The federal government predicts that trains hauling crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next two decades, causing more than $4 billion in damage and possibly killing hundreds of people if an accident happens in a densely populated part of the U.S.
The projection comes from a previously unreported analysis by the Department of Transportation that reviewed the risks of moving vast quantities of both fuels across the nation and through major cities. The study completed last July took on new relevance this week after a train loaded with crude derailed in West Virginia, sparked a spectacular fire and forced the evacuation of hundreds of families.
Feds predict 10 fuel trains could derail per year
US experts join companies protesting FAA commercial drones proposals
The United States is lagging behind Europe in the commercial exploitation of drones, forcing a growing number of companies to consider relocating their operations across the Atlantic, experts in unmanned aircraft have told the Guardian.
Several commercial operators have begun aggressively adopting the technology in France, Germany, the UK and other European countries where regulations governing the use of drones are less onerous than in the US. Small drones are being used for delivery services, precision agriculture and inspection of infrastructure such as power- and pipelines.In the US, by contrast, proposed new rules from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for commercial drone use impose stringent safety controls that businesses say will tie their hands at a time when European competitors are tearing ahead.
Jeb Bush’s private investments in fracking dovetail with public advocacy
In the summer of 2013, well before he became an all-but-declared presidential candidate, Jeb Bush spoke to conservatives gathered in New York. He talked up the promise of education reform, immigration and policies to boost America’s economy — standard lecture circuit talk for which the former Florida governor often commanded $40,000 a speech.
Still, the part about “a patriotic energy policy” was especially timely, coming amid heated debate over whether Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo should lift the state’s moratorium on the controversial oil and natural gas drilling technique of hydraulic fracturing.
Bill O'Reilly's CBS Colleague Says Buenos Aires Was Not A 'Combat Situation' After Falklands War
Buenos Aires was neither a “war zone” nor a “combat situation” after Argentina surrendered to Britain in the Falklands War, says one of Bill O’Reilly’s former colleagues at CBS who was with him in the capital at the time.
“It was an ‘expense account zone,’” writes Eric Jon Engberg, a retired CBS correspondent, in a Facebook post. “We -- meaning the American networks -- were all in the same, modern hotel and we never saw any troops, casualties or weapons.”
Turkish troops evacuate historic Tomb of Suleyman Shah in Syria
Hundreds of Turkish troops in armoured vehicles have entered war-torn northern Syria to remove a historic Ottoman tomb and evacuate its beleaguered guards.
The mausoleum was demolished and the remains of Suleyman Shah, who died in the 13th Century, were moved to a site in Syria closer to the Turkish border.
Turkey considers the shrine sovereign territory.
Group protesting Washington police shooting blocks bridge
People protesting against a police shooting that left a man dead rallied in Washington city, staging a march and at one point shutting down traffic on a bridge over the Columbia River.
The Tri-City Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1MJQxFr) that more than 50 people were in the group of protesters Saturday evening.
Demonstrators blocked traffic along the cable bridge as they slowly marched from Pasco toward Kennewick. Many motorists yelled and honked in support.
Ferry sinks in central Bangladesh, killing at least 48
A river ferry carrying up to 140 passengers capsized in central Bangladesh on Sunday after being hit by a cargo vessel, killing at least 48 people, officials said. A rescue operation was underway, but it was not clear how many people were missing.
The ferry was struck by the cargo vessel at the Daulatdia-Paturia crossing on the Padma River on Sunday afternoon, said fire department official Shahzadi Begum. Rescue teams were deployed and passing boats were helping in the operation, she said.
Malcolm X remembered as civil rights leaders grapple with new protest movement
On the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, family members and New York leaders commemorated the charismatic and controversial civil rights leader. They did so, however, largely without linking his life and work to recent protests over issues of race and policing.
On Saturday afternoon, at the Malcolm X and Dr Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center in Washington Heights, some 300 people crowded into a building near the place where Malcolm X was shot dead in 1965. On the wall of a wide hall, a massive and colorful mural depicted his life through his journeys around the US, on pilgrimage in the Middle East and while speaking in Europe.
Climate Change Denier's Research Is Funded By Oil Interests
For years, politicians wanting to block legislation on climate change have bolstered their arguments by pointing to the work of a handful of scientists who claim that greenhouse gases pose little risk to humanity.
One of the names they invoke most often is Wei-Hock Soon, known as Willie, a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics who claims that variations in the sun’s energy can largely explain recent global warming. He has often appeared on conservative news programs, testified before Congress and in state capitals, and starred at conferences of people who deny the risks of global warming.
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