'Al-Qaeda' Wi-Fi connection delays plane
The plane, an American Airlines flight bound for London, turned back to the gate in Los Angeles when the hotspot, entitled “Al-Quida Free Terror Nettwork” (sic), was spotted in a list of available connections. The passenger notified a flight attendant while the plane was taxiing.
Flight 136 had been due to take off this past Sunday at 8pm but was held in LAX for three hours while passengers were told to turn off their electronic devices, ABC 7, an American news network, reports.
Passengers were initially told that the delay was down to a maintenance issue rather than the discovery of the Wi-Fi network. The plane ended up being rescheduled for Monday at 1pm, with some passengers having to stay overnight in LA before they could board the next available flight.
"After an hour, (the captain) said there was a security threat and that we didn't have clearance to take off," Elliot Del Pra, a passenger, told ABC 7.
The flight was taken back to the gate and delayed until 1pm on Monday.
The Los Angeles airport police said on Monday that "no crime was committed and no further action will be taken."
An American passenger caused his fellow fliers to be detained on board a flight from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic for an extra two hours earlier this month, after he shouted “I have Ebola!” and had been sneezing and coughing during the flight. He was removed by people in protective suits while a passenger filmed the incident.
Woman trampled to death by elephant in Indian park
A woman has been killed after being trampled by an elephant in India.
The 27-year-old woman, from Gujurat, India, was trying to take pictures of the elephant in a captive elephant park in Iruttukanam near Munnar in Kerala's Idukki district, when the elephant struck her with its trunk, then proceeded to trample her to death.
"The couple along with their four-year-old son were taking pictures standing near the elephant," a police official told the Times of India. "Suddenly the elephant swayed its trunk and it hit the woman, who fell down near the elephant's leg. In the melee, accidentally she came under the elephant's feet and was seriously injured.”
The woman was visiting the park with a tour group of 14 other people.
The body has been kept in a nearby government hospital and will be flown home tomorrow, police said.
No comment has been made by the organisers of the elephant park.
Jewelry, iPads, power tools and more up for auction by Indianapolis International Airport
It's amazing to see what people leave on planes.
From smartphones to fancy jewelry to designer handbags.
If you’re looking to score on discounted electronics, fancy jewelry or even a car, head over to Indianapolis International Airport’s surplus auction this Thursday, Oct. 30.
The Midwest airport is auctioning off items left behind at baggage claim, scoured from the lost and found and surplus airport machinery like fork lifts, fuel rig nozzles and dozens of airplane tools. Looking for something to cart around all that machinery? Chevrolet and Ford trucks are up for sale.
According to Key Auctioneer's official list of auction items online, office equipment like Dell computers, laptops and drop down projector screens will be available. Meanwhile at the unclaimed items auction, David Yurman bracelets, Breitling and Bulova men's watches round out the high end jewelry items available.
And if you can’t make it to the Midwest hangar this Thursday, many of the items will be available through their live online auction.
Get a preview of the items up for grabs a full day before they hit the auction block by logging on at 10 a.m. this Wednesday.
Source:foxnews.com
TripAdvisor launches customized travel recommendations
TripAdvisor has unveiled its latest search feature that presents users with personalized recommendations based on search history, travel preferences and site usage.
The company announced its “Just for You” feature today and hopes it will make the entire searching and planning experience more relevant for site users.
“By virtue of the insights and attributes that we’ve gathered from millions of traveler reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor is uniquely able to match travelers with their ideal hotels,” said Adam Medros, senior vice president, global product, in a press release.
Searchers can now tag certain travel preferences as they surf through destinations like price, hotel class, amenities and brand. The travel site will log these tags, along with traveler’s previous search history and recommendations of other places, to deliver customized results on future travel inquiries.
“With the new feature, we can not only match a traveler with their preferred type of hotel, but we can suggest the trendy, boutique hotel located downtown with a swimming pool because we know those are the specific hotel characteristics you like,” Medros continued.
But how invasive is the new function?
According to the Boston Globe, TripAdvisor claims that it only monitors activity on its website and does not track general browsing history. Members may grant the site access to their Facebook accounts for more personalized results.
Source: foxnews.com
Tanzania coronavirus cases rise to 19
Tanzania has reported five new cases of coronavirus on Monday, raising the total number of confirmed infections to 19.
Three of infected people are from Tanzania mainland, while the two others are from the semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, Health minister Ummy Mwalimu said.
“Efforts to trace those who were in contact with the patients are ongoing,” the minister said.
The government has ramped up its call for preventive measures such as general hygienic practices including the use of face masks, handwashing and use of sanitisers in public places and increased enforcement of social distancing.
