IGIHE

Author: IGIHE

  • Japan’s airbag firm Takata files for bankruptcy

    {Tokyo-based car-components manufacturer is facing lawsuits and costs over airbag defect linked to at least 16 deaths.}

    Takata, the Japanese car-parts manufacturer, says it has filed for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the US after faults in its airbags prompted the industry’s biggest ever safety recall.

    Takata is facing lawsuits and huge costs over an airbag defect linked to at least 16 deaths globally.

    News reports have said its liabilities would exceed one trillion yen ($9bn).

    Key Safety Systems, an American car-components manufacturer owned by China’s Ningbo Joyson Electronic, will take over Takata, both companies said.

    Takata, which is based in Tokyo, will sell its assets and businesses to Key Safety Systems for an estimated $1.588bn, they said.

    Trading in Takata shares was suspended at the opening of the stock market on Monday after a week of massive volatility and the Tokyo Stock Exchange said it would delist Takata on July 27.

    “At a board meeting on June 26, our company decided to begin procedures in filing for bankruptcy protection,” Takata said in a statement after making the filing with the Tokyo District Court. It said the court had accepted the measure.

    Takata has 12 overseas subsidiaries that have also filed for bankruptcy protection.

    Jason Luo, president and chief executive of KSS, voiced confidence in Takata’s rehabilitation.

    “Although Takata has been impacted by the global airbag recall, the underlying strength of its skilled employee base, geographic reach, and exceptional steering wheels, seat belts and other safety products have not diminished,” he said in a statement.

    “We look forward to finalising definitive agreements with Takata in the coming weeks, completing the transaction and serving both our new and long-standing customers while investing in the next phase of growth for the new KSS.”

    Takata shares rose more than 40 percent on Friday after collapsing over the week as traders made bets on its likely bankruptcy.

    Analysts attributed the surge on Friday to speculative trading among short-term investors hoping to profit from wild swings in share prices as well as to position adjustments ahead of the weekend.

    Nearly 100 million cars, including about 70 million in the US, were subject to the airbag recall linked to a risk they could improperly inflate and rupture, potentially firing deadly shrapnel at the occupants.

    The ultimate cause of the malfunctions has not yet been identified but three factors are suspected: a chemical component, ammonium nitrate, that responds poorly to humidity; extreme climatic conditions, such as heat and high humidity; and faulty design.

    In the US, Takata agreed in January to plead guilty to wire fraud for falsifying testing data and reports provided to car manufacturers.

    The penalty includes a $25m criminal fine, a $125m compensation fund for victims, and an $850m restitution fund for car manufacturers.

    Three of its executives were indicted in connection with the safety defects.

    Al Jazeera’s Wayne Hay, reporting from Tokyo, says filing for bankruptcy offers Takata some protection going forward, and it makes the company’s affairs more ransparent, while allowing for a bailout.

    “But there is a long way to go in terms of the recall process – most of the cases have been in the United States [and] only around 38 percent of the repairs and replacements have been completed in the US,” he said.

    “Because there is so much work to be done, there is a real concern that there won’t be enough money to complete all these recalls and therefore the car manufacturers themselves will have to pick up most of the costs.”

    Deadly faults in Takata's airbags triggered the auto industry's biggest ever safety recall

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Hong Kong activists hold China protest before Xi trip

    {Protesters drape black flag over a symbolic statue days before visit by Xi Jinping marking 20 years since the handover.}

    Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters have draped a black flag over a statue symbolising the city’s return to China by Britain, just days before a visit by President Xi Jinping to mark 20 years since the handover.

    Joshua Wong, a prominent student campaigner, and a dozen demonstrators attached the black cloth to the giant golden bauhinia flower on Hong Kong’s harbourfront in an early morning protest on Monday as security tried to stop them climbing on the famous tourist attraction.

    “The black-cloaked statue symbolises the hard-line rule of the authoritarian regime over the past twenty years,” the protesters said in a statement.

    The sculpture of the bauhinia, which became the emblem of Hong Kong after the handover, was a present to the city from China in 1997 and stands outside the convention centre where Xi will attend anniversary events during a three-day visit starting on Thursday.

    Police were called to take the flag down while the protesters chanted “democratic self-determination for Hong Kong’s future” and “one country, two systems has been a lie for 20 years”, referring to Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status.

    A guard shouted at them: “You are insulting our country! You are Chinese!”

    The “one country, two systems” deal made when Britain handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997 allows the city rights denied on the mainland, including freedom of speech.

