- Deadly Gas-Pipeline Explosions Rock Taiwan
At Least 25 Killed, Hundreds Injured in Series of Blasts in Kaohsiung
The Wall Street Journal Aug. 1, 2014
Gas explosions in southern Kaohsiung tear a road apart. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Underground explosions in Taiwan's second-largest city triggered fires that ripped through the streets. The WSJ's Jake Lee speaks with Eva Dou about the situation on the ground.
TAIPEI—Deadly explosions caused by a gas leak overnight killed at least 25 people and injured 257 in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung, according to government officials.
Underground explosions in Taiwan's second-largest city triggered fires that ripped off manhole covers on roads and cratered large boulevards, local television footage showed. Roads exploded with flames, overturning cars and collapsing houses. Many streets were still littered with rubble and impassible by ambulances.
"Around midnight, there was a very strong blast. From my balcony, I saw a huge fireball that was at least 10 floors high. All the furniture at my home rattled a little bit, and it was very, very loud. Then I heard people screaming. Two to three minutes later, another blast occurred," said Johnson Shen, whose apartment is about 200 feet away from the blast area.
Economic Minister Chang Chia-juch said Friday that officials are still unable to determine what caused the blast, though an initial investigation indicated the leak could have occurred in an underground pipeline that transports propene, a highly flammable, nearly odorless petrochemical used for polyesters. Kaohsiung is one of Taiwan's centers of petrochemical production.
But Mr. Shen said that when he was riding home on his motorcycle shortly before 9 p.m. local time, "there was already a very strong gas smell on the road. It smelt like the gas we use at home for cooking."
In a Friday video conference broadcast on local television, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu asked President Ma Ying-jeou to review the city's underground petrochemical pipeline system to avoid future accidents.
The situation now has been contained, the government's Emergency Operations Center said, and the fire department had cut the pipeline's gas supply shortly after the explosions.
2.Unholy War
Project Syndicate July 31, 2014
NEW YORK – As the bombardment of Gaza continues, and the civilian death toll rises above 1,200 – with children comprising one-quarter of the victims – the world has become polarized. Supporters of Israel’s actions invoke its right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks. Opponents argue that nothing justifies the mass killing of civilians and the destruction of essential infrastructure.
Unsurprisingly, Israeli society is polarizing as well. Even as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government has fully mobilized hasbara (“public diplomacy” or “spin,” depending on your point of view) and hardens its position, peace activists are taking to Israel’s streets. Israelis from all walks of life, and increasing numbers of Diaspora Jews, are speaking out, rejecting what they call Israel’s frequent violation of international law and the injustice of what they describe as a two-tier system of citizenship and law.
In fact, once-unthinkable positions are emerging. Recently, for example, more than 50 Israeli reservists signed a petition declaring their refusal to serve, citing many forms of oppression but naming specifically the dual legal system that discriminates against Palestinians, and the “brutal” nature of the military occupation. They join a growing number of other former Israeli soldiers who have described in detail the daily injustice and humiliation to which Palestinians are subjected.
More broadly, many younger progressive Israelis, Diaspora Jews, and Palestinians have taken up, with increasing interest and hope, the idea of a secular, democratic, diverse society along the lines of post-apartheid South Africa. If this vision is not yet a solution, at least it promises a new conversation – one that poses a direct challenge to the right-wing Israeli establishment and its supporters abroad.
It is a challenge that the Israeli establishment would prefer to ignore. Following one of the most lethal nights of Israel’s “Operation Protective Edge” in Gaza – and what many human-rights defenders have called a massacre – police, citing “security concerns,” sought to prevent an estimated 10,000 people from gathering in the streets of Tel Aviv to oppose what organizers described as an illegal occupation and military campaign against the Palestinians. The protest went ahead, without violence.
Palestinians demonstrating at the same time in the West Bank were not so fortunate. Protesters there reported that Israeli police and soldiers confronted rallies with live bullets; by the end of the day’s demonstrations, five Palestinian protesters were dead.
Despite the obstacles that Israeli peace activists face – including intimidation and violence by right-wing nationalists – their movement has persevered. Nonetheless, it is often easier for people trained to hate one another to connect in cyberspace rather than to come together in real-life settings. On Facebook, the page IsraelLovesPalestine, which has nearly 26,000 “likes,” documents rallies, meetings, and other actions in support of Palestinians and in opposition to perceived Israeli injustices. The page PalestineLovesIsrael – with banner headlines reading “ENOUGH! STOP THE WAR” – has almost the same number of “likes.”
- China begins corruption inquiry into former security chief Zhou Yong Kang
Zhou is most senior Chinese politician to be linked to corruption scandal since Communist party came to power in 1949
The Guardian 29 July 2014
China is investigating former security chief Zhou Yongkang, it announced on Tuesday, in the highest-level corruption inquiry since the Communist party took power in 1949.
Zhou was one of the country's most powerful leaders, overseeing a huge expansion in the domestic security apparatus before his retirement in 2012. The formal announcement of the investigation – widely known for months – is the most dramatic strike in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign and underscores his growing power.
Xi has vowed to take down both lowly and high officials, or "flies" and "tigers". Fittingly, the case against Zhou, the biggest beast yet, emerged on "international tiger day".
Zhou Yongkang has been under virtual house arrest since December. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/EPA
The state news agency Xinhua said the 71-year-old was suspected of "serious disciplinary violations". Its brief dispatch said the investigation would be conducted by the Communist party's central commission for discipline inspection, adding that the decision was made in line with the party's constitution and anti-corruption regulations. "It is an incredible precedent … The blade is out now," said Kerry Brown, author of The New Emperors.
A commentary published on the website of the official People's Daily, under a pen name, warned that ousting Zhou was not the end of the campaign. Unless corrupt people in high ranks were ousted, "we cannot keep the party's purity and neither can we better rule the country."
It added: "Zhou Yongkang is a big tiger. If we oust this big tiger, those corrupt people who have the illusion [of evading punishment] should understand that … however high ranking your behind-the-scene backers are, you will not escape the punishment of the party's discipline and the country's law."
Respected business magazine Caijing said Zhou's son, Zhou Bin, had been arrested by the procuratorate in Yichang, Hubei, for "involvement in illegal business operations".
Zhou's case breaks with the tacit agreement of recent years that the most senior figures should not be pursued, to maintain party unity. He is also the first former member of the politburo standing committee, China's top political body, to be investigated over corruption.
He has not been seen in public since October and is thought to have been placed under effective house arrest not long afterwards. Scores of his aides, associates and family members had been rounded up, with many of the detentions announced publicly.
Zhang Ming, a well-known political scientist, wrote on his microblog account: "The noodle, which has been boiled for such a long time, is finally ready to be served … It's a milestone event. The anti-corruption campaign has finally realized its vow of no off-limit targets. The fight will be getting more and more intense from now on."
Earlier this month, Xinhua confirmed that the party was expelling Xu Caihou, the most senior military figure to be investigated for corruption under Communist party rule. He is a former vice-chairman of the central military commission.
Wang Yukai, a professor at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Governance said the timing of Tuesday's announcement – before two important political meetings – was critical, showing the party leadership had a clear idea of the route map and timetable for the anti-corruption campaign.
He said the investigation of such a senior figure showed the leadership was unified against abuse, adding: "It will help enhance the party's legitimacy and win back critical support from the public."
But Wu Qiang, a politics scholar at Tsinghua University, suggested the two years between the first rumours that Zhou was in trouble and the announcement showed the fierceness of the power struggle. "The investigation and ousting of Zhou is in fact a mild coup initiated by Xi to challenge the system of collective leadership," he said.
- Five things to know about Ebola outbreak in W. Africa
AP Aug. 03, 2014
Three West Africa nations are struggling to control an outbreak of Ebola. The virus was first discovered nearly four decades ago in Congo in a village near the Ebola River. Since then there have been sporadic outbreaks.
Five things to know about Ebola and how it is spread:
- WEST AFRICA OUTBREAK NOW LARGEST IN HISTORY. The current outbreak in the neighboring countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed more than 700 since March. The outbreak is unusual for West Africa as the disease is typically found in the center and east of the continent.
- SOME PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED EBOLA. While the fatality rate for Ebola can be as high as 90 percent, health officials in the three countries say people have recovered from the virus and the current death rate is about 60 percent. Those who fared best sought immediate medical attention and got supportive care to prevent dehydration even though there is no specific treatment for Ebola itself.
- EBOLA CAN LOOK LIKE OTHER DISEASES. The early symptoms of an Ebola infection include fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat. It can be difficult to distinguish between Ebola and malaria, typhoid fever or cholera. Only in later stages do people with Ebola begin bleeding both internally and externally, often through the nose and ears.
- EBOLA IS ONLY SPREAD THROUGH CLOSE CONTACT. The Ebola virus is not airborne, so people would have to come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. These include blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen — making transmission through casual contact in a public setting unlikely.
5. FEAR AND MISINFORMATION. In the three countries, health workers and clinics have come under attack from panicked residents who mistakenly blame foreign doctors and nurses for bringing the virus to remote communities. Family members also have removed sick Ebola patients from hospitals. Government officials have stepped up efforts to isolate patients, educate the public, check travelers and tighten borders to prevent the disease's spread.
