαι σήμερα». Ο Χρήστος Δείξιμος μίλησε για το πρόβλημα που αντιμετωπίζει με την υγεία του ο Αντώνης Βαρδής. «Επειδή είναι η δεύτερη δοκιμασία του αυτή, περίπου το ’90 είχε πάλι ένα προβληματάκι, μόλις το έμαθα, είναι σαν να συμβαίνει σε μένα. Σίγουρα είναι κάτι που δεν ορίζει ο άνθρωπος. Είναι Θεού θέλημα οτιδήποτε μας έρχεται. Και θεωρώ ότι θα το ξεπεράσει, γιατί είναι πολύ δυνατός. Προσευχόμαστε όλοι για εκείνον και τη ζωή του. Χωρίς προσευχή, πίστη και σεβασμό σε αυτό που μας έφερε στη γη, δεν γίνεται τίποτα. Πιστεύω ότι θα το ξεπεράσει»

Πηγή: madata.gr

MH370’s black box isn’t black, and time is running out to find it. Find out why.

Malaysia and Australia will sign a deal specifying who handles any wreckage from missing flight MH370 which may be recovered, including the crucial “black box” flight data recorders, Malaysian media reports.

Officials in Malaysia are drafting the agreement “to safeguard both nations from any legal pitfalls that may surface during that (recovery) phase,” the government-controlled New Straits Times says.

The Malaysian government hopes the deal can be finalised soon and endorsed in a cabinet meeting next week.

Australian officials are studying the memorandum of understanding (MoU), the newspaper says.

“The MoU spells out exactly who does what and the areas of responsibility,” civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying.

Mr Azharuddin said Malaysia would lead most of the investigation, with Australia and others helping. Details of the MoU will not be made public, the report said.

Mr Azharuddin and other officials could not immediately be reached by news agency AFP.

The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people, including six Australians, inexplicably veered off course en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 and is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, off the West Australian coast.

But a massive international search – led by Australian authorities – has failed to turn up any wreckage so far.

The Bluefin-21 unmanned submarine is being deployed in the search for missing flight but data from its dives have failed to find any trace of the plane.

The New Straits Times report said the Malaysia-Australia deal would address “specific areas” including who will handle the wreckage and the flight data recorders, known as black boxes.

Malaysia’s scandal-prone regime, which has a poor record on transparency, has pledged it will reveal the data recorders’ contents, if they are found.

Procedures for passenger remains to be governed by deal

The New Straits Times quoted a source with “intimate knowledge” of the deal saying it also specified where any passenger remains would be brought and who would carry out autopsies.

The crisis has brought intense international scrutiny on the Malaysian government, which has been accused by anguished Chinese families and other critics of hiding information and possibly trying to cover up its handling of the situation.

It is hoped any data contained within will indicate what caused the plane to divert.

A range of theories including hijacking, rogue pilot activity and aircraft malfunctions have been speculated.

Malaysia’s government has rejected such claims, saying it is passing on all it knows promptly. Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese.

A survey by Malaysia’s leading independent polling firm released earlier this week found that only 26 per cent of Malaysians believed the government was being transparent about MH370.

source: abc.net.au

Ανακαλύφθηκε για πρώτη φορά μια δεύτερη Γη σε κατοικήσιμη απόσταση από το άστρο της.

Για πρώτη φορά οι αστρονόμοι φαίνεται πως ανακάλυψαν αυτό που τόσο καιρό αναζητούσαν: μια δεύτερη Γη.

Operators aboard the Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield move the U.S. Navy’s Bluefin 21 autonomous underwater vehicle into position for deployment in the Southern Indian Ocean, as the search continues for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, in this handout picture taken April 14, 2014.

An underwater drone scouring the Indian Ocean floor for a missing Malaysian jetliner has dived to its deepest ever level, putting its equipment at unprecedented risk, as hopes dwindled that it might soon turn up some sign of wreckage.The U.S. Navy’s Bluefin-21 and its “side scan” sonar has become the focal point of the search some 2,000 km (1,200 miles) west of the Australian city of Perth, where authorities believe Malaysia Airlines (MASM.KL) flight MH370 hit the ocean after disappearing from radars on March 8 with 239 people on board.

The search has centred on a city-sized area where a series of “pings” led authorities to believe the plane’s black box may be located. But after more than a week without a signal, and almost two weeks past the black box battery’s life expectancy, authorities have turned to the Bluefin-21.

But the Bluefin-21’s searches of the largely unmapped ocean floor have been frustrated by an automatic safety mechanism which sends it to the surface when it exceeds a depth of 4.5 km (14,763 feet). Its searches have yet to find any sign of the plane.

On Friday, as searchers waited for the remote-control submarine to return from its fifth mission, the U.S. Navy said the Bluefin-21 had gone to a record depth of 4,695 metres (15,403 feet) in its previous mission.

“This is the first time the Bluefin-21 has descended to this depth,” U.S. Navy spokesman Lieutenant Junior Grade Daniel S. Marciniak said in a statement.

“Diving to such depths does carry with it some residual risk to the equipment and this is being carefully monitored by the U.S. Navy and (Bluefin-21 owner) Phoenix International (PHIN.BO).”