    But there are increasing concerns China is trampling the agreement by interfering in a range of areas, from politics to education and media.

    Campaigners like Wong are calling for democratic reforms, promised in the handover deal, to change a system where the city leader is still chosen by a pro-China committee and the legislature is weighted towards Beijing.

    Wong led mass Umbrella Movement rallies calling for fully free leadership elections in 2014, but they failed to win concessions.

    Since then calls for self-determination or even full independence from China have emerged for the first time.

    Wong’s party Demosisto wants a public referendum on Hong Kong’s future in 2047, the year the handover agreement guaranteeing the city’s way of life and liberties expires.

    “The protest action aims to express our anger and disappointment against the administration for the major political blunders since 1997,” Demosisto said in a statement.

    It accused China of failing to honour promises made in the handover agreement, “depriving Hong Kong people of civil and political rights to free elections and democracy”.

    Xi’s visit will be his first since becoming president in 2013 and will culminate with the inauguration of Hong Kong’s new leader, Carrie Lam, on Saturday.

    Protesters say they are preparing to gather during the handover celebrations and Xi’s visit will be shrouded in a huge security operation.

    The statue symbolises Hong Kong's return to China by Britain

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • Detentions as police break up Istanbul Pride parade

    {Police fire rubber bullets and tear gas on LGBT activists who attempted to hold march in defiance of ban by authorities.}

    Turkish police have prevented LGBT activists from holding a parade in downtown Istanbul, organisers said, as small groups attempted to defy a ban by the local authorities.

    The Istanbul governorship on Saturday prohibited the march citing safety and public order concerns – but Pride organisers vowed to go on with the parade, despite warnings from ultranationalist groups who had threatened to block the event.

    On Sunday, small groups gathered at various parts of central Istanbul, including Taksim Square, while a heavy police presence blocked entry to the nearby Istiklal Street where the march was supposed to take place, organisers and state media reports said.

    Lara Guney Ozlen, a spokesperson for Pride Week, said police fired rubber bullets and tear gas on the LGBT activists amassing near the popular shopping street and its side roads.

    Parade organisers said members of the ultraconservative groups also showed up in Taksim Square, yet police prevented a face-off between the different groups.

    At least 41 people, including both LGBT activists and members of the ultraconservative groups, were detained, according to the event’s organisers. The state-run Anadolu Agency put the number of those held to at least 20.

    This year’s ban, which followed similar prohibitions in 2016 and 2015, was condemned by the parade’s organisers.

    “We are not scared, we are here, we will not change,” they said in a statement on Sunday. “You are scared … you will get used to it.”

    Ozlen told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the reasons for the ban of the parade were not valid or convincing.

    She said: “For the last two years, the march overlapped with Ramadan. This year it does not. So, that is not an excuse [to prevent it] either. I believe the ban is about not accepting our sexual orientation and it is a reaction to the movement getting stronger.”

    Istanbul’s governorship said on Saturday that no proper application had been filed for the march – a statement denied by the organisers.

    {{Long-held event}}

    The Istanbul LGBTI Pride Week has been organised since 1993, ending with a march on Istiklal Street since 2003, according to its organisers.

    The week consists of various events, such as discussion panels, workshops, social gatherings and art courses.

    Organisers say the parade attracted tens of thousands of people until the early 2010s, making it the largest pride march in a Muslim-majority country.

    Earlier in June, similar parades took place in Izmir, the largest city in western Turkey, the city of Kocaeli neighbouring Istanbul and the southern city of Mersin. The events passed peacefully without police intervention.

    Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey, but intolerance towards LGBT citizens exists in large parts of the society.

    The parade has been banned for three years in a row by Istanbul authorities

    Source:Al Jazeera

  • South Africa moves ‘coffin’ assault case to high court

    {The trial of two white farmers accused of forcing a black South African into a coffin and threatening to douse him in petrol and burn him alive has been moved to a high court.}

    Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson are alleged to have threatened to put a snake into the coffin with Victor Mlotshwa when he resisted.

    The trial in Mpumalanga province is now due to take place at the end of July.

    The accused are expected to enter an official plea then.

    Proceedings had been scheduled at a regional court in Middelburg on Monday, but have been switched to 31 July – 10 August in the nearby town of Delmas.

    The men are charged with kidnapping and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and attempted murder.

    They were arrested after video of the alleged incident was posted on YouTube.

    In sworn statements in a previous appearance, the men said they had wanted to teach Mr Mlotshwa a lesson for trespassing on their farm but meant him no harm.
    But a magistrate said the farmers had been sadistic and racist.

