| Minnesota primary: Ilhan Omar expected to become first Somali-American in Congress after win in Democrat race Posted: 15 Aug 2018 10:38 AM PDT  Minnesota state Representative Ilhan Omar, the nation's first Somali-American legislator, has won a crowded Democratic primary to replace Representative Keith Ellison in Congress. Ms Omar's victory Tuesday all but ensures she'll set another historic mark as the first Somali-American in Congress. Minnesota's 5th Congressional District includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs that tilt heavily Democratic.
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| Sea-through: Amazing underwater gallery captures transparent 'aliens' of the deep Posted: 15 Aug 2018 08:06 AM PDT ![Sea-through: Amazing underwater gallery captures transparent 'aliens' of the deep]( "Sea-through: Amazing underwater gallery captures transparent 'aliens' of the deep") Impressive images of these alien-like creatures were captured underwater — photographer Cai Songda is a keen diver and did not miss the chance to snap pictures of the unique "aliens." Cai, who is from Manila, Philippines, went on several diving trips this year and ended up with this beautiful collection of sea creatures, most of them in the area of Anilao.Cai loves blackwater diving and photography; he uses special lighting to illuminate his photos, as they are all taken in deep, dark waters. ...
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| Rooftop footage shows car mowing down cyclists and pedestrians before crashing into Parliament barrier Posted: 15 Aug 2018 06:44 AM PDT  This is the moment the suspected Westminster terror attack was captured unfolding on a rooftop camera. A silver Ford Fiesta is seen being driven next to Parliament Square towards Westminster Abbey on Tuesday morning. But, as a group of cyclists stop at a traffic light, the vehicle fails to come to a halt and ploughs into them. As an ambulance passes the car on its right-hand side, it swerves left - crossing oncoming traffic and hitting a number of pedestrians as it mounts a pavement. The car then enters a small road and accelerates to up to 50mph, witnesses said, before crashing into a security barrier. The car, circled, drives past Westminster Abbey As an ambulance passes on its right, the car swerves left After knocking down cyclists, the car mounts a pavement A police officer can be seen jumping another barrier that runs along the side of the road to get away. The driver, a man in his late 20s, was surrounded by police before being arrested on suspicion of terror offences. There was nobody else in the vehicle and no weapons were found, the Metropolitan Police said. Police said he is being held in custody at a south London police station after armed officers swarmed the scene following the suspected terror attack just before 7.40am. It is then seen entering a small road and accelerates A police officer jumps a barrier as the car approaches The vehicle comes to a halt by hitting a barrier Two people were taken to hospital, while a third person with minor injuries was assessed at the scene, the London Ambulance Service (LAS) said. Prime Minister Theresa May said her thoughts were with those injured and thanked the emergency services for their "immediate and courageous" response.
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| There's A Perfect Word For People Who Say 'I'm Not Racist, But...' Posted: 15 Aug 2018 04:05 AM PDT  There's a new form of 'splaining in town.
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| Why did the Genoa bridge collapse - and how thousands of other structures in Italy are at risk Posted: 15 Aug 2018 01:23 AM PDT  Italian prosecutors are opening an investigation into the Genoa bridge collapse, as questions swirled over what caused the structure to crumble. At least 26 people died when a 650-foot portion of the Morandi motorway bridge in northern Italy disintegrated on Tuesday. The 51-year-old structure, designed by celebrated Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, has been beset with problems since its construction in the 1960s, leading to expensive maintenance and drawing fierce criticism from engineering experts. Concerns have also been raised about the integrity of other structures built following the Second World War, with one engineering body saying tens of thousands of bridges and viaducts in Italy could be at risk. Giuseppe Conte, the Prime Minister, said "all infrastructure" across the country needed to be double-checked. "We must not allow another tragedy like this to happen again," he added. Genoa motorway bridge collapses Danilo Toninelli, the Transport Minister, said the collapse was "unacceptable" and that if negligence played a role "whoever made a mistake must pay." Built between 1963 and 1967, the bridge had a maximum span of 718 feet, a total length of 0.7 miles, and concrete piers - vertical structures buttressing the arches of a bridge - that reach 295 feet in height. 'Structural doubts' over design The technology of pre-stressed reinforced concrete used in the construction was the hallmark of its designer, Mr Morandi, who died in 1989. Dubbed patent "Morandi M5", he had used the technology for other works, including a wing of the Verona Arena in 1953. This technique also characterises another, even longer and just as problematic Morandi bridge: the 5.4 mile long General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge that spans the bay of Maracaibo, Venezuela, and was completed in 1962. It partially collapsed in 1964 after being hit by an oil tanker and was rebuilt. The Morandi bridge in Genoa had always presented "structural doubts", according to an article published by specialist engineering website "Ingegneri.info", which called it "a tragedy waiting to happen". Antonio Brencich, a professor of reinforced concrete construction at the University of Genoa, echoed those concerns. "It was affected by extremely serious corrosion problems linked to the technology that was used (in construction). Morandi wanted to use a technology that he had patented that was no longer used afterwards and that showed itself to be a failure," Professor Brencich told Radio Capitale. Professor Brencich has long been a critic of the bridge. Two years ago, he told "Ingegneri.info" that the bridge's construction went over budget and poor calculations over concrete viscosity led to an uneven road surface which wasn't fully corrected until the 1980s. Safety work had been commissioned Mr Toninelli said the company that has the concession to operate that section of highway said its maintenance on the bridge was up to date and no work was being done at the time of the collapse. But he added that they were about to launch a 20 million euro (£17.8 million) bidding process for significant safety work on the bridge. "There has not been sufficient maintenance and checks, and safety work for many bridges and viaducts and bridges in Italy constructed - almost all - during the 1960s," he said. The tender provided for a strengthening of the bridge's pier cables, including those of pier nine, the one that collapsed on Tuesday. Notwithstanding the importance of a road that sees 25 million vehicles pass along it every year, the demolition of the bridge was being studied as far back as 2009. Bridges such as the Morandi viaduct should have a lifespan of at least a century, "Ingegneri.info" reported, but the structure had been the subject of major maintenance work in the years after its completion, in particular to repair cracks and combat degradation of the concrete. In the early 2000s the suspension cables put in place in the 1980s and 1990s were replaced. "Fifty years ago, we had unlimited confidence in reinforced concrete, we thought it was eternal, but now we know that it only lasted a few decades," Diego Zoppi, former president of the Genoa branch of the order of architects, told reporters on Tuesday. Rescue teams work among the rubble of the collapsed Morando highway bridge in Genoa Credit: AP Mr Zoppi warned that it was impossible to say similar tragedies would not happen again without serious work on infrastructure built after the Second World War. "The Italy built in the 1950s and 1960s is in urgent need of renovation. The risk of collapses is underestimated, the works built at that time are coming to an age when they are at risk." 'Tens of thousands need to be replaced' The Italian CNR civil engineering society said structures as old as the Morandi Bridge had exceeded their lifespan. It called for a "Marshall Plan" to repair or replace tens of thousands of bridges and viaducts built in the 1950s and 1960s. Updating and reinforcing the bridges would be more expensive than destroying and rebuilding them with technology that could last a century. They cited previous accidents: a bridge that fell in April 2017 in the northern province of Cuneo, crushing a carabinieri police car after the officers and driver had barely managed to get away in time; and an overpass that in the northern city of Lecco that collapsed under exceptional weight, crushing a car and killing the driver. A truck is seen at the collapsed Morandi Bridge site in the port city of Genoa, Italy Credit: Reuters Experts also said it was possible the thunderstorm could have contributed to the collapse after witnesses said it was struck by lightning shortly before it crumbled. "As this reinforced and pre-stressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor," said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers. He called the bridge "an unusual design." "The fact that there was reported to be a storm at the time may or may not be particularly relevant." Mehdi Kashani, an associate professor in structural mechanics at the University of Southampton, said maintenance issues and pressure from "dynamic loads," such as traffic and wind, could have resulted in "fatigue damage in bridge components."
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| Utah firefighter who died in California offered to help Posted: 14 Aug 2018 08:48 PM PDT  DRAPER, Utah (AP) — Matthew Burchett said goodbye to his wife and 7-year-old son in early August, volunteering to travel with 37 fellow firefighters from Utah to help battle record-setting blazes in California.
