MELBOURNE, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Rio Tinto Ltd (RIO.AX) apologised on Monday for the loss of a tiny radioactive capsule that has sparked a radiation alert across parts of the vast state of Western Australia.
The radioactive capsule, believed to have fallen from a truck, was part of a gauge used to measure the density of iron ore feed which had been entrusted to a specialist contractor to transport. The loss may have occurred up to two weeks ago.
Authorities are now grappling with the daunting task of searching along the truck’s 1,400 kilometre (870 mile) journey from north of Newman – a small town in the remote Kimberley region – to a storage facility in the northeast suburbs of Perth – a distance longer than the length of Great Britain.
The task, while akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, is “not impossible” as searchers are equipped with radiation detectors, said Andrew Stuchbery who runs the department of Nuclear Physics & Accelerator Applications at the Australian National University.
“That’s like if you dangled a magnet over a haystack, it’s going to give you more of a chance,” he said.
“If the source just happened to be lying in the middle of the road you might get lucky…It’s quite radioactive so if you get close to it, it will stick out,” he said.
The gauge was picked up from Rio’s Gudai-Darri mine site on Jan. 12. When it was unpacked for inspection on Jan. 25, the gauge was found broken apart, with one of four mounting bolts missing and screws from the gauge also gone.
Authorities suspect vibrations from the truck caused the screws and the bolt to come loose, and the radioactive capsule from the gauge fell out of the package and then out of a gap in the truck.
“We are taking this incident very seriously. We recognise this is clearly very concerning and are sorry for the alarm it has caused in the Western Australian community,” Simon Trott, Rio’s iron ore division chief, said in a statement.
The silver capsule, 6 millimetres (mm) in diameter and 8 mm long, contains Caesium-137 which emits radiation equal to 10 X-rays per hour.
Authorities have recommended people stay at least five metres (16.5 feet) away as exposure could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness, though they add that the risk to the general community is relatively low.
“From what I have read, if you drive past it, the risk is equivalent to an X-ray. But if you stand next to it or you handle it, it could be very dangerous,” said Stuchbery.
The state’s emergency services department has established a hazard management team and has brought in specialised equipment that includes portable radiation survey meters to detect radiation levels across a 20-metre radius and which can be used from moving vehicles.
Trott said Rio had engaged a third-party contractor, with appropriate expertise and certification, to safely package and transport the gauge.
“We have completed radiological surveys of all areas on site where the device had been, and surveyed roads within the mine site as well as the access road leading away from the Gudai-Darri mine site,” he said, adding that Rio was also conducting its own investigation into how the loss occurred.
Analysts said that the transport of dangerous goods to and from mine sites was routine, adding that such incidents have been extremely rare and did not reflect poor safety standards on Rio’s part.
The incident is another headache for the mining giant following its 2020 destruction of two ancient and sacred rock shelters in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for an iron ore mine.
Reporting by Melanie Burton; Editing by Edwina Gibbs
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
The Cameron County Public Health Department received confirmation of the first case of monkeypox in the county, the department announced Tuesday.
So far no other county in the Rio Grande Valley confirmed cases of the disease.
The individual who tested positive did not report any recent travel outside the area, according to a news release. Cameron County Public Health Administrator Esmeralda Guajardo said this means the infected individual was exposed locally.
RELATED: Monkeypox is spreading in Texas. Here’s what you need to know about causes, symptoms and treatment
A local clinic tested the individual on Thursday, and the department received laboratory confirmation of monkeypox on Tuesday.
According to the news release, the individual developed lesions and mild symptoms prior to testing. They are currently under home isolation and being monitored by the Cameron County Public Health Department.
RELATED: Monkeypox vaccine training underway in Hidalgo County
The department implemented their monkeypox action response plan and is currently conducting an epidemiological investigation to identify and test those who may have been exposed, the news release stated.
Cameron County is urging the public to avoid close skin-to-skin contact with people who have a rash, avoid touching any rashes, scabs or lesions, constant handwashing, practicing social distancing and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.
The Cameron County Public Health Department previously said they acquired 100 doses of the vaccine on Monday and are expecting more, but clarified on Tuesday night that the shipment was short by 80 doses.
Health officials will be prioritizing the vaccines for those considered high risk. Guajardo said they hope to start vaccinating people no later than Thursday, Aug. 18.
