MH17: Malaysia Airlines plane was shot down by 'large number of high-energy objects'

SIMON CALDER Tuesday 09 September 2014

MH17 was shot down: that is the blunt conclusion of the Dutch Safety Board investigation into the loss of the Malaysia Airlines jet that crashed on 17 July over eastern Ukraine with the loss of all 298 passengers and crew. 

The board’s preliminary report says the Boeing 777 jet “broke up in the air probably as the result of structural damage caused by a large number of high-energy objects that penetrated the aircraft from outside”. 

The aircraft was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was hit. There have been many claims that the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile supplied by Russia to separatist rebels in Ukraine. But the report does not assign blame; in line with aviation convention, the aim of investigations is to improve safety in future, not apportion liability for past events.

The investigators say there are no indications that the crash was caused by a technical fault or by actions of the crew: “The cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder and data from air traffic control all suggest that flight MH17 proceeded as normal until 13:20:03 (UTC), after which it ended abruptly.”
Initially, responsibility for the investigation rested with Ukraine, but six days after the crash it transferred responsibility to the Dutch Safety Board; 193 of the 283 passengers were Dutch nationals.

The investigation has been hampered because the crash site is in a rebel-held area of eastern Ukraine. The Dutch Safety Board says: “The Dutch government believes that people investigating the causes of the crash will be at greater risk than forensic investigators, next of kin or journalists.”

Tjibbe Joustra, Chairman of the Dutch Safety Board said: “The MH17 crash has shocked the world and raised many questions. The Dutch Safety Board wishes to determine the cause of the crash, for the sake of the loved ones of the victims and for society at large.”

“The initial results of the investigation point towards an external cause of the MH17 crash. More research will be necessary to determine the cause with greater precision. The Safety Board believes that additional evidence will become available for investigation in the period ahead.”

The investigators intend to publish a full report within a year of the crash. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mh17-malaysia-airlines-plane-was-shot-down-by-large-number-of-highenergy-objects-9720176.html

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO- all 298 passengers and crew

   WHEN-17 July

   WHAT- MH17 was shot down

   WHY-not given

   WHERE- over eastern Ukraine

   HOW- by 'large number of high-energy objects'

Keywords：

1.      preliminary：初步

2.      aviation：航空

3.      liability：責任

4.      cockpit：座艙

5.      abruptly：突然

6.      hampered：阻礙

7.      forensic：法庭的

8.      kin：親屬

Anti-China Riots in Vietnam Leave at Least 21 Dead

Protests against China's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea have spread to central Vietnam, where more factories have been torched. Hundreds of ethnic Chinese have fled the country

·    Per Liljas  May 15, 2014

At least 21 people were killed as anti-China riots in southern Vietnam escalated and spread to the center of the country on Thursday.

A doctor in Ha Tinh province described five of the dead as Vietnamese workers and others as Chinese. He said they were among roughly 100 people sent to his hospital, Reuters reports. Over 600 Chinese have fled across the border to Cambodia.

The riots erupted following a large-scale demonstration on Tuesday to protest China’s May 1 deployment of an oil rig in waters claimed by both Beijing and Hanoi, triggering the most critical stand-off between the two countries in over three decades.

Rioters have torched and vandalized dozens of foreign-owned factories, mistaking them for Chinese enterprises. On Wednesday, they attacked a $20 billion Taiwanese-owned steel plant set to be the largest in Southeast Asia once it is completed in 2020.

About 600 people have been arrested for looting and inciting the crowd in Binh Duong province, where the riots started, state-run Thanh Nien newspaper quoted the local police chief as saying.

An editorial in the Beijing-friendly Global Times said that Vietnam had “cornered itself” and pointed out that demonstrators during similar outbursts of nationalist fervor in China — such as the anti-Japan demonstrations of 2012 — were more restrained. (However, Japanese automakers lost an estimated $250 million in output during the protests over the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.)

Vietnamese and Philippine hopes of a united regional stance in the face of Chinese assertiveness were meanwhile dashed as Southeast Asian leaders failed to agree on a joint statement during the ASEAN summit last weekend. Hanoi and Manila are the most embroiled in territorial conflicts with China in the South China Sea, but face opposition from neighboring countries with precious economic ties to Beijing.

The United States has called on both sides to show restraint, with White House spokesman Jay Carney telling a regular briefing that this kind of dispute needs “to be resolved through dialogue, not through intimidation.”

http://time.com/100492/vietnam-anti-china-riots-21-dead/

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-21 people

   WHEN- Thursday

   WHAT-killed as anti-China riots

   WHY- not given

  WHERE- southern Vietnam

   HOW-not given

Keywords：

1.      escalate：逐步升級

2.      trigger：觸發

3.      stand-off：對峙

4.      vandalize：搞破壞

5.      looting：搶

6.      inciting：煽動

7.      fervor：熱情

8.      restrained：拘謹的

9.      assertiveness：獨斷

10.   embroiled：捲入

11.   intimidation：恐嚇

MRT attacker kills 4 people, injures 22

KILLING SPREE: The attack was allegedly carried out by a student, who told police he had always wanted to ‘do something big’ and allegedly showed no signs of remorse

By Stacy Hsu  /  Staff writer, with CNA

A 21-year-old student allegedly killed four people and injured 22 yesterday in a random killing spree on a train of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system’s Bannan Line.

The four victims were a 47-year-old woman, a 62-year-old woman and two men aged 20 and 30. They had reportedly lost all vital signs before they were rushed to the New Taipei City Hospital’s Banciao Branch, the Taipei Hospital and the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital respectively.

It was the first deadly attack on an MRT train since the Taipei commuter rail system went into commercial service in 1996.

The suspect, who has been identified as Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) from Greater Taichung’s Tunghai University, allegedly started attacking passengers around him with a 30cm-long fruit knife while the train was traveling between the Longshan Temple Station and the Jiangzicui Station at approximately 4:26pm.

He was apprehended by security guards, police officers and other passengers shortly after the train stopped at the Jiangzicui Station, from where he was taken to the Jiangzicui police station for questioning.

According to New Taipei City Police Department Director-General Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩), Cheng boarded an MRT train heading to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center at the Jiangzicui Station earlier in the afternoon and alighted at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station.

He subsequently hopped on the ill-fated train heading to the Banciao Station before carrying out the killing spree, Chen added.

“The suspect told us that he had since elementary school wanted to ‘do something big’ and that he had shared the idea with some of his high-school and college classmates,” Chen said.

Chen said Cheng originally planned to execute the idea after he graduated from university, but decided to move it forward to yesterday after giving it some thought last week.

“He bought two fruit knives of different sizes from a supermarket before he boarded the trains… His blood-alcohol content registered 0.04mg/L and he has no medical records of mental illness,” Chen said.

“He showed no signs of remorse during questioning,” Chen added.

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said that for the next two weeks, the city government planned to deploy 80 special police officers to MRT stations to conduct routine patrols, to assist the 143 MRT police officers.

“Our priority is to restore order and security at MRT stations to make sure that our passengers do not feel afraid when taking the metro,” Hau said.

New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said the city government had instructed all available police officers to patrol the areas surrounding the city’s 34 MRT stations shortly after the incident, in an effort to tighten security.

Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (台北捷運公司) general manager Tan Gwa-guang (譚國光) said the company would give NT$4 million (US$132,000) in compensation to the families of the victims and would take care of all medical expenses incurred by the injured passengers.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/05/22/2003590929

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO- A 21-year-old student

   WHEN- yesterday

   WHAT- allegedly killed four people and injured 22

   WHY- wanted to ‘do something big’

  WHERE- on a train of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system’s Bannan Line.

   HOW- in a random killing spree

Keywords：

1.      allegedly：據稱

2.      killing spree：殺人狂魔

3.      apprehend：緝拿

4.      alight at：下車

5.      hopped on：跳上

6.      ill-fated：命運多舛

7.      execute：執行

8.      remorse：自責

9.      patrols：巡邏

10.   in an effort to：為了要…；努力去….

11.   compensation：補償

Boston Marathon explosions: 3 dead, more than 100 hurt

April 15, 2013|Reuters

Two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100 in what a White House official said would be treated as an "act of terror."

It was the worst bombing on U.S. soil since security was tightened after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and President Barack Obama promised to hunt down whoever was responsible for the attack on a day when tens of thousands of spectators packed the streets to watch the world-famous race.

No one has been arrested and the White House official said it would have to be determined whether the attack came from a foreign or domestic source.

Investigators found what could be five additional, undetonated explosive devices around the Boston area, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two unnamed people briefed on the investigation. The evidence had yet to be fully analyzed, the Journal said.

The blasts a few seconds apart knocked some runners off their feet and shattered what had been a resplendent spring day with the state of Massachusetts celebrating Patriots' Day, which commemorates the U.S. war of independence on the third Monday in April.

April 15 is also the deadline for U.S. taxpayers to file their annual income tax returns.

Many runners were heading for the finish when a fireball and smoke rose from behind cheering spectators and a row of flags representing the countries of participants, video from the scene showed.

The cheers turned to screams and panic.

"I saw people who looked like they had their legs blown off. There was a lot of blood over their legs. Then people were being pushed in wheelchairs," said Joe Anderson, 33, a fisherman from Pembroke, Massachusetts, who had just run the race holding a large U.S. flag.

Many of the victims were gravely injured, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said.

Some suffered shrapnel wounds and amputations and will require repeat operations in the coming days, said Peter Fagenholtz, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Ambulances, fire trucks and dozens of police vehicles converged at the scene, and spectators could be seen crying and consoling each other.

The dead included an 8-year-old boy, the Boston Globe reported, citing two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation.

A 2-year-old was being treated with a head injury at Boston Children's Hospital, the hospital said in a statement.

"It sounded like a sonic boom. I haven't stopped shaking yet," said Melissa Stanley, who watched her daughter cross the finish line four minutes before the explosions.

The blasts put police on alert in major cities across the United States, including in Washington, D.C. and New York City, sites of the Sept. 11 attacks.

'POWERFUL DEVICES'

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis called them "powerful devices."

Davis told a news conference at least three people died and Massachusetts GovernorDeval Patrick said more than 100 people were wounded.

FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers declined at the same news conference to comment on media reports that police found unexploded devices.

In Washington, Obama told reporters, "Make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this."

"Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice," he said.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation took the lead on the investigation with help from several other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The two explosions at 2:50 p.m. (EST) were about 50 to 100 yards (metres) apart as runners crossed the finish line with a timer showing 4 hours and 9 minutes, some 9 minutes faster than the average finish time, as reported by Runner's World magazine.

Spectators typically line the 26.2 mile race course, with the heaviest crowds near the finish line.

Mike Mitchell of Vancouver, Canada, a runner who had finished the race, said he was looking back at the finish line and saw a "massive explosion."

Smoke rose 50 feet in the air, Mitchell said. People began running and screaming after hearing the noise, Mitchell said.

"Everybody freaked out," Mitchell said.

The annual Boston Marathon, held since 1897, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year.

Earlier on Monday, Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa and Kenya's Rita Jeptoo won the men's and women's events respectively, continuing African runners' dominance in the sport.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra canceled Monday night's concert and the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins canceled their home game against the Ottawa Senators. The Boston Red Sox had completed their Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park before the explosions. 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-15/news/chi-boston-marathon-explosion-20130415_1_finish-line-boston-marathon-explosions

Structure of the Lead：

   WHO-Some people attended the marathon and the audience beside.

   WHEN-Monday

   WHAT- Two bombs ripped through the crowd at the finish line.

   WHY-not given

   WHERE- Boston Marathon

   HOW- killing three people, maiming others and injuring more than 100

Keywords：

   1. undetonated : 未爆炸的

   2. resplendent：金碧輝煌的；燦爛的

   3. shrapnel：彈片

   4. amputation：截肢

   5. converged：融合

   6. sonic：聲音

   7. put sb on alert：使某人有警覺

   8. freak out：嚇壞

   9. respectively：分別地

 10. rip through：炸開