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| Rescuers search rubble for survivors after motorway bridge collapses in Genoa, Italy leaves at least 26 dead Posted: 14 Aug 2018 07:38 PM PDT  Firefighters with sniffer dogs are working into the night to try to find survivors beneath the rubble of a giant bridge that collapsed in the Italian port city of Genoa. At least 26 people, including a child, died in the disaster, which happened as the city was lashed by an intense thunderstorm, but the toll was expected to rise. Officials said 15 people were injured and 10 of them were in a critical condition. Four people were pulled alive from the rubble. Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte called it "an immense tragedy ... inconceivable in a modern system like ours, a modern country." Dozens of cars and trucks plunged 150ft to the ground after the elevated motorway suddenly collapsed. Rescuers scouring through the wreckage, strewn among shrubland and train tracks, said there were "dozens" of victims, as rescue helicopters winched survivors on stretchers from the ruined bridge. "We are still trying to extract survivors from the rubble," Alessandra Bucci, a police official, said. "We hope to find more people alive." Huge slabs of reinforced concrete slammed into warehouses and other buildings, most of which were unoccupied because of the summer holidays. Italy's populist government, which came to power in June, said the collapse was the result of years of underinvestment in infrastructure, shoddy maintenance and EU budget constraints. Danilo Toninelli, the transport minister, earlier said in a tweet that he was "following with great apprehension what seems like an immense tragedy". Genoa motorway bridge collapses Up to 100 yards of the motorway collapsed at around 11:30am (9.30am GMT) during torrential rainfall after Genoa was hit by a strong thunderstorm. Several witnesses said the bridge was hit by a bolt of lightning during the storm. Cars and trucks were stranded on either side of the collapsed portion of the bridge, their drivers escaping death by just a few yards. Alessandro Megna was in a traffic jam beneath the bridge when it collapsed. Italian television showed images of the collapsed bridge Credit: Alamy "Suddenly the bridge came down with everything it was carrying. It was really an apocalyptic scene, I couldn't believe my eyes," he said. Among the survivors was a former professional footballer whose car went down with the bridge. Davide Capello, 33, a former goalkeeper for Italian Serie A club Cagliari who is now a firefighter, miraculously managed to walk away from the disaster. "I was driving along the bridge, and at a certain point I saw the road in front of me collapse, and I went down with the car," he told TV news channel Sky TG24. Rescuers inspect the rubble and wreckages by the Morandi motorway bridge Credit: ANDREA LEONI/AFP He managed to clamber out of his car, which he said was "attached to a pylon", and climb down the rubble to the firefighters waiting below. "I don't know how my car wasn't crushed. It seemed like a scene from a film, it was the apocalypse," he said. "The debris from the collapse came to within 20 metres of my car," said a witness, Davide Ricci, who saw the bridge go down while he was driving. "First the central pylon crumbled, then the whole thing came down." A helicopter hovers as rescuers work at the site where the Morandi motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa Credit: AFP Another witness told Sky Italia television he saw "eight or nine" vehicles on the bridge when it collapsed in what he said was an "apocalyptic scene". The first injured have been extracted from the rubble and taken to hospital, according to Italian media reports. Italian news agency ANSA said one person had been extracted alive and was being transported by helicopter to a hospital. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said around 200 firefighters were responding to the accident. "We are following minute by minute the situation for the bridge collapse in Genoa," Mr Salvini said on Twitter. Genoa bridge collapse map A video has emerged on Facebook of the moment the bridge collapsed, with a witness saying "Oh my God, oh my God." The fire service said it was feared that cars that were on the motorway had plummeted when it suddenly gave way. Italian television showed images of the collapsed bridge, which was built on the A10 toll motorway in the 1960s. Restructuring work on the bridge was carried out in 2016. Emergency workers attend crushed trucks and cars Credit: REX/Shutterstock The disaster occurred on a highway that connects Italy to France and other holiday resorts on the eve of a major Italian holiday on Wednesday, Ferragosto, and traffic would have been heavier than usual as many Italians travelled to beaches or mountains. What caused the bridge to collapse? Lack of maintenance, structural failure, torrential rain and lightning strikes were all factors that could have contributed to the catastrophic collapse of the Genoa bridge. The concrete bridge was built in 1967 and questions were being asked over whether its