The president of the New York-based Explorers Club has accused the US government of delaying the delivery of vital equipment to search for the missing Titanic tourist submarine.

Richard Garriott told National Geographic that he has complained to top officials that bureaucracy is getting in the way of the race against time.

Two of the five on board – British billionaire Hamish Harding and French Titanic expert PH Nargeolet – are members of the Explorers Club.

Other members have been working to allow deep sea company Magellan, based in Guernsey in the British Isles, to transport its surveillance equipment to the site: Magellan has remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) that surveyed the Titanic site last year.

Garriott said Magellan did not obtain the necessary permits to get to the site. On Wednesday evening, a Coast Guard notice indicated that a Magellan ROV was underway.

Richard Garriott, president of the Explorers Club, on Wednesday accused the US government of delaying efforts to get equipment to the rescue site

A Magellan operated remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is shown in action

He wrote to Vice Admiral William Galanis, commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, Wednesday afternoon; US Coast Guard Rear Admiral John W. Mauger, who directs the salvage mission; Congressman Lloyd Doggett; and Rep. Eric Swalwell urged them to allow Magellan access to the site.

“Magellan has received mixed signals. First he heard from the US government to prepare, awaited plans – then he was told to resign,” Garriott wrote.

The US Coast Guard has not responded to ‘s request for comment.

Garriott told National Geographic that even with 24 hours of air left, it’s important to keep fighting to find the missing submarine.

“Whatever the right thing to do, we should do it anyway, even if it’s now on the brink of doom,” he said.

The missing Titan submersible from OceanGate Expeditions (pictured), one of the few companies offering tours for tickets priced at $250,000

The Magellan Argus-class ROVs can operate to depths of 6,000 meters (19,700 ft) and are equipped with external arms that can be used to retrieve and raise Titan.

They could be delivered to the construction site within 16 hours.

In lieu of Magellan’s ROVs, the US Navy sent its Flyaway Deep Ocean Salvage System, which was used to recover an F-35 from 12,400 feet in March.

But Garriott said there were fears the Navy’s equipment could destroy the capsule.

“The concern is that the big spoon will crush the hull because it would be almost impossible to get through in the mud underneath without putting pressure on the hull itself,” Garriott said.

“Instead, a 6,000-meter working-class ROV can be attached directly to the nose of the sub.”

“It’s a traditional method and people like Magellan have used it again and again. It’s the way it’s supposed to be done.”

Garriott’s concerns about the bureaucratic hurdles are consistent with those expressed Monday by OceanGate consultant David Concannon.

“We have to move.” We don’t have minutes or hours. “We have to move now,” he said.

“This equipment has been on the tarmac for hours.”

“When I communicate with the US government, I get ‘out of office’ replies – not from everyone, but from key individuals who agree.”

He told NewsNation, “This is unacceptable.”

This is the latest sighting of the Titan submersible, which was launched on Sunday. It can be seen in a photo shared by Hamish Harding’s company. He and the four others on board remain missing

David Concannon, an advisor to OceanGate, was due to board the Titanic expedition on Sunday, but a last-minute scheduling issue meant he was unavailable. He said vital rescue equipment was being withheld by US bureaucracy

The machines needed for the rescue operation (pictured) are currently waiting to be transported from the British island of Guernsey

Concannon said the plane (above) needed an urgent permit to be flown to the site

Concannon, who has previously led an expedition and made several dives to the Titanic site, was supposed to be the expert on OceanGate’s trip to the wreck on Sunday – but a customer emergency kept him ashore.

He said every minute counts in the race to search and recover the submarine.

“If we fly the funds in overnight from the Guernsey Channel Islands, we can mobilize them on the ship within a day and get there within the window.”

“Now it’s at the end of the window, but we can get inside the window to where there’s still oxygen in the sub, and that’s what we want to do.”

The US Coast Guard is now looking for the missing ship. The wreck of the iconic ship lies 12,500 feet underwater about 370 miles from Newfoundland, Canada

The red circle shows the site of the Titanic shipwreck and a fleet of boats and planes are en route to assist in the rescue effort

Rescue teams are racing against time and air to find the Titan Five – the people trapped on a submersible at the site of the Titanic shipwreck. The Titan was launched Sunday morning and lost contact with the surface within two hours.

Billionaire Hamish Harding, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, and Shahzada Dawood, 48, a UK-based board member of the Prince’s Trust charity, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are said to be the people who are able sub.