It has, however, adopted a wait-and-see approach to the coronavirus pandemic, as neighbouring countries impose partial or near-total lockdowns and introduce stimulus measures to cushion their economies.
Church services and funerals are still permitted and public transport is running in what appears to be a government move to minimise chances of the Covid-19 pandemic grinding the country to a halt.
Source: The East Africa
Israel's Netanyahu under precautionary COVID-19 quarantine
COVID19 ISREAL NETANYAHU
A statement from Netanyahu's office said that according to "a preliminary assessment...there is no need for the prime minister to be quarantined, as he did not come into close contact with the individual and did not personally meet with that person."
"Over the past two weeks the two were never in the same room at the same time," it added.
The statement further noted that the "epidemiological investigation" was ongoing and that Netanyahu and "his close staff would be in confinement until (tests) were completed."
- Video surveillance -
The Knesset statement said that lawmakers and parliamentary employees have already been instructed to follow the health ministry's orders and self-quarantine if they were in Paluch's vicinity.
The Knesset said it was offering footage from its surveillance cameras to the health ministry for them to see where and when Paluch had been in the building, for the health professionals to determine which measures need be taken.
Israel, which has more than 4,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, has imposed severe restrictions to contain the spread of the virus, including a total ban on non-essential movements.
Netanyahu's office stressed that he has had limited inter-personal contact in recent weeks, conducting "most of his meetings via video conferencing from his residence."
The news comes as Netanyahu, 70, is widely expected to agree on an emergency unity government with his election rival Benny Gantz to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The two fought three bitter but inconclusive elections over the past year, with neither securing enough support to form a viable coalition government.
Gantz was given the mandate of forming a government following March 2 elections but there was no guarantee he would succeed this time, given rifts within the anti-Netanyahu bloc.
Gantz, a centrist, was elected speaker of Israel's parliament last week and has committed to backing an emergency unity government with Netanyahu, citing the need to combat COVID-19.
Netanyahu, in office since 2009, was in January charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust, but the start of his trial has been delayed by the pandemic.
He denies the charges.
Uganda-DRC roadworks set to start
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has officially handed over crucial sites to Dott Services Ltd, a Ugandan construction firm, to commence the long-awaited surfacing of the 223km-road network in eastern DRC.
According to the statement released by the Works ministry last evening, the construction is expected to start this week.
The DRC roads to be constructed include Mpondwe/Kasindi- Beni (80km), Bunagana-Rutshuru-Goma road (89km) and Beni-Butembo Axis (54km).
The project is branded as the regional connectivity roads project, also known as DRC roads project.
The handover ceremonies, which took place in Beni and Goma in the North Kivu Province last Friday, were witnessed by two delegations from Uganda and DRC, including the leadership of the Dott Services.
The Ugandan delegation was led by the Works minister, Gen Katumba Wamala, while the DRC delegation was led by the Infrastructure minister, Mr Alexi Gisaro Muvunyi.
The handover of the sites came on the heels of a visit to the company’s Inland Custom Deports (ICD) at Namanve Industrial Park in Uganda last Wednesday by the steering committee of nine members composed of technical officials from DRC, Uganda and Dott Services Limited, which was set up to fast-track the project.
Gen Katumba appealed to Congo nationals to support the construction.
“Do not steal the road equipment. Do not touch the fuel and other essentials. This opportunity has come to you to benefit from it in a meaningful way. Please give all the support to the contractor and work with them to ensure that the project succeeds,” he said.
Gen Katumba also cautioned the construction company to be mindful of deadlines.
In his remarks, Mr Muvunyi revealed that the project would boast trade and employment for the two countries.
The North Kivu Governor, Lt Gen Ndima Kongba Constant, said: “When the contractor is hungry, give him food. When he is thirsty, give him water, when he needs a room, give him a bed to sleep on. This is because they have come to not only to build roads but also to improve our livelihoods.”
So far, Dott Services Limited has assembled 40 trucks, 22 rollers, 22 graders, and 22 excavators and 20 fabricated containers to cover office space and residences for the company staff.
The company has also promised to move this equipment to the designated sites in DRC this week.
Background
In May, Uganda and DRC signed two agreements aimed at enhancing bilateral trade as well as strengthen infrastructural development.
The agreements followed the state visit to Uganda by DRC president Felix Antionè Tshisekedi from November 9 to 10, 2019. The presidents emphasised the importance of developing cross-border infrastructure which is essential to facilitate bilateral trade.
Despite the lucrative business opportunities between the two countries, trade in the past has been hampered by poor road network.
The roadworks come barely a week after Uganda’s army launched airstrikes into bases habouring rebels of the ADF in eastern DRC.
Credit: Daily Monitor
Zimbabwