[GEO.TV] A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island's worst such wildlife accident, police said.
The express train was travelling near a wildlife reserve at Habarana, some 180 kilometres east of the capital Colombo, when it hit the herd crossing the line before dawn.
"The train derailed, but there were no casualties among the passengers," police said, adding that wildlife authorities were treating two elephants who survived the crash.
Videos shot after the accident showed one elephant standing guard over an injured youngster lying beside the tracks, with the tips of their trunks curled together.
Killing or harming elephants is a criminal offence in Sri Lanka, which has an estimated 7,000 wild elephants, with the animals considered a national treasure, partly due to their significance in Buddhist culture.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[Breitbart] A recent deadly collision over Washington, D.C. involving an Army helicopter has brought sudden national scrutiny to the service and its missions over the nation’s capital, but a master Army aviator told Breitbart News that they had been at risk for years.
In fact, the aviator said, the Army was so strapped for experienced pilots that up through 2023 it was sending its most junior pilots fresh out of flight school to fly these specialized missions. At one point, an estimated 40 percent of the pilots assigned to these missions, which can include evacuating leaders in the event of an attack, were on their first assignment, the aviator said.
And were WH perks offered as incentives? Why the delay in releasing her social media account? "Grooming" at another level ? IIUC, she batted for the other team - had a "partner"
#1
I have been told that pilots with senority have been opting to stay away from DC, because "they treat us like bellhops".
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/21/2025 7:30 Comments ||
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#2
Bellhop - Escort officers. Legend has it, during the Johnson era, the White House would call up to Quantico for an officer escort for one of Lydon's semi-beautiful daughters in attending a hosted event. Those Marine uniforms are indeed nifty. The duty officer dispatched an escort to the White House. Just because the officer happened to be black, probably wasn't why the duty officer never pulled that task again.
#3
The conflict between commercial aviation and military "emergency" operations & training missions in downtown DC was the proximate cause of the recent DCA collision, IMNSHO.
OTOH, an actual continuity-of-government crisis necessitating rapid evacuation of the elite from DC could well result in drastic shrinkage of the governing class.
#5
All of this is assuming the Army is at fault. Rules of a control zone, especially one like DC, are directed and the responsibility of the tower, approach control in particular. To say the hawk was 100' off and this caused the crash is silly. They have a ATC required spacing distance, one is in separation, I believe its 500' at the DC airport, I could be wrong, it might be more. Then you NEVER allow an aircraft on approach fly over another aircraft while on short final. And,"Hay get eyes on the aircraft on approach, is not a correct answer. The hawk was to be at 200' plus or minus 100', The radar and aircraft put it between 200 and 400'. possibly 100' out of its flight envelope. The jet needed to be at 800' plus or minus 100'. All of which should have made it ok, even with the ATC failure to properly space. Then they said the hawk was not on the correct flight lane, the deviation described, if true, put the aircraft on the other side of the river, further away from the airport, thus increasing the required altitude of the jet liner.
The PIC, Pilot in command, had enough hours to be where he was. The Captain was a low time pilot, but she was flying with an instructor pilot. There was nothing wrong with that mix, its how its done. Lastly, pilots ALL have extra duties. Hers was as liaison in DC. So what.
This is a major airline slandering a military crew to sway opinion before the NTSB get done in an effort to divert liability, or to only have to accept partial liability. They are being very good at picking things like hours, female, etc... in an effort, hoping, that this will be contributing factors in the crash. Again, to try to limit liability. I can only imagine how hard the airline is pressuring the NTSB leaders and congress, let alone the money they are spending in new articles like this...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/21/2025 15:46 Comments ||
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#6
Still nothing about the tower person (responsible for "separation"), hours on the job that day, other duties, comments, etc. Pan makes some very good points.
#7
We know that at the busiest airport in America, the tower controller was covering two chairs because the other guy was sent home early — that was one of the first things reported.
she batted for the other team - had a "partner"
“partner” could also mean a live-in boyfriend instead of a husband. Was there ever a name or a photo to inform the reading?
#11
@ TW #9 - It "probably" has no bearing on the incident, but she seems otherwise occupied in other capacities/DEI slot/Biden Social circle. Hence, the "Social Media clearance period" prior to ever releasing her identity
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2025 18:26 Comments ||
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[ShabelleMedia] The Minister of Ports and Marine Transport of Somalia, Mr. Maxamuud Aadan Geesood, hosted the Ottoman Turkish Ambassador to Somalia, Amb. Alper Aktas, at his office on Tuesday.
