ProNews Updated Around The Clock 24 / 7
Nudist tourists held in Malaysia for making ‘mountain spirits mad,’ sparking deadly quake
A tourist (R) takes pictures of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu a day after the earthquake in Kundasang, a town in the district of Ranau on June 6, 2015. (AFP Photo/Mohd Rasfan)
Five western tourists have been banned from leaving Malaysia for “disrespecting the spirits” by stripping naked at the peak of sacred Mt. Kinabalu. Local officials have blamed the group for causing Friday’s earthquake, which killed at least 16 people.
Friday’s 6.0-magnitude tremblor, centered in Malaysia’s Sabah state, stranded more than 130 climbers from 16 countries on the Mount Kinabalu. The UNESCO World Heritage site also suffered from landslides. Tourists from the US, Philippines, the UK, Thailand, and Turkey were on the mountain at the time the quake struck.
Two people are still missing on the mountain, while hundreds of individuals are helping with the search. Meanwhile, Singapore and Malaysia announced a day of remembrance for the people killed in the quake.
Singapore is mourning the loss of at least six children and their primary school teacher who had travelled to Mount Kinabalu for a school trip. One Japanese and one Chinese national were also killed.
Meanwhile, local indigenous people have been blaming the disaster on a stunt by a group of tourists that took place on May 30. A total of ten tourists separated from their group and stripped naked on the mountain peak, taking pictures and posting them on social media.
Malaysian police have only been able to identify five of the participants so far: Lindsey Petersen and Danielle Petersen, a Canadian brother and sister; Eleanor Hawrins and Dylan Thomas, two Dutch citizens; and Stephan Pohlner, a German citizen.
State police commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan said that those tourists identified would be prohibited from leaving the country.
Sabahans believe the mountain is sacred ground – a place where spirits go after people have passed away. They say the tourists’ stunt made the “mountain spirits mad.”
“When the earthquake occurred it can be taken as confirmation of what the consequences would be when these people decided to bare it all on top of the mountain. We cannot play around with the spirits on our sacred mountain,” Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan told the Borneo Post.
A spokesperson for the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nicolas Doire, confirmed that the two Canadians were not allowed to leave the country, adding that consular services are being offered to them.
The Star was able to reach the stranded Canadians’ parents. Their father, Floyd Petersen, said he hadn’t been informed about his children’s fate, admitting that he hadn’t spoken to either one of them recently. He did confirm that the two had traveled to Malaysia and were scheduled to return in a couple of weeks.
A local tribe is organizing an appeasement ceremony for the mountain in order to console the deeply offended spirits.
The government has yet to decide on the date of the ceremony, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun told the Borneo Post.
“Our priority now is on the search and rescue of the missing climbers. But it will be an inter-faith ceremony,” he said.
READ MORE: Stuck in Japanese lift during quake? No problem – water and toilets to be inside!
Reports of US plans to put missiles in Europe don’t build trust – Kremlin
Reuters/David Gray
Reports of US plans to deploy missiles in Europe hardly promote the balance of interests on the continent and mutual trust, President Vladimir Putin’s press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“Certain actions aimed at escalating tensions, of course, will not be in anyone's interests,” Peskov said. “For sure, this issue itself hardly promotes mutual trust and the balance of interests on the European continent.”He added: “On the other hand, we do not have any concrete information.”
The statement was made after British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the UK would consider hosting US nuclear missiles amid escalating tensions between Russia and the West.
There have been media reports in the last week that Washington was considering withdrawing from a Cold War-era treaty with Moscow and returning nuclear-capable medium-range missiles to Europe in an effort to counter what it calls "Russian aggression."
According to Hammond, Russia needs to get "a clear signal" that "we will not allow them to transgress our red lines."
When asked if the UK would host American nukes, Hammond said: “That would be a decision that we would make together if that proposition was on the table. We would look at all the pros and the cons and come to a conclusion.”
READ MORE: Young Brits say nuke arsenal upgrade not a priority
"We have to recognize that the Russians do have a sense of being surrounded and under attack and we don't want to make unnecessary provocations,” Philip Hammond told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. "We work extremely closely with the Americans,” the British Foreign Secretary said.
Britain currently possesses an estimated 160 operable thermonuclear warheads, all of them capable of being mounted on sea-based Trident missiles on the Royal Navy’s four Vanguard-class submarines.
READ MORE: ‘Nuclear disaster waiting to happen’: Royal Navy probes Trident whistleblower's claims
Russia begins grain deliveries to Iran in ‘oil-for-goods’ deal – Russian food watchdog
RIA Novosti/Egor Eryomov
Russia has started delivering grain to Iran according to the Russian food safety regulator Rosselkhoznadzor. The first 100,000 tons are part of the ‘oil-for-goods’ barter deal between Moscow and Tehran.