Those seeking more information on monkeypox can contact the Cameron County Public Health Hotline at 956-247-3650, or go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
RELATED: Locals urged to prepare for monkeypox infections as cases continue growing outside the Valley
‘Here’s the story behind one of my selfies that has gotten much more exposure than I ever expected. (Exposure, get it?),‘ Dave “Bio” Baranek, former F-14 Tomcat RIO.
A selfie is a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media. Selfies are often casual in nature (or made to appear casual).
Although the word “selfie” didn’t come into popular use until the early 21st century, people have been taking self-photos since the dawn of photography. Pilots (and other aircrew) took selfies back in the day, and Wikipedia even shows a selfie that astronaut Buzz Aldrin took during a spacewalk in 1966.
I started carrying a camera shortly after I joined my first F-14 squadron (VF-24, 1981) and got comfortable enough in the jet. Pretty soon I was taking selfies. Being a RIO, I had a lot of space to work with: the whole area above the radar display was open, and with that spacious canopy I was limited only by my arm’s length and ability to push the shutter while holding the camera out. I shot with a typical 35 mm camera – it wasn’t too heavy, and with a little practice I could manage the shutter. Here’s one of my early attempts:
That’s our wingman in the background. I might have gotten better results if I’d taken multiple shots or been more diligent evaluating the results and adjusting my technique. But this was during a deployment in 1981-82 and of course I was shooting on film, so it was about three weeks between the time I took the photo, mailed it to the USA for processing, and got the photos back. Selfies just weren’t a priority for me.
Another photo from that tour may be interesting, not as a selfie but because it gives a sense of what the F-14As’ TF30s looked like in zone 5 … at night … from the cockpit. In case you can’t quite tell what’s what, that’s my blurry face in helmet and oxygen mask on the left side of the image, and one of our tails above the burner glow. My tinted visor was up since it was night time. As I look at this now, I think of photos that I could’ve taken if someone had invented the digital camera about 20 years sooner.
After VF-24 I reported to Topgun as an instructor, where I managed to get a few decent selfies in the F-5F before and after the dynamic dogfights that filled our demanding flights. The F-5F had a roomy cockpit for such a small aircraft. This shots shows Topgun’s other two F-5Fs alongside my jet.
In 1987 I reported to my second F-14 squadron, VF-2, and was able to pursue photo ideas that had been percolating – including more selfies. By the way, we generally called them “face shots,” which was also the slang term for forward-quarter Sidewinder missile shots. At VF-2 I tried a few more dramatic shots such as this one taken just after the cat shot:
I was most likely influenced by the work of other RIOs, especially “Tumor” Twomey, who created some of the best “face shots.” His work can be seen in the commemorative book, Grumman F-14 Tomcat: Bye-Bye Baby…! Some pilots also took good selfies, such as “Nick” Nickell, who published some of his along with a great article on The Drive website.
After looking critically at my images, I realized that I needed a wide angle lens and a way to mount the camera at a distance greater than my arm’s length. The wide angle was easy, as I recall it cost around $40. The camera mount took a little thought, but eventually I took a collapsible tripod and used zip ties (cable ties) to securely attach a Vise Grip tool to one leg. Once we were airborne, to use the tripod I unstrapped from my ejection seat and clamped the Vise Grip to a metal tab on the back of the pilot’s ejection seat! Believe me, I coordinated with my pilot before doing this, and I selected a tab that wasn’t movable. I also used a 6-foot cable release to take photos.
I was always looking for opportunities to get more coverage for VF-2, and one of the best publications at the time was the Tailhook Association magazine, The Hook. So I came up with the idea to take a photo of myself reading an issue of The Hook in the cockpit. The new wide angle lens and tripod rig were perfect for this shot. Our combat air patrol (CAP) flights over the Indian Ocean provided the opportunity to get the shot, since they were often solo airspace patrols, involving no “combat” and sometimes not even any training. I discussed the photo with my pilot, Pager, and he was game. I set up my equipment, got out a copy of The Hook, and shot about 10 frames as Pager did the gentle roll we’d discussed. Three weeks later when I got the pictures, I saw one keeper:
None of the other shots were good, mostly because as we rolled inverted the cockpit was in shadow and no details could be seen. I sent in the photo and was happy to see it published in The Hook. Once we returned from deployment I gave the negative to the Miramar Photo Lab, which sent it in the Navy Office of Information in the Pentagon. Not much else happened until the Navy digitized their photo collection a few years later and made it available online. After that, this photo appeared in several publications, websites, and collections of humorous military photos – none of which crossed my mind when I shot the photo in 1987.
Looking at it now, there are two things I wish I’d done differently. First, I should’ve turned the other direction so the magazine front cover was more prominent, instead of the back cover. Second, I wish I’d made my own name visible somewhere; nametag, oxygen mask, something. But I can assure you, that’s me.
In addition to the Hook magazine photo, I used the rig to take a few other photos, such as this shot when I was flying with Lumpy in 1989 on a humid day above the Indian Ocean. The vapes on top of the wing and wingtip vortices were fascinating to see and I was glad to capture them.
If you’ve ever seen that photo of the aviator reading the magazine, now you know the full story. One more thing: The Hook is still a great magazine!
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. Artwork depicting F-14A NG213 (BuNo 160888) flown by Steve Petro Petrosky and Dave Bio Baranek
One sharp-eyed reader pointed out that the issue of The Hook magazine that Bio is reading in the cockpit selfie was the Spring 1989 issue, and he’s correct! That means the photo was taken in 1989 while flying with Lumpy, instead of 1987 while flying with Pager.
Bio is an occasional contributor to The Aviation Geek Club and the author of two books, Topgun Days and Before Topgun Days. He’s working on a third book of F-14 Tomcat experiences.
This model is available from AirModels – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A police operation Thursday targeting gang members in Rio de Janeiro’s largest complex of favelas, or low-income communities, left at least 18 people dead in one of the deadliest raids the city has seen recently and one already bringing more criticism of police violence.
Rio authorities said 16 suspected criminals were killed in confrontations with police in Complexo do Alemao along with a police officer and an woman. A police spokesman said the raid targeted a criminal group that stole cars and robbed banks, and invaded nearby neighborhoods.
Videos circulating on social media showed intense shootouts between criminals as well as a police helicopter flying low over the small, brick houses. Rio’s police have used helicopters to shoot at targets, even in densely populated residential areas, and video showed shots being fired from the favela at the aircraft.
At the site of the raid, Associated Press reporters saw residents carrying about 10 bodies as bystanders shouted, “We want peace!” Residents said those who attempted to help the injured risked arrest.
“It’s a massacre inside, which police are calling an operation,” one woman told AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity because she feared reprisals from authorities. ”They’re not letting us help (victims),” she added, saying she saw one man arrested for attempting to do so.
A Rio’s police force spokesman said some of the criminals wore uniforms to disguise themselves as police officers.
“I would rather they (the suspects) had not reacted and then we could have arrested 15, 14 of them. But unfortunately they chose to fire at our policemen,” said Ronaldo Oliveira, an investigator of Rio’s police.
Rio state Gov. Cláudio Castro said on Twitter he lamented the police officer’s death.
Full Coverage: Photography
“I will continue to fight crime with all my strength. We will not back down from the mission of guaranteeing peace and security to the people of our state,” Castro said.
But many disagree with the government’s strategy for tackling violence and organized crime, an approach that regularly sees deadly police operations. A raid in Rio’s Vila Cruzeiro favela in May killed more than 20 people.
Thursday’s operation was aimed at locating and arresting criminal leaders, some from other states, police said in an early statement.
“ENOUGH of this genocidal policy, governor!” Talíria Petrone, a federal lawmaker for Rio, said in response to the governor’s tweet. “This failed public security policy leaves residents and police on the ground, en masse. It’s no longer possible to keep piling up Black bodies and favela residents every day!”
Alemao is a complex of 13 favelas in northern Rio, home to about 70,000 people. Nearly three-quarters of them are Afro-Brazilians, according to a July 2020 study published by the Brazilian Institute of Social and Economical Analyses.
Earlier this year, Brazil’s Supreme Court established a series of conditions for police to conduct raids in Rio’s favelas as a means to reduce police killings and violations of human rights. The court ordered that lethal force be used only in situations in which all other means have been exhausted and when necessary to protect life.
The ruling came in response to a raid on the Jacarezinho favela in 2021 that resulted in 28 people being killed. As was the case Thursday, an officer died during that raid, which some speculated at the time was the cause for subsequent abuse and summary executions.
Thursday’s operation began before dawn and finished around 4 p.m. local time, police said. Nearly 400 police officers were involved, including Rio’s tactical police unit, backed up by four helicopters and 10 bullet-proofed vehicles, according to the police statement.
In a video shared by Voz da Comunidade, a community news outlet focused on Rio’s favelas, residents can be seen calling for peace and waving white cloths from their windows and rooftops.
Fabrício Oliveira, one of the coordinators of the police raid, said authorities fear that Friday could be another violent day at the Complexo do Alemao.
“Our experience has told us that after raids like these police are attacked in every way,” Oliveira said.
____ AP journalist Mauricio Savarese contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.
In a post-practice meeting with reporters, Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio minimized the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol building by calling it a “dust-up” in comparison to the racial justice protests that followed George Floyd’s death in 2020.
“I can look at images on the TV [of the Floyd protests] — people’s livelihoods are being destroyed. Businesses are being burned down. No problem,” he said. “And then we have a dust-up at the Capitol, nothing burned down, and we’re going to make that a major deal. I just think it’s kind of two standards, and if we apply the same standard and we’re going to be reasonable with each other, let’s have a discussion. That’s all it was [on Twitter]. Let’s have a discussion. We’re Americans.”
Del Rio, 59, has been outspoken on Twitter in each of the three offseasons he’s been a Commanders coach, often on conservative political issues.
The latest came Monday night in response to an article by the Brookings Institution think tank about the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. Del Rio wrote, “would love to understand ‘the whole story’ about why the summer of riots, looting, burning and the destruction of personal property is never discussed but this is ??? #CommonSense.”
His comments have drawn the ire of some fans and commentators, with former cornerback DeAngelo Hall tweeting a clown emoji at the veteran coach, and Brian Mitchell calling on Commanders head coach Ron Rivera to address the situation.
“How do [you] expect anybody on that team to be straightforward when you’ve got a guy like that in the defensive coordinator position?” Mitchell said on his 106.7 The Fan radio show Wednesday.
Del Rio said he’s not concerned that his players would take offense to his comments.
“Anything that I ever say or write, I’d be comfortable saying or writing in front of everybody that I work with, players and coaches,” Del Rio told reporters Wednesday. “I express myself as an American; we have that ability. I love this country, and I believe what I believe, and I’ve said what I want to say. Every now and then, there’s some people that get offended by it.”
After practice, Rivera declined to discuss Del Rio’s tweets and whether he’d discussed them with his defensive coordinator. Rivera said he does “not necessarily” worry Del Rio’s comments will affect the locker room, which is predominantly Black and includes many players who supported the Floyd protests with words and social media posts two years ago. If it does become an issue, Rivera said, he’ll deal with it.
“How I deal with it, I’m not going to share with you guys because it’s going to be a private matter,” he added.
Some of the defense’s most vocal leaders, including defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and defensive end Chase Young, were not available for comment Wednesday. Cornerback Kendall Fuller said he hadn’t seen Del Rio’s tweet, and after he was read it, said he had no reaction. If he changed his mind, he said, he’d bring it up with his coordinator.
Fuller was asked if the team has had ongoing discussions about race since the summer 2020 demonstrations.
“It’s definitely something that guys still have,” he said. “It might not be as broad as how that was when everything happened. But it’s something that you still see, conversations that guys still have. Just like everything in the locker room. I love NFL locker rooms because everybody’s so comfortable. We all know each other; we’re all comfortable with each other; everybody’s open to listening and hearing everybody. Everybody’s kind of just putting their opinion and their pride aside and just listening to everyone’s opinions. I think that’s how we grow.”
HOUSTON — A member of the Texas National Guard was missing and believed drowned in the Rio Grande on Friday while stationed along the river, as part of a mission ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to help prevent illegal border crossings, according to two officials briefed on the matter.
The Texas Military Department, in a brief statement, said the Guard member “has gone missing along the river during a mission related incident” as part of his assignment with the border mission, known as Operation Lone Star. “The soldier has not been found,” the department said, adding that an active search was underway.
By the afternoon, helicopters, boats and divers were searching in and around the section of the river where he was last seen, an area known for frequent migrant crossings and dangerous conditions.
The guardsman, who was not immediately named, had been attempting to rescue a migrant woman as she struggled in the water, according to one of the officials, Sheriff Tom Schmerber of Maverick County, which includes the city of Eagle Pass, where the incident occurred.
The woman had been crossing as part of a relatively small group of migrants on Friday morning, the sheriff said. The guardsman, believed to be in his early 20s, went in to assist her, and appeared to have been pulled away by the current at about 8:30 a.m., the sheriff said. The woman survived and made it across the river to the United States, he said.
“It’s very dangerous, this river, the Rio Grande — it’s very tricky,” said Sheriff Schmerber, who is a former U.S. Border Patrol officer.
The sheriff said the county had recently seen about two drownings of migrants a week. But the drowning of any law enforcement officer during border operations is considerably more rare. “When I was in the Border Patrol, we advised never to jump after anybody,” he said.
According to an initial incident report prepared by the Guard and obtained by The New York Times, the guardsman saw the person appearing to drown, removed his body armor and “jumped in” to try to make a rescue. “The soldier had not resurfaced” as of shortly before 10 a.m., the report said, and his team had “lost visibility.”
On Monday, Mr. Abbott issued a brief statement, saying his office “continues to work with the Texas National Guard and other law enforcement agencies as they search for the missing soldier.”
Read More About U.S. Immigration
The apparent drowning comes at a time of pitched political debate over how to handle a surge of migrants at the southern border and whether to end a Trump-era public health rule that has allowed federal agents to quickly turn back many migrants who arrived at the border during the coronavirus pandemic.
That rule, known as Title 42, is expected to expire in late May, though President Biden is under pressure from Republicans and some Democrats to extend it. Federal officials have been preparing for an influx of as many as 18,000 migrants a day after Title 42 ends.
On Friday, the attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, sued the Biden administration over its decision to end the Title 42 process, which has allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants, including those seeking asylum, to be immediately sent back over the border with Mexico.
Mr. Paxton’s suit is seeking an emergency order to keep the policy in place.
Mr. Abbott has said that the Biden administration has done little to secure the border from illegal crossings, which surged last year, and he has sharply increased the number of state law enforcement agents at the border with Mexico.
Last year, Mr. Abbott, a two-term Republican who is up for re-election in the fall, ordered thousands of Texas National Guard troops to patrol the border, a mission that was expected to cost more than $2 billion a year.
But the Guard members cannot arrest migrants for federal immigration offenses, and mostly act as lookouts and support for the Border Patrol, directing migrants to federal agents when they encounter them. Some Guard members described the state’s deployment as hastily arranged, disorganized and politically motivated.
At the same time, the number of migrants who died or were reported missing while attempting to cross into the United States sharply increased last year, with more than 600 deaths recorded by the International Organization for Migration.
Tiffany Burrow, director of the Val Verde Border Humanitarian Coalition, said that though many migrants had perished in the often-dangerous river currents, the apparent drowning of the guardsman on Friday demonstrated the dangers to law enforcement agents.
“Border Patrol and the guards put their lives on the line in moments like that,” Ms. Burrow said.
A group of Republican members of Congress, including Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader in the House, and Representative Tony Gonzales, who represents the area, was expected to visit Eagle Pass on Monday and planned to meet with federal immigration officials and members of state law enforcement, including the National Guard.
On Friday, Mr. Gonzales posted a photo of a protective vest lying on the ground, saying that the “brave National Guardsman removed his armor before jumping into dangerous waters to save a human life.”
The mayor of Eagle Pass, Rolando Salinas Jr., said the area where the guardsman went into the water was a common place for migrants to cross the river, but also one of the most dangerous in the area.
As of the early afternoon, he said, a Border Patrol dive team was still in the water searching for the body of the guardsman, who he said was about 22 years old.
The mayor said that when the year began, the area of the border that includes both Eagle Pass and the city of Del Rio had seen a few hundred people crossing a day. But in the past month, Mr. Salinas said, that number had increased to at least 1,000 a day.
“It’s getting hectic here,” Mr. Salinas said. “With the cancellation of Title 42, we’re afraid that this will be even double or triple.”
The missing guardsman, he added, was “trying to do a good deed.”
But some members of the Texas National Guard said they had not been properly trained in how to handle the swift currents of the Rio Grande.
After the guardsman was swept away, senior leaders spread word to members not to attempt similar rescues of migrants. Units along the water ordinarily have “throw ropes” and use them to assist those in trouble in the water, rather than enter the water themselves, especially if they do not have a life vest, said one member of the guard assigned to Operation Lone Star. It was not clear if the guardsman who went into the water had one.
Soldiers were told on Monday that they would soon receive more training in water operations, the member said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe the internal messages. The level of the river appeared to be high, the member added, making it potentially more dangerous.
