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Sunday, August 7, 2005

The 60th anniversary of the first use of an atomic bomb against people has been remembered in a ceremony yesterday in Hiroshima, Japan.

The atomic bomb, code-named “Little Boy“, was dropped on Hiroshima at precisely 08:15 on August 6, 1945 by the specially converted United States Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay.

The recommendation to drop the atomic bomb without warning was made by an eight-man committee headed by George Harrison who was Secretary of War Henry Stimson’s special assistant for matters relating to the development of the atomic bomb. Both Harrison and Stimson were members of Skull and Bones

Three days later, another atomic bomb “Fat Man“, was dropped on nearby Nagasaki.

The Japanese Government surrendered unconditionally on 15 August, and signed the formal surrender on the USS Missouri on 2 September in Tokyo Bay.

The dropping of the bomb has been condemned by critics and anti-nuclear campaigners, who say other methods could have been used to end the war. Advocates, however, say that an invasion of Japan — to be known as Operation Downfall — would have cost millions of Allied and Japanese lives, citing the ferocity of fighting experienced during the Battle of Okinawa, and that the bombings avoided this.

Approximately 140,000 people died within days from the initial blast and during the following year from radiation. The total death toll was almost half of Hiroshima’s population.

“As the years go by so many of my friends and relatives die. This must not be forgotten.” Sunao Tsuboi, a survivor of the bombing, said. Now he is 80, and he recounted some of the details of what he witnessed that day:

“We were all barefoot. One woman’s skin was hanging from her chest, another woman’s eye was hanging from its socket and resting on her chin, and one young girl’s guts had spilled out.”

Tsuboi saw people jumping into a river which was already full of bodies. He said, “I was thinking that if I die here, I would feel so sad and alone. Everyone had given up; no help was coming.We were beyond pain.” Tsuboi has since lost skin on his forehead and nose as well as part of his ears. He still goes to hospital every two weeks for treatment.

Friday, December 12, 2008

A US$14 billion bailout package deal for the “Big Three” United States automakers — Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors — has been rejected in the United States Senate after failing a procedural vote.

The bill was rejected after bipartisan discussions on the bailout broke down when Republican Party leaders insisted that the United Auto Workers (UAW) union agree to increase wage cuts by next year in order to bring their pay into line with those of Japanese automobile companies in the United States. The UAW refused to meet the demands.

The final vote count in the Senate was 52-35, eight short of the 60 needed to pass. Only ten Republicans joined forty Democrats and two independents in voting for the bill. Three Democrats voted with thirty-one Republicans against it.

Senate Majority leader Harry Reid said that he was “terribly disappointed” by the failure of the bill to pass. “I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow. It’s not going to be a pleasant sight,” Reid said. “Millions of Americans, not only the auto workers but people who sell cars, car dealerships, people who work on cars are going to be directly impacted and affected.”

Republican Senator Bob Corker was also unhappy about the rejection. “We were about three words away from a deal. We solved everything substantively and about three words keep us from reaching a conclusion,” he said.

Some Democrats now want U.S. President Bush to reserve a portion of the $700 billion bailout package earmarked for Wall Street to assist the flagging car industry.

Stock markets worldwide fell dramatically on the news, with Japan’s Nikkei average losing 484.68 points, or 5.6 percent, reaching a level of 8253.87 points. Shares in the auto companies Toyota, Nissan and Honda all dropped by no less than 10 percent apiece. European stocks, such as those in the United Kingdom and Germany, also lost ground, with the FTSE-100 index of leading shares falling 176.3 points to a level of 4,211 at midday.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

An AS532 Cougar helicopter has crashed in the south-east of France, killing all six occupants onboard. The aircraft, owned by manufacturing company Eurocopter, descended in the Verdon Gorge — located in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence — at roughly 13:30 CEST (1130 UTC) yesterday. Police lieutenant Benoit Gounine told Reuters “[t]he accident occurred in a place that’s very difficult to access, which is complicating our work”.

A spokesperson for Eurocopter said the occupants of the helicopter were company engineers and test pilots. The aircraft, which launched from a heliport near Marseille, was being taken on a test flight and was due to be delivered to a customer later. Gilles Bruniaux, security development director at Eurocopter, said the helicopter occupants were “hardened professionals”.

Although investigations into the cause of the incident are ongoing, initial examinations by police and witness reports suggest the helicopter impacted with an electricity cable before descending. The owner of a restaurant close to the impact site told Agence France-Presse “customers having lunch on the terrace started yelling — there was an explosion and lots of black smoke”.

Verdon Gorge, one of the most famous in Europe, has a depth of 700 metres (2300 feet). The gorge is notable for its popularity with hikers.