He also confirmed that the Bluefin-21’s search area had been reduced based on further analysis of the initial signals believed to have come from the plane’s black box. Authorities have said the U.S. Navy’s previous estimate, that the Bluefin-21’s hunt may take two months, was also wrong and the drone was focusing on a “reduced and more focused underwater search area”.

NO END IN SIGHT

On Monday, the search coordinator, retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the air and surface search for debris would likely end in three days as the operation shifted its focus to the ocean floor.

But on Friday, the Perth-based Joint Agency Coordination Centre said that up to 11 military aircraft and 12 ships would join in the search across 52,000 square km (32 square miles) of ocean. Marciniak said U.S. patrol aircraft “continue to support the search effort”. That would suggest searchers, under pressure from the families of those on board the plane that was on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it disappeared, still hold some hope of finding floating wreckage.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday as saying that “we believe that (underwater) search will be completed within a week or so. If we don’t find wreckage, we stop, we regroup, we reconsider”.

Asked by Reuters to clarify Abbott’s comments to the newspaper, his office said he was only suggesting that authorities may change the area being searched by the Bluefin-21 drone, not that the search would be called off.

Malaysia’s defence minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, vowed that the search would continue even if there could be a pause to regroup and reconsider the best area to scour.

“The search will always continue. It’s just a matter of approach,” he told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur.

He said Abbott remained in close contact with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and the two had spoken on Thursday to discuss the search.

source: reuters.com

One of the most symbolic foods to be prepared for the Greek Orthodox Easter, red eggs are traditionally dyed on Holy Thursday, or ‘Kokkinopempti’ (Red Thursday), although eggs may also be dyed on Holy Saturday or any other day of Lent, with the exception of Good Friday. The eggs are coloured red to symbolise the blood that Christ shed on the cross at the crucifixion. 

The red dyed egg represents the blood of Christ and the rebirth of Christ and the egg itself represents the Virgin Mary, her fertility and life. From ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of the renewal of life, and the message of the red eggs is victory over death. Some superstitions have grown out of Greek traditions and customs, one of which relates to the dyed red egg. In order to ward off evil, a household should place their first-dyed red egg where the home has their icons displayed.

Traditionally, the eggs are taken to church and after midnight mass, when Christ has risen, the faithful will take their eggs and crack them with each other. The tradition states you crack the nose of the egg against the bottom of the other egg. The person who has the last unbroken egg remaining receives the good luck. Also, red eggs are cracked during the Easter Sunday lunch feast and are cracked around the table by family members and friends prior to lunch being served. The cracking of the egg symbolises the opening of the Tomb and the resurrection of Christ.

In some parts of Greece, on the Sunday before Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera) there is a custom to eat an egg at the end of the meal, following which the accompanying phrase is said: “With an egg I close my mouth and with an egg I shall open my mouth once again.” The closure of one’s mouth represents the six week period of Great Lent and the egg which breaks the fast is the dyed red egg which is broken to celebrate Christ’s resurrection following Anastasi. One of the many things that help to make Easter special is the tradition of breaking the Red Egg. In most Greek households, baskets are filled with dyed red eggs which are offered to newly arrived guests to select and partake in the egg cracking ritual with their hosts.

Red eggs are also used to decorate Easter Tsoureki and ‘avgoules’ or large Koulorakia.

Dyeing red eggs is a wonderful tradition to start with your family, and a great way to get the children involved. Have them help by decorating their own eggs with patterns and experimenting with food dyes. Not only does this ensure children are part of this tradition, but it also allows them to learn more about Greek culture. Discuss with them the meaning of dyeing eggs red at Easter, and what it represents. It’s educational as well as fun for the children and a great way for children to connect with grandparents too.

Nowadays, it’s not just red dye that’s used, other coloured dyes are available for use such as green and blue. You can also buy stickers for the eggs as decorations or create your own using leaves and cloth. Place a small leaf or pressed flower on the egg shell. Put the egg in a nylon stocking, tie a knot tightly at each end so the leaf or flower does not move. Place the stocking with eggs into the dye and follow the recipe provided. When the eggs are cooked, allow to cool before removing from stocking and polish with olive oil.

How to dye red eggs

1. Select a dozen eggs, small-to-medium in size, and clean any external material.

2. In a stainless steel saucepan, boil five cups of water with a quarter cup of vinegar. Lower heat and simmer for half an hour.

3. In a glass bowl, strain store bought dye as per instructions (these may change in relation to what dye you purchase – dye is commercially available at Greek delicatessens around Australia) and let sit till it comes to room temperature.

4. In the saucepan, add the dye and then slowly add the eggs – they should create one layer at the bottom of the saucepan completely covered in the dyed water.

5. Bring to the boil over medium heat, and then reduce heat to low. Cover and let the eggs simmer in the dyed water.

6. Start checking for colour at 12-15 minutes of simmering. Do not simmer longer than 20 minutes. If you feel the eggs are not red enough, leave in pot and remove from heat. When the pot is cooled enough, place in refrigerator and let sit until you get the desired colour.

7. Remove eggs from the dyed water with a slotted spoon and let cool on racks.

8. When they are cool, coat the eggs with olive oil and polish them to a shine using paper towels.

9. Refrigerate until they are ready to use.

source: Neos Kosmos