The two officials discussed plans to support the reconstruction and development of Somalia’s ports, particularly those recovering from the damage caused by decades of conflict and difficult conditions.
Ambassador Aktas assured that the Ottoman Turkish government is ready to assist Somalia in achieving its port development goals by utilizing The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... ’s experience and expertise in port management.
During the meeting, it was also agreed that the Ministries of Ports in both Turkey and Somalia would strengthen cooperation to enhance the country’s port infrastructure, including modernizing port equipment, training personnel, and providing technical support for port operations and management.
The meeting also included Ahmet Sami, a representative of Albayrak Group, a Ottoman Turkish company responsible for the development of the Mogadishu port.
Minister Geesood welcomed Turkey’s support and commitments toward improving Somalia’s ports, noting that this assistance is vital for the country’s economic recovery and the rebuilding of crucial port infrastructure, which plays a key role in regional trade and economic growth.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[WebIndia123] Following US President Donald Trump's remarks on "taking back" the Panama Canal from China, the commander of the US military's Southern Command is visiting the country from February 19-20 to discuss security cooperation "safeguarding the Panama Canal area from China's influence and control."
China, meanwhile on Thursday said that Beijing has never been involved in the management and operation of the canal, nor has it meddled in canal affairs.
The Chinese Embassy in Panama on Thursday refuted the claim that China controls the canal is "nothing but a lie," as per a report in Chinese media Global Times.
The United States Embassy in Panama, on Wednesday, said that its Southern Command commander Admiral Alvin Holsey is in Panama to meet with the nation's leaders to strengthen cooperation and discuss critical regional challenges, including efforts to protect the canal area from Chinese Communist Party influence and control.
China said that it is the US that has been constantly threatening to "take back" the canal and attempting to regain control of it. The US' acts of sabotaging China-Panama relations are unpopular and will not succeed, said the Chinese Embassy in a statement as reported in the Global Times.
This comes amidst tensions between the United States and China post President Trump's inauguration.
On January 20 this year, Trump delivering his inaugural speech said "China is operating the Panama Canal. And we didn't give it to China. We gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back."
The CNN explains that at the heart of Trump's contentions are a Hong Kong-based company that operates two key ports at either end of the 50-mile long waterway - and broader concerns about Beijing's expanding influence in a region of the world where the US has long been the dominant power.
Earlier this month, US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, held talks in Panama with its president, Jose Raul Mulino. Rubio told Mulino that Trump believed the current situation at the canal was "unacceptable and that absent immediate changes, it would require the United States to take measures necessary to protect its rights" under a US treaty with Panama according to US State Department readout of the meeting.
After the meeting, Mulino said he would not renew Panama's belt and road initiative with China.
China's Foreign Ministry criticized the US for using "pressure and coercion" to "discredit and undermine" Belt and Road cooperation. CNN cited a spokesperson as saying that Beijing hoped Panama would "eliminate external interference" and "make the right decision."
[Breitbart] China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Wednesday unveiled a 20-point “action plan” to “stabilize foreign investment” – a tacit acknowledgement that the Communist nation’s tottering economy desperately needs the return of foreign investors scared off by dictator Xi Jinping’s authoritarian tactics and unfair trade policies.
MOFCOM’s action plan was drafted with the assistance of the National Development and Reform Commission, a high-ranking department of the State Council established in 2003 to streamline economic planning. The State Council is effectively Xi Jinping’s Cabinet, so the new action plan is roughly equivalent to a policy document from a Cabinet-level agency.
China’s state-run Global Times summarized the foreign investment stabilization plan on Wednesday:
Among the measures, the plan will encourage foreign companies to make equity investment in China and guide high-quality foreign capital toward long-term investment in China’s publicly listed companies.
China will allow foreign investment companies to utilize domestic loans for equity investment by removing restrictions, encourage multinational corporations to establish investment companies, and make it easier for foreign investors to conduct mergers and acquisitions in China, according to the plan.
These measures will broaden the channels for foreign investment, increase flexibility, and support larger-scale investment in the country, according to some experts.
Xi’s mouthpieces touted the action plan as a bold step forward in his “continuous effort to promote high-level opening up,” as Shanghai University of Finance and Economics professor Xi Junyang put it.