    Mr Mlotshwa only reported the matter after footage of the alleged assault in August 2016 emerged months later.

    The 20-second video, shot on 17 August, was circulated on social media and caused outrage.

    It shows a white man forcing a black man inside a coffin, and threatening to pour petrol over him and set it alight.

    The BBC’s Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg said the video had highlighted racial tensions in some communities here, with allegations that abuse at the hands of farmers was common.

    This case has been a reminder for some that racism did not end with apartheid and in small communities, change comes at a slow pace – if at all, she said.

    Theo Martins Jackson (L) and Willem Oosthuizen (R) have been in custody since November

    Source:BBC

  • Egypt’s president ratifies islands deal with Saudi Arabia

    {Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has ratified a controversial treaty that transfers two largely uninhabited Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.}

    The deal to hand over Tiran and Sanafir was agreed during a visit to Egypt by Saudi King Salman a year ago. It was backed by Egypt’s parliament last week.

    It has sparked rare protests in Egypt, with Mr Sisi being accused of “selling” territory in return for Saudi aid.

    However, a legal battle over the islands’ status continues.

    One Egyptian court has annulled the handover decision, while another court has upheld it. The constitutional court is yet to make a final ruling on which institution had the final say.

    Last week, parliament backed the deal, saying it had jurisdiction in the matter. The move sparked fresh protests in Cairo.

    Mr Sisi has said the islands always belonged to Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis asked Egypt to station troops there in 1950 to protect them.

    Opponents accuse Mr Sisi of violating the constitution and handing over the islands to please Saudi Arabia which has backed him financially since he led the military’s overthrow of his elected Islamist predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

    {{Why the Red Sea islands matter}}

    Sanafir and Tiran are islands that lie about 4km (2 nautical miles) apart in the Red Sea

    Tiran sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, on a strategically important stretch of water called the Strait of Tiran, used by Israel to access the Red Sea

    The islands are uninhabited, apart from Egyptian military personnel and multinational peacekeepers

    Egyptian troops have been stationed on the islands since 1950 at the request of Saudi Arabia

    Israel captured the islands in 1956 and 1967, subsequently returning them to Egypt both times

    Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was criticised for “selling” Egyptian territory after deciding in April 2016 to hand the islands to Saudi Arabia.

    Tiran (foreground) and Sanafir (background) are uninhabited save for peacekeepers and troops

    Source:BBC

  • Zuma lauds embattled Kabila on ‘progress’ in DRC‚ despite protest outside talks venue

    {President Jacob Zuma on Sunday congratulated his counterpart President Joseph Kabila on what he said was progress made in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.}

    “We gather here at a time when your country is going through a political transition following the December 2016 political agreement. This agreement charted a process that should lead to the next elections. We congratulate you‚ Mr President‚ on the progress achieved thus far and the manner with which you have handled the process‚” Zuma said.

    This was contradictory to what Jean Bwasa‚ a human rights activist and spokesperson for the Congolese community living in South Africa had earlier told TimesLIVE he was hoping to hear from Zuma.

    “President Zuma should act as ‘an uncle figure’ and advise Kabila to hand over power‚” said Bwasa.

    He was one of a handful of DRC citizens who had gathered outside the Sefako Makgatho presidential guesthouse in protest as a bi-national commission (BNC) meeting was held between delegates of the two countries.

    Bwasa explained that as stated in the DRC constitution‚ Kabila should have organised fresh elections in December last year in preparation for his successor.

    This did not happen. Instead‚ negotiations about the future of the country dragged on until December 31 when a deal – stating that Kabila will only step down after elections are held by the end of 2017- was brokered.

    No official date‚ has however been set for the elections.

    Zuma seemed oblivious to the anti-Kabila protests happening outside the premises‚ even as protesters used a hailer to declare that Kabila was an illegitimate president who was clinging on to power.

    “The DRC is now politically stable and the security situation has improved. Where there are still challenges‚ the government of the DRC‚ with the assistance of the region‚ continent and international community‚ is addressing those. In this regard‚ we encourage you‚ Mr President‚ and your government to continue on this path‚” Zuma said.

    He called on the people of the DRC to negotiate and hold dialogue about their future and pledged South Africa’s support for the central African nation.

    The meeting between the two heads of state seemingly cemented their relations‚ with plans being put in place to bolster trade and investment.

    But Esale-Prince Mpinda of the National Council of the Congolese for Development in SA said the meeting between Zuma and Kabila would be fruitless.