structural integrity had deteriorated over time. A report published in 2011 by the Italian highways agency said the Morandi bridge, designed by celebrated Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi, who died in 1989, carried heavy volumes of traffic and needed constant maintenance. "Queues of cars and the volume of traffic cause intense decay of the Morandi viaduct structure on a daily basis," Autostrade per l'Italia said. It is feared that cars that were on the motorway had plummeted when it suddenly gave way Credit: GAFA A senior manager from Autostrade per l'Italia said the bridge's collapse was impossible to predict and it was too early to determine what caused it. "The collapse was unexpected and unpredictable. The bridge was constantly monitored, even more than was foreseen by the law," Stefano Marigliani told Reuters. "There was no reason to consider the bridge dangerous." Several witnesses said it was struck by lightning shortly before it collapsed. "It was just after 11.30am when we saw a lightning bolt hit the bridge," a witness identified only as Pietro told Ansa, the national news agency. "Then we saw it fall down." Emergency services at the scene Credit: REX/Shutterstock An expert in structural engineering said it was too early to say whether the violent storm could have contributed to the collapse. "As this reinforced and pre-stressed concrete bridge has been there for 50 years it is possible that corrosion of tendons or reinforcement may be a contributory factor," said Ian Firth, former president of The Institution of Structural Engineers. "The fact that there was reported to be a storm at the time may or may not be particularly relevant." Danilo Toninelli, the transport minister, said the tragedy was "unacceptable". If negligence was found, then "whoever made a mistake must pay," he said. Across Italy, there had not been "sufficient maintenance and checks" on bridges and viaducts, many of which were built during the 1960s, the minister said.
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| Suicide attempt survivor is the youngest face transplant recipient in U.S. history Posted: 14 Aug 2018 05:40 PM PDT  A suicide attempt survivor is getting a second chance after receiving a historic face transplant.
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| Maduro announces curbs to cheap gas in Venezuela Posted: 14 Aug 2018 03:07 PM PDT  President Nicolas Maduro announced that from now on Venezuela's dirt-cheap fuel will be available only to people with a special government aid card that the opposition has denounced as a tool for controlling people. The government of the economically-ravaged country has for many years heavily subsidized petrol and Maduro says this has now led to a voracious black market in oil smuggled to neighbouring countries. People who want to keep benefiting from subsidized gas prices in this oil-rich nation must register their vehicles by Friday using the so-called "carnet de la patria," or fatherland card, which provides access to government assistance.
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| United States uses fentanyl for first time in execution of killer Posted: 14 Aug 2018 02:18 PM PDT  A killer has been executed using the controversial opioid fentanyl for the first time in the United States. Carey Dean Moore, 60, who had been on death row for 38 years, died by lethal injection in Nebraska. An unprecedented combination of four drugs, including the first use of fentanyl in an execution, was employed to put him to death. Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, is at the centre of the US opioid crisis, which is claiming tens of thousands of lives a year. Prince, the late musician, died after taking fentanyl in 2016. Fresenius Kabi, a German drug company, tried to block the Nebraska execution by alleging the state had illicitly obtained drugs, but a judge refused to stay it. The company accused Nebraska of improperly using its drugs. Nebraska argued that one of its execution drugs was set to expire on Aug 31, and that prison officials would not be able to purchase more. It was the first execution in Nebraska since 1997. At a glance | Fentanyl Moore was one of the nation's longest-serving death row inmates. His execution came three years after Nebraska abolished the death penalty, only to have it reinstated the following year in a referendum when 61 per cent of voters backed capital punishment. Moore died at the at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. He had been convicted of the 1979 shooting deaths of two Omaha cab drivers, Maynard Helgeland and Reuel Van Ness Jr. The unprecedented Nebraska lethal injection cocktail called for an initial IV dose of diazepam, commonly known as Valium, to render the inmate unconscious. Fentanyl was then administered, followed by cisatracurium besylate to induce paralysis and stop the inmate from breathing, then potassium chloride to stop the heart. After each injection prison officials sent saline through the IV to flush out any residue and ensure all the drugs have entered the inmate's system.
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