“Opening up” was actually the strategy of Xi’s predecessor Deng Xiaoping, who Xi was relentlessly working to minimize in the history books, casting himself as the most consequential leader since Mao Zedong – until China’s economy began to crumble after the triple shocks of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, a real estate crisis that wiped out billions of dollars in value, and Xi’s trade wars with the United States.
The suspicious death of Premier Li Keqiang in 2023 eliminated a popular rival who many Chinese saw as a much better student of Deng’s philosophy. The boldest of critics wondered aloud if China might not have been better off with Li in charge instead of Xi.
[NYPOST] Chinese social media is lighting up with love for Melania Trump as she returns to the White House — with users praising her ability to stay stylishly unattached yet supportive of her powerful husband.
The two-time first lady is winning thousands of female fans in the authoritarian country — where women must strike a balance between modern and traditional — for her stoic loyalty and fashion taste, according to users and experts.
''She looks heroic, elegant and resolute, so powerful and majestic, loving it so much,'' Joyce Yip, a 39-year-old entrepreneur wrote on Xiaohongshu — China's equivalent of Instagram — after husband Donald Trump ...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried.... 's presidential inauguration last month.
''Melania is a woman who is low-key, very real, supports her husband in the back and stands with him when he needs her,'' said Yip.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] … while Beijing navy chopper buzzes within TEN FEET of Philippines coastguard plane.
China has flexed its military muscles after a fleet of warships were spotted close to Australia and a Beijing navy helicopter was seen flying within 10ft of a Philippines coastguard plane.
Chinese warships were discovered just 150 nautical miles east of Sydney, marking the furthest south Beijing's navy has ever ventured along Australia's eastern coastline.
The Australian Navy has since deployed two vessels to shadow the Chinese naval task group, which consists of a frigate, a cruiser, and a supply ship.
The fleet was first detected off Australia's north-east coast a week ago, raising concerns over China's expanding military presence in the Pacific.
A defence expert described the situation as 'unprecedented,' warning that Beijing is increasingly normalising its military reach beyond the first and second Pacific island chains, which stretch from Japan through Indonesia, Guam, and Micronesia.
It comes after China was slammed for its 'dangerous, unprofessional, and reckless' actions after a Chinese navy helicopter flew just 10ft from a Philippine coastguard plane on Tuesday.
'As the Chinese test their ability to project power further south, in addition to east and west, the question becomes how much they can hold at risk - how much they can signal to the Australians that they can threaten them,' Charles Edel, a specialist in Australian security at Washington-based think-tank CSIS, told the FT.
The Australian Defence Ministry confirmed the Chinese ships were operating in international waters, but their presence has been met with suspicion.
#2
^ Concur - at the same time I reckon there’s some of ours below conducting some good training. Aussie boats can’t get it done.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
02/21/2025 1:02 Comments ||
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#3
The Aussie government locked down its people during Covid, after the people long ago gave up its guns. I hope NONE of them are sleeping well tonight--they all brought this on themselves.
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/21/2025 6:48 Comments ||
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#10
Uhmm, I note in Billy's link that the Chinese ships claimed they were doing live firing and issued a warning to stay away from the airspace, then ended up not doing any actual live firing.
Right over the area of one of the underwater internet cable!
Instead of 'anchor dragging', I wonder if the Chinese had some kind of submarine or something instead, thus the need for the "supply ship (in reality a secret ship with an underwater hatch) and they wanted to make sure there's no aircraft around to observe what they really are doing.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] An unknown object from space has fallen on Polish territory for the second time in the last two days. This was reported on February 20 by the Polish publication Fakt. Fakt? Really? I guess it's in how you pronounce it
A resident of Czersk in the Pomeranian Voivodeship reported a suspicious object to the police. It fell into a small pond on the outskirts of the city. Law enforcement officers cordoned off the area.
There is no official information yet about what kind of object it is. The Polish Space Agency and the Polish Aeronautical Agency have also been involved in investigating the incident.
As reported by the Regnum news agency, the day before an unidentified object about 1.5 m long fell in the Polish village of Komorniki near Poznan. The fall caused a powerful impact, but no one was hurt. Astronomer Karol Wójcicki suggested that it was a fragment of the Falcon 9 rocket, produced by the American company Space X.
On February 3, Poland reported the fall of a Russian meteorological balloon. Cyrillic markings were found on it. An examination showed that the object was not dangerous.
[GatewayPundit] The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is causing an earthquake as it exposes the astonishing level of corruption and waste hidden in the US government agencies’ financials.
And, cry as Democrats might, Elon Musk’s DOGE is set, by order of President Donald J. Trump, to audit everywhere, even in space.
During the Commerce Space Conference held in Washington DC last Wednesday (12), NASA’s acting administrator confirmed that the agency is expecting a visit from the cost-cutting unit that Trump called ‘the force of super-geniuses.’
Business Insider reported:
“’So, we are a federal agency. We are going to have DOGE come. They are going to look — similarly to what they’ve done at other agencies — at our payments’, said Janet Petro, in comments reported by Bloomberg.”
In less than a month, DOGE has already shut down USAID and targeted the Treasury, the FAA, and FEMA.
But NASA does extensive business with Musk’s SpaceX.
“NASA has struck around $14.5 billion in contracts with the billionaire’s rocket company. SpaceX is set to carry astronauts to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis missions, and was awarded an $843 million contract to deorbit the International Space Station last year.”
[GEO.TV] Police on Thursday arrested a 20-year-old suspect in connection with the brutal rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Bajaur's Mamond tehsil with the suspect, who is a close relative of the victim, reportedly confessing to the crime. "She dressed a lot older. Like an 8 yr old"
Addressing a presser at his office, District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafiq revealed that the suspect lured the child with the promise of samosas, sexually assaulted her, and then strangled her to death.
The DPO was flanked by the Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigation Naveed Iqbal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hunar Khan, and Station House Officer (SHO) Ehsanullah.
''To conceal the crime, the suspect also tried to bludgeon her body with stones, attempting to deface it beyond recognition,'' the police official told news hounds.
DPO Rafiq said that the arrest was made within 12 hours of the incident — thanks to the cooperation of local residents.
''The suspect admitted to perpetrating the heinous crime during interrogation," the police official said, adding that explicit content was also found on his mobile phone, while forensic evidence had been sent for further analysis.
The tragic incident outraged the community, with locals grieving and demanding justice for the brutal killing of the young minor amid police assurances. The police further said that the investigation was ongoing, and authorities were committed to ensuring that the perpetrator faced the full force of the law.
The arrest has sent shockwaves through the local community, with authorities vowing to ensure justice for the victim and her family. This is not the first time Bajaur police have acted swiftly in such cases. Last year, they arrested the murderer of a seven-year-old boy in Khar within 24 hours.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/21/2025 00:00 ||
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[GEO.TV] In a tragic incident in Sindh's Badin district, a father brutally tortured his daughter to death for wishing to marry a man of her choice, committing Karo-Kari — an act of so-called honour killing prevalent in the rural and tribal regions of Sindh.
The victims of such killings are predominantly women, accused of bringing shame to their families for having relationships outside marriage, before marriage, or seeking to marry of their own free will.
In some cases, victims are killed merely based on rumours or hearsay.
The police arrested the murder suspect, a resident of Lanwari Sharif Town, who was identified as Dodo Bheel, while the victim's name was Indirah Bheel.
Speaking to news hounds, the suspect admitted to killing his daughter after she allegedly threatened to leave the family to marry a man she liked.
Dodo claimed that such marriages went against his family's tradition, where girls are not allowed to wed of their own free will.
"Dodo Bheel fatally struck his daughter, Indrah Bheel, on the head with sticks," said Anwar Laghari, Station House Officer (SHO) of Badin Model Police Station.
[GatewayPundit] Scientists from one of America’s most highly respected institutions have proven that the so-called conspiracy theorists were right once again regarding the COVID-19 shot.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that scientists from Yale University have linked the COVID-19 shot to rare and alarming syndrome referred to as “post-vaccination syndrome.” This condition was previously unknown to almost the entire country.
The syndrome can cause severe symptoms including brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus, and exercise intolerance. Moreover, sufferers have experienced distinct biological changes in their bodies, including differences in immune cells and coronavirus proteins, years after taking the shot.
In addition, scientists also discovered the vaccine can re-awaken a dormant virus in the body called Epstein-Barr. This virus can cause symptoms such as an enlarged spleen, swollen liver, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and a rash.
Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University who led the study, tried to tamp down any concerns the general public may have.
“I want to emphasize that this is still a work in progress,” Iwasaki told The New York Times
“It’s not like this study determined what’s making people sick,” she added. “but it’s the first kind of glimpse at what may be going on within these people.”