    “When the DRC officially has a new government‚ whatever agreements are reached between Zuma and Kabila would be regarded void‚” Mpinda said.

    ”It is a private meeting and the Congolese government tomorrow will not consider any signature which Kabila puts down‚” he added.

    Congolese President Joseph Kabila.

    Source:Times Live

  • Uganda:Suspected illicit alcohol kills 11 people in Nansana

    {Police have summoned several bar owners who operate in Maganjo Zone, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District following reports that 11 people have died after consuming a locally brewed gin in the area, in the last two weeks.}

    Mr Emilian Kayima, the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson said some bar owners have been interrogated to establish whether the victims were killed by alcohol sold in their joints as residents claim.

    “The locals insist all the people died after taking local alcohol from these particular bars. We have arrested one bar operator and others are being interrogated to establish the truth behind these deaths,” Mr Kayima said.

    Mr Kayima said the locals claim their relatives would develop mysterious complications like dizziness, vomiting and partial blindness before dying in a short time.

    “We suspect the alcohol could be poisonous like what happened in Kenya some year ago. We have ordered bars to stop selling locally made alcohol in the meantime as we investigate the matter,” Mr Kayima said.

    In 2014, at least 50 people in Kenya died after drinking illicit liquor and dozens were hospitalised and several went blind. Television footage showed victims writhing in pain in hospitals in the eastern and central counties of Embu, Kitui and Kiambu.

    Mr Kayima said some alcohol samples have been picked from different bars and are being examined at the Government Analytical Laboratory in Wandegeya, Kampala.

    According to a 2012 World Health Organisation (WHO)) report, alcohol consumption was responsible for 3.3 million deaths worldwide.

    Harmful alcohol use not only leads to addiction, but it can put people at a higher risk of over 200 disorders like tuberculosis and pneumonia, according to the report. The statistics translated into one death every 10 seconds.

    On average, every person in the world aged 15 and older drinks 6.2 litres of pure alcohol a year.

    The WHO reports shows that 16 per cent of drinkers partake in spree drinking which is the most dangerous form of alcohol consumption.

    Europe has the highest alcohol consumption per capita although consumption levels have been stable there for the last five years.

    Source:Daily Monitor

  • Kenya:Sigiri Bridge collapses days after Uhuru inspection tour

    {The iconic Sigiri Bridge under construction in Budalang’i Constituency, Busia County, has collapsed a fortnight after President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the region to inspect it.}

    The Sh1.2 billion project being constructed by Chinese Overseas Construction and Engineering Company collapsed early Monday.

    The cause of the collapse is yet to be known though it is suspected the construction work was hurriedly done ahead of the president’s visit.

    During the inspection, Project Manager Jerome Xzue Hua said they were focusing their attention on the concrete slab and embankment.

    “We did not focus much on road construction on the northern side because the most critical point of construction is the bridge’s slab.

    We expect to complete the bitumen work at the end of June for the entire 3 kilometres for both the northern and southern parts,” he had said.

    The project, which was expected to be completed by end of July, will definitely fall behind schedule.

    The bridge is to link Bunyala North and South wards across River Nzoia.

    On August 30, 2014, 11 people perished after a boat they had boarded capsized, killing everyone on board as they attempted to cross the river.

    Among those who perished was Brian Juma, a Form Three student at John Osogo Secondary School whose burial, among other victims, was attended by President Kenyatta who promised that a bridge would be constructed to avert such deaths.

    During Mr Kenyatta’s tour, area MP Ababu Namwamba said the bridge was a blessing to residents since it would significantly reduce deaths and make it easier for people to access markets, schools and hospitals on either side.

    Mr Namwamba has been using the bridge as a campaign tool for his re-election for a third term and even broke ranks with opposition chief Raila Odinga to join forces with Mr Kenyatta through his Labour Party of Kenya.

    Residents who want to access Port Victoria town and its environs will now have to wait longer and forced to cover a 100-kilometre road daily from Bunyala North to Bunyala South, a distance of less than 3 kilometres across the river.

    A section of the Sh1.2 billion Sigiri Bridge in Budalang'i Constituency that collapsed on June 26, 2017.

    Source:Daily Nation

  • Over 70 vehicles impounded for defying speed governor policy

    {At least 73 vehicles have been impounded in the the Western and Southern provinces in an operation to enforce the national compulsory speed governor policy.}

    The impounded vehicles are those that transport people, mainly coaster buses, and those that transport goods, which fall under the speed governor policy.