"Yes, deliveries began a few days ago. 100,000 tons have been already shipped at the moment," the assistant head of Rosselkhodnadzor Alexey Alekseyenko told RIA Novosti on Monday. It is expected the grain shipments would not be less than last year’s 1.3 million tons, he added.
Last week after an OPEC meeting in Vienna, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh hoped to start implementing the ‘oil-for-goods’ barter deal with Russia after June 7. He added that Russia plans to buy oil in exchange for cash, which Iran will then spend on Russian goods such as steel, wheat and oil byproducts.
Six Iranian food companies have been given access to Russian market in May. Two poultry and meat producers were allowed to start deliveries after providing safety guarantees.
In April, the Kremlin confirmed the ‘oil-for-goods’ deal between Moscow and Tehran, saying that Russia started supplying grain, equipment and construction materials to Iran in exchange for crude oil under the barter deal. Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak then said that Russia was not receiving Iranian oil supplies.
Iran currently has 20-30 million barrels of crude oil in storage and hopes a draft agreement to lift US sanctions on Iranian oil exports will soon be finalized.
Iran and the P5+1 powers (China, France, Russia, UK, US and Germany) agreedon a preliminary deal over the country’s nuclear program in April. Under the framework, Iran will not pursue new enrichment facilities, or heavy water reactors, for 15 years. A final agreement is to be reached by June 30, 2015. The country can increase shipments by one million barrels a day to 2.5 million barrels per day if sanctions are lifted, according the oil minister.
Russia imports electricity from Finland for first time
Reuters/Pascal Rossignol
Low electricity prices in the Nordic countries have made it cost-effective for Russia to buy energy from Finland. Although it is a Russian energy importer it is now exporting. There is more capacity than the 140 MW per hour Russia bought on Sunday.
“The price of electricity has been so low here in the Nordics that it’s profitable for Russia to bring it in. It’s the market price that has made this deal. For many years Finland has been importing Russian electricity, but that was when there was no direct link to market pricing. Now the market has started to play more of a part in electricity imports, with electricity also being traded through energy stock exchanges”, Timo Kaukonen, planning chief at Fingrid, Finland's national network operator, told national broadcaster Yle Sunday.
There is no delivery schedule yet, as it depends on the market situation and prices, which may increase on Monday, TASS reports.
On weekends, the price of electricity in the Nord Pool, an exchange for electric power companies in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Eastern Denmark, is significantly lower than on weekdays. On 6 June, the average price for 1 MW per hour was €10.50 and the following day €8.36, compared to €31.70 on June 1. The Russian wholesale electricity market saw the price of €15.80 for 1 MW per hour at the current exchange rate.
In July, 2014, a 400 kW electric power substation in Vyborg, the Russian city close to Finnish border and St. Petersburg, was equipped to import up to 320 megawatts of electricity per hour from Finland, after Russia’s FSK EES and Fingrid signed an agreement on cross-border supply.
Electricity exports from Finland will ensure the reliability of power supply to the Leningrad [a Soviet name for St. Petersburg – Ed.] Region of Russia, said Fingrid.
The low Nord Pool electricity price is due to a hydroelectric power surplus in the region after the end of winter. Another reason for the price drop is that demand for electricity in Scandinavia and Finland usually greatly reduces in summer. More widespread wind power is also a catalyst for the falling prices.
Russia exports 1400 MW per hour of electricity to Finland.
Twin twisters: Stunning photo shows tornadoes dancing across Colorado
Still from YouTube video/Weather Adventures
Undeterred by weather warnings and life-threatening conditions, a US storm chaser managed to capture the moment a single Colorado thunderstorm spawned two tornadoes. The result is breathtaking, showing nature at its most awe-inspiring and mysterious.
The image, snapped by storm chaser and weather photographer Kelly Delay, shows two tornadoes touching down near Simla, Colorado, at the same time on June 4.
The rare event was the result of a supercell thunderstorm – a powerful storm characterized by a deep, rotating updraft known as a mesocyclone.
The impressive supercell was dubbed the “storm of a lifetime” by Kelly.
Another photo on Twitter showed the same storm kicking up dust in the Colorado plains. The color has been enhanced, showing the difference between the funnel cloud – which is very light– and the dirt and debris it is churning.
According to Delay and other storm chasers, the supercell produced at least four tornadoes – at least one of which damaged several homes, Mashable reported.
It is, however, possible that the photo is showing one tornado on the right, and one landspout funnel on the left – rather than two full-blown twisters.
Also known as"dust tube tornadoes," landspouts are twisters that are not caused by the rotation of a supercell. These tornadoes typically form underneath thunderstorms, and are comparatively weaker.
At least five homes were damaged in Simla, a small town located about 60 miles southeast of Denver, according to the Elbert County officials.
Three homes were also destroyed and more than a dozen damaged in nearby Boulder and Larimer counties. Heavy hail fell in the area during the intense storm, causing damage to vehicles.
Colorado, which typically boasts of having "300 days of sunshine a year," has experienced an unusual dose of severe weather over the past week.
According to the National Weather Service, the spell of tornadoes and thunderstorms was caused by the combination of hot weather and low-level moisture. More storms are predicted this week.
Although considered rare, twin tornadoes have been captured in the past. Nearly a year ago, twin twisters hit the Nebraska town of Pilger, killing two people and injuring nearly two dozen.
US relies on French warship amid fears of British military decline
France's flagship Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier (Reuters/Benoit Tessier)
The US is relying on a French aircraft carrier in Gulf operations because the UK currently lacks carrier capacity, according to reports.
The French navy’s flagship – the aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle – will fill the gap left when the USS Theodore Roosevelt ends its current tour with the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet in the autumn.
The first of Britain’s two new Queen Elizabeth carriers is not expected to enter into service until 2017, and questions remain over whether or not the F-35 combat aircraft which are meant to operate from the ships will be available.
Some military experts say the move reflects a British retreat from its global role that defines its so-called “special relationship” with the US.
Speaking to The Times newspaper, William Galston, of the Brookings Institution think tank, said: “The fear that the UK may no longer be in that exceptional category is palpable in Washington.”
The US has increasingly aired its concerns about Britain’s military capacity and its willingness to tie itself to American global strategy, as it has done since the Second World War.
News that the US will welcome the French warship, even as the American military continues its air war campaign over Iraq and Syria, comes just over a week after UK Chancellor George Osborne signaled he would press ahead with military budget cuts of £1 billion.
The move could end Britain’s ability to meet the symbolic contribution of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) required of NATO member states – a topic of debate in the run-up to last month’s general election.
One Ministry of Defense (MoD) insider warned the Times at the time that defense austerity, applied to this extent, would “not be a thing you could just swallow and carry on.”
The issue has also been subject to repeated interventions by senior US figures, including President Barack Obama.
The president is reported to have again pressured Cameron on spending at this weekend’s G7 summit of industrialized nations, stressing the importance of the UK and US as the “twin pillars” of NATO.
Are passwords and PINs history? Biometrics are closer than you think
Lost your ATM card or can’t remember the PIN? Don’t worry, your index finger, face or voice may soon be all you need to access bank accounts, emails, and even the security gates at work.
While many Australians may think biometrics are the stuff of science-fiction (think Minority Report, where citizens were constantly tracked via retina scans), they are already an integral part of our prisons and immigration system, and are quickly becoming a convenient way to pay for things, thanks to smartphone technology.
Use of biometrics is increasing and banks are leading the way. A spokeswoman for ANZ Bank said it is testing voice recognition “as a way of identifying customers over the phone or as a two-factor authentication when making large transactions”.
Modi’s plan to change India and the world through yoga angers religious minorities
Every morning, before the temperatures in India’s capital start to rise, a handful of old friends gather. On the parched grass not far from the India Gate monument at the centre of Delhi, they stretch, breathe and meditate.
“It is the only healthy way to start the day. Much better than an egg or a sandwich or a cup of tea,” said Arvind Singh at 6.15am as he did his breathing exercises on a bench.
Singh, a 42-year-old salesman, and his friends are far from alone. All across India, in the overcrowded cities, on whatever green space is left, similar scenes are being played out.
Religious devotees worry about the yoga-ization of meditation in the U.S.
Inside the newly opened Meditation Museum in Silver Spring, exhibits refer to the pursuit of “God,” the “Supreme Soul” and often “The One.” A constant visual theme is orangeish-reddish light emanating from a vague, otherworldly source. The message is clear: Meditation is about connecting with the divine.
“If the mind can be in a state of experiencing the energy of God’s light or presence,” said Sister Jenna Mahraj, a nightclub owner turned spiritual teacher whose organization opened the museum this year, “it’s like everything we tend to find so disheveled — it starts to find its own purpose.”
Yet in gyms, businesses and public schools in every direction from the museum — which sits on busy Georgia Avenue — meditation is often presented as something akin to mental weight-lifting: a secular practice that keeps your brain and emotions in shape. Gyms list it alongside Zumba classes, and public schools say it can help students chill out before tests by calming the mind and training it to look upon disruptive thoughts from a non-judgmental distance.
Read More News At http://pronewsonline.com