The researchers’ next step will be to determine how many people have been afflicted with this syndrome and those most vulnerable.
This is the latest example of serious medical health problems potentially caused by the COVID-19 shot. For years, people have said they have suffered life-altering injuries including brain damage, heart failure, and partial paralyzation following ‘vaccination.’
The Gateway Pundit also reported back in January about an absolutely shocking biological change to a 19-year-old woman’s body after getting ‘vaccinated’ for COVID.
She experienced rapid breast enlargement just one week after receiving her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in September 2022. Then, her condition worsened following the second dose, with her breast size increasing dramatically from a B cup to a triple G over six months.
The article at the link hotlinks to GP’s report on this, and adds the follow-up that the young lady’s problem was diagnosed as pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH), a rare condition involving idiopathic fibrous mammary tissue growth, and that breast-reduction surgery six months later was successful.
Members of the military have also revealed injuries resulting from getting the shot forced on them by the Biden regime. These members could now receive medical compensation as a result.
#4
Do we think any of us all who were abused, threatened and maligned by our governments (Federal, State, and Local), our employers, and our family and friends will get so much as an acknowledgement? An apology? Hah.
One word: Justice.
Posted by: Chicago Lurker ||
02/21/2025 8:08 Comments ||
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#5
"It wasn't a thing until they made it a thing."
#7
Day after first shot resting heart beat went from 64 to 38…2 weeks later it went back to 44, after the second shot it dropped back down and took almost two months before it reached 74. Dentist next door died of blood clots after shot. F the science!!!!!
Posted by: Old Salty ||
02/21/2025 9:41 Comments ||
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#8
/\ If it wasn't designed as a population reduction tool, a new 'duel use' Chem-Bio technology was certainly discovered.
[TWZ] Satellite imagery shows the dramatic restoration of Tinian Island's historic North Field, a site that also presents targeting challenges for China.
Satellite imagery shows the extent of the massive amount of work that has been done in the past year to restore more than 20 million square feet of runways and other World War II-era infrastructure at historic North Field on the U.S. island of Tinian in the Western Pacific. The airfield was originally established as a launchpad for B-29 bomber raids on Imperial Japan, including the ones that saw atomic bombs dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The facility has been refurbished to again offer a critical power projection node with its original grid-like layout presenting targeting challenges for a modern opponent, all of which could be especially valuable in a future high-end fight in the region against China.
A series of satellite images of North Field taken between Dec. 3, 2023, and Jan. 29, 2025, by Planet Labs starkly illustrates just how extensive the reconstitution of the derelict airfield has become. The images, as can seen below, show the progressive clearing of the previously overgrown runways, taxiways, and other infrastructure.
Additional satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows the ongoing work to expand Tinian International Airport further to the south of North Field, which is also to support U.S. military operations in the region. As seen below, a very large new apron and adjacent taxiway are being built to the north of the airport’s existing runway. Additional infrastructure, including new fuel storage facilities at Tinian’s main port at the south end of the island, is also included in the divert field project, as you can read more about here.
#4
Wouldn't that be something, if this was a political exile post, and everyone who were sent there got together and were the competent go getters and were like, hey, since we're here, let's rebuild this thing.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[GEO.TV] A Sri Lankan passenger train derailed Thursday after smashing into a family of elephants, with no passengers injured but six animals killed in the island's worst such wildlife accident, police said.
[Breitbart] A recent deadly collision over Washington, D.C. involving an Army helicopter has brought sudden national scrutiny to the service and its missions over the nation’s capital, but a master Army aviator told Breitbart News that they had been at risk for years.
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
...So far he's been unkillable, and they've tried....
[GatewayPundit] The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is causing an earthquake as it exposes the astonishing level of corruption and waste hidden in the US government agencies’ financials.
[GEO.TV] Police on Thursday arrested a 20-year-old suspect in connection with the brutal rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in Bajaur's Mamond tehsil with the suspect, who is a close relative of the victim, reportedly confessing to the crime.
[GEO.TV] In a tragic incident in Sindh's Badin district, a father brutally tortured his daughter to death for wishing to marry a man of her choice, committing 
[GatewayPundit] Scientists from one of America’s most highly respected institutions have proven that the so-called conspiracy theorists were right once again regarding the COVID-19 shot.