    The operation was conducted on Saturday by the Rwanda National Police department of Traffic and Road Safety, and Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (RURA).

    The spokesperson for the traffic department, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kabanda, said: “The vehicles were impounded in the districts of Rubavu, Nyabihu, Ngororero and Muhanga.”

    Up to 42 vehicles were impounded in Rubavu; 12 in Nyabihu; 7 in Ngororero; and 12 in Muhanga.

    “This is a national road safety policy that was instituted under the Presidential decree of 2015 to prevent accidents, which has to be respected,” CIP Kabanda said.

    “We also understand there are those, who installed the devices but manipulated them. We have received these reports from traffic officers on highways and even passengers, and previously we have also intercepted vehicles in this category. So, this specific operation will continue in all regions targeting vehicles that either have no speed governors or those who manipulated them,” CIP Kabanda warned.

    The device limit the vehicle to a maximum speed of 60km per hour.

    “There was ample grace period of more than a year for owners of vehicles that transport people (coasters and buses) and goods to install speed governors. By this time, every vehicle should be having the device, and well functioning.”

    The spokesperson also warned that any vehicle that will be found without speed governor or with the devices that are tampered with, will be impounded and automatically lose the mechanical inspection certificate, on top of other penalties specified by the law.

    “Safety of road users is a must, and that’s why such and many other policies were put in place to prevent fatal accidents. We urge vehicles owners to act responsibly rather than being forced. We also appeal to passengers to continue supporting the implementation process by reporting vehicles without these devices or manipulated, ” Kabanda said.

    Source:Police

  • Lowering health risks of cannabis use with new public health guidelines

    {Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines, released with the endorsement of key medical and public health organizations, provide 10 science-based recommendations to enable cannabis users to reduce their health risks. The guidelines, based on a scientific review by an international team of experts, are published in the American Journal of Public Health.}

    The guidelines address the fact that, despite the health risks of cannabis use, the rate of cannabis use in Canada is among the highest in the world. More than 10 per cent of adults and 25 per cent of adolescents report cannabis use over the past year. The health risks range from problems with memory and physical coordination, to motor vehicle accidents and mental health or dependence problems.

    As Canada moves towards legalization with the introduction of the federal Cannabis Act, it provides an opportunity not only to regulate the use and supply, but also to educate and inform cannabis users to prevent or reduce cannabis-related health problems.

    “Factual, science-based information can provide guidance to cannabis users to make choices that reduce both immediate and long-term risks to their health,” says Dr. Benedikt Fischer, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), who led the development of the guidelines. They are a project of the Ontario site of the Canadian Research Initiative on Substance Misuse (CRISM), a national initiative funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

    “Cannabis use carries with it real health risks, and mitigating those risks for Canadians — particularly young Canadians — must be the first priority,” says Dr. Laurent Marcoux, President-Elect of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). “The CMA continues to recommend a broad public health policy approach focused on preventing problematic drug use; ensuring the availability of assessment and treatment services for those who wish to stop using; and harm reduction to increase the safety for those who are using.”

    While the first guideline recommendation is to abstain from cannabis use to avoid all risks, the remaining recommendations address the elevated potential of risks related to initiating use at a young age, high potency products, alternative delivery systems, heavy use and driving, as well as identifying people at higher risk of problems — with concrete recommendations for risk reduction in each case.

    “These guidelines are an important tool supporting a public health approach to cannabis use,” says Ian Culbert, Executive Director of the Canadian Public Health Association. “People who use cannabis and cannabis-derived products, front-line practitioners, and public health professionals can all benefit from having access to evidence-informed guidelines that can help reduce the potential negative health effects associated with cannabis use. Through their widespread adoption, the guidelines will provide people who use cannabis with the information they need to manage their use and protect their health and well-being.”

    The other organizations endorsing the guidelines are the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, and CAMH.

    “Given the many people, especially young people, who use and may be harmed by cannabis use, we are pleased to recommend this evidence-based harm-reduction guidance to Canadians who do choose to use cannabis,” says Dr. David Allison, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Newfoundland and Labrador, speaking on behalf of the Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health. “This document is a welcome addition to our tool box for protecting and promoting the health of Canadians.”

    Using scientific evidence as the basis for public guidelines is similar to existing public health initiatives for low-risk drinking, or safer sexual behaviours to avoid infection or unwanted pregnancy.

    In addition to the scientific paper, the guidelines are available as a public brochure for users and an evidence summary for health professionals.

    Source:Science Daily