Massive efforts involving several countries are currently underway to save the occupation.

Late Tuesday, rescuers reported hearing “popping noises.” The Explorers Club reported that “probably signs of life have been detected.”

China’s president has ordered a national security campaign after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 and injured seven others on the eve of a long bank holiday weekend

From

ZEN SOO Associated Press

Jun 21, 2023 10:20pm ET

• 4 min reading

HONG KONG — China’s president on Thursday ordered a national security campaign after a massive cooking gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest killed 31 and wounded seven others on the eve of a long bank holiday weekend.

The blast rocked the restaurant on a busy street in Yinchuan, capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, as people gathered ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

According to online news site The Paper, which quoted a member of the search and rescue team, many people were rendered unconscious by the blast and had to be carried out of the store. The victims included the elderly and high school students, sources said.

An hour before the blast, employees noticed the smell of cooking gas and realized a gas tank valve was broken, according to Xinhua. The explosion happened when an employee was replacing the valve.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for urgent medical care for the injured and a safety overhaul after the blast, Xinhua said. He called for efforts to quickly determine the cause of the accident and hold people legally accountable.

Xi also said all regions and related departments should deal with “all kinds of risks and hidden dangers” and launch campaigns to promote workplace safety.

Nine people were arrested by authorities, including the restaurant’s owner, shareholders and employees. Their assets were also frozen, according to Xinhua.

The blast happened at a branch of Fuyang Barbecue, a chain restaurant in Yinchuan known for its grilled skewers and stir-fries, The Paper said. The two-story restaurant could seat 20 people on the ground floor and offered private dining rooms on the second floor, where guests could also sing karaoke.

A video on social media platform Douyin showed rescuers on ladders trying to reach victims on the second floor. People who appeared to have minor injuries waited on the side of the road for help. Other videos showed at least six fire engines at the scene and some bystanders crying.

A staff member at the Emergency Department of Ningxia Medical University General Hospital confirmed that some victims were being treated there, but declined to provide any further information.

The newspaper quoted a woman named Chen, identified only by her last name, as saying she was about 50 meters (160 feet) from the restaurant when she heard the explosion. She described seeing two waiters emerge from the restaurant, one of whom immediately collapsed as thick smoke billowed and a strong smell of cooking gas filled the room.

The central government’s Department of Emergency Management said on social media that search and rescue operations at the restaurant were completed early Thursday morning and investigators were working to determine the cause of the blast.

The Dragon Boat Festival is a holiday dedicated to eating rice dumplings and racing boats propelled by teams of paddlers. While the majority of Yinchuan’s population is Han Chinese, a third are Hui or Chinese Muslims.

Workplace accidents of this type are a regular occurrence in China and are usually attributed to poor government oversight, corruption, cost-cutting measures by employers and a lack of safety training for workers.

An explosion at a Chinese petrochemical plant killed at least nine people and three others died in a helicopter crash during the country’s May Day holiday.

In February, a huge open-pit coal mine collapse in the northern region of Inner Mongolia killed 53 miners, prompting numerous arrests, and in November this year, four people were arrested over a fire at an industrial trading company in central China, killing 38 people.

The central government has pledged tighter security measures since a 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 173 people, mostly firefighters and police officers. In this case, several local officials were accused of accepting bribes to ignore security breaches.

___

Bangkok-based AP video producer Penny Wang contributed to this report.

• 1:14 p.m .: The counter-offensive “will take time,” warns the Ukrainian Prime Minister

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal warned Thursday that the army’s counter-offensive against Russian forces “will take time,” but said he was “optimistic” about its success.

“We will conduct smart offensive operations, and for that reason [la contre-offensive, NDLR] will take time,” Denys Chmygal told a news conference in London, where an international conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction is taking place.

• 12:11 p.m .: The Russian judiciary is holding the American journalist Evan Gershkovich in custody

A Moscow court on Thursday rejected the application for the release of the American journalist Evan Gershkovich and confirmed the extension of his pre-trial detention until August 30 on charges of espionage which he had denied.

After a closed hearing, a Moscow City Court judge decided “not to agree” to Evan Gershkovich’s appeal against his detention, a local AFP journalist said. In late May, the Wall Street Journal reporter appealed the extension of his pre-trial detention.

• 11:47 a.m.: Ukrainian army reports “partial successes” at the front

The Ukrainian army on Thursday reported a “partial success” in fighting in the south-east and east of the country where its troops would continue the offensive, reinforcing claims made the previous day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly indicated on Wednesday that progress on the counteroffensive is “slower than desired” but that there is no pressure on Kiev to speed it up.

For his part, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday that the Ukrainian armed forces would reduce their activities at the front and regroup, but that they still had the opportunity to conduct offensive actions.

• 11:25 a.m.: “Plan of attack” on nuclear power plant: The Kremlin denounces a “lie” by Volodymyr Zelenskyy

The Kremlin on Thursday called a “lie” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claim that Russian forces were planning a radioactive leak at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine that they occupied.

“It’s a new lie. We just had contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press.

• 11:15 am: Moscow says Ukraine is regrouping forces over casualties

Russia said Thursday that Ukrainian forces had scaled back operations in southern and eastern Ukraine and were “regrouping” after suffering casualties in their counteroffensive.

“Having actively engaged in hostilities and suffering significant casualties over the past sixteen days, the enemy has reduced activity and is in the process of regrouping [ses forces]According to Russian authorities, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a meeting of the Russian Security Council.

• 11:01 a.m.: Volodymyr Zelenskyy accuses Moscow of preparing “a terrorist attack” on the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Thursday of preparing a “terrorist attack” involving a radioactive leak at the Zaporizhia power plant in southern Ukraine, which was occupied by Russian troops.

“Our intelligence has received information that Russia is considering the scenario of a terrorist attack on the Zaporizhia power plant, an attack with the release of radiation. They have prepared everything for it,” he said on Telegram.

• 10:45 am: IAEA director visits Russia on Friday

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi will visit Russia on Friday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.

It is very likely that Rafael Grossi will address Ukraine’s Russian-controlled nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia.

According to Interfax, the head of the IAEA is expected to meet with the general director of Russia’s state-owned nuclear company Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

• 9:19 a.m .: Scholz calls on NATO at the Vilnius summit to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged the heads of state and government of the NATO countries, who will meet in Vilnius in July, to focus on stepping up military aid to Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian government has itself declared that NATO membership is out of the question as long as Russia is at war with Ukraine,” Olaf Scholz told the Bundestag. “Therefore, I suggest that in Vilnius we focus on what is now the top priority, namely strengthening Ukraine’s combat capability.”

• 8:22 am: Russia doesn’t want ‘enemy’ country at BRICS summit

The presence of a leader pursuing “hostile” policies towards Russia at a BRICS summit is inappropriate, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday, citing the RIA agency.

During a visit to South Africa this week, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna confirmed that French President Emmanuel Macron is “considering[ait]if an invitation him [était] asked to attend the next summit of the BRICS, a group made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, to be held in Johannesburg in August.

• 7:20 am: Bridge between annexed Crimea and Ukraine damaged by Ukrainian attack

A bridge connecting annexed Crimea and an area in southern Ukraine partially held by Russian forces was damaged by a Ukrainian attack, Russian local authorities said on Thursday.

“During the night Changar Bridge was hit by a strike. There were no casualties,” said Crimea’s Russian governor Sergei Aksionov, adding that the damage was being estimated. This bridge connects Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, with an area of ​​Ukraine’s Kherson region occupied by Russian forces.

Kiev forces “bombed civilian infrastructure: bridges on the administrative border between the Kherson region and Crimea near Chongar,” said Vladimir Saldo, who was deployed by Moscow to head the occupied territories in Kherson.

He published photos showing the same bridge with a crater in the dam and claimed that according to “first estimates” the Kiev forces used British Storm Shadows missiles.

The United States will provide $1.3 billion in additional aid to support Ukraine’s economy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced at an international conference in London on Wednesday.

On the ground, Russian authorities said they shot down three drones in the Moscow region, while Kiev announced “partial successes” in southern Ukraine.

It’s been almost twelve years since the last one fell Berlusconi governmenton November 12, 2011. Two days earlier, on November 9, Italians learned that the term was spreading. On that day, the spread between the yields of BTPs and Bunds, which had never exceeded 170 basis points in previous years (not even in the midst of the Lehman Brothers crisis), reached 575 points, while the yield on the 10-year Italian bond exceeded 7 %. The day before, the Berlusconi government had failed to secure a majority of the votes in parliament in the vote on the state accounts. Three days after the resignation and in the weeks that followed, the inauguration of Mario Monti’s interim government.

“A silent coup d’état”, a silent coup d’état by the European Council in technocratic language: this is how the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas dared to define it in an interview with Der Spiegel on November 25, 2011. In two years Between 2010 and 2012, the governments of Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Greece fell alongside Italy. It is the same Mario Monti On August 4, 2021, in an editorial in Corriere della Sera, he seemed to confirm this thesis by arguing: “If the government and the majority of the time had been able to implement a coherent and credible economic policy, Italy would not have the confidence lost.” “Market and government policies would not have given in to a hasty, foreign-controlled solution as they did.”

In December 2017, former Prime Minister Romano Prodi also admitted in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore that a financial coup had been carried out against the Italian government. Markets echoed the prevailing political will to make the Italian Prime Minister pay for his position in favor of Gaddafi (ENI had billionaire deals with Libya) and in favor of Putin. According to Prodi, it was not only the macroeconomic conditions that weighed on the markets, but also Franco-German geopolitical interests.

Against this background, 2011 was a difficult year from an economic point of view. In 2010, Greece received a €110 billion loan from the IMF, the ECB and the European Commission to avoid default. The following year, fearing contagion in the European banking sector, including lending to the Greek economy, the European Banking Authority (EBA) imposed stricter capital strength requirements on eurozone banks, whose ratings had already been downgraded over exposure to government bonds of countries in trouble.

Specifically, he recommended building a higher-quality capital buffer. Accordingly cover their own budget holes Many lenders, including BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, reduced exposure to Italian government bonds between June and November.

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The ECB takes the lead trichet Moreover, as Peter Praet (the central bank’s chief economist) recalled later in 2015, he committed a crime that same year The mistake of raising interest rates twiceto counteract the impact of energy price hikes on inflation, which did not materialize and only further destabilized the situation.

Finally, in October 2011, there were disagreements between the countries of the euro zone over the further financing of the euro European Salva Stat Fundi (renamed Mes since 2012), which was just created to take care of loans from defaulting countries and indirectly recapitalize the big European banks in crisis, as will be the case for Spain and Banco Santander. The fund could have been useful as a buffer also for ItalyBut in the negotiations at the end of October, the overall budget could not exceed the 440 billion euro mark, a third of which had already been pledged for Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The situation could therefore worsen and trigger the international crisis of confidence in the Italian economy. was left to his fatewithout any comforting deeds or words to the markets.

The answer that the then spokesman for the German government, Steffen Seibert, gave on October 24, 2011 to the reporter’s question about the famous ironic exchange of views between Merkel and Sarkozy at the final press conference of the European Council in Brussels is a good expression of the climate that is being breathed “The two leaders were just unsure who should answer the question first (trust the assurances from the Italian Prime Minister). France and Germany regard Italy as an economically strong country, as an important EU member and as one of our closest partners. A country with very high economic output, but which still has a high level of debt.”

A claim that is not supported by the data. If it is true that public debt was high and was 120% of GDP (today it is 145%), it is also true that in 2010 the deficit-to-GDP ratio had fallen compared to the crisis year of 2009 and remained unchanged at 4 .6%, versus 4.3% in Germany, 7.1% in France and 9.1% in Spain.

On October 26, 2011, the Italian government also broadcast a letter of assurance to the European summit, on the restrictive fiscal maneuver approved in the summer, following the recommendations of the August 5 Trichet-Draghi letter. A maneuver that went far beyond the spirit of the letter and masked Europe’s other unwritten demands: VAT increase, 3% solidarity contribution for incomes over 300,000 euros, cuts in public spending, liberalization and expected budget balance from 2014 to 2013, as demanded by Brussels. All measures that would not have been followed up, but which would have been taken up in a different form by the Monti government a few months later. If the aim of these measures was to reduce debt, that is precisely what has not happened. In 2012, with the approval of the Salva Italia decree by the Monti government, According to Istat, the tax burden in Italy increased by almost two percentage points in just one year. from 42.6 to 44%, with a cascading effect on consumption and GDP growth, which quickly turned negative, to -2.4% compared to +0.4% yoy, unlike the others European countries, which instead recorded no declines for 2012. And Italy’s public debt rose from 120.8% to 127% of GDP in just one year, and continued to climb to continue the decline until it hit 135% in 2014.

The speculative crisis of 2011-2012, before the start of quantitative easing Mario DraghiAccording to a statement from the Parliamentary Budget Office in 2017, it cost 31 billion euros in terms of higher interest on the debt.

Friedrich Magnani, June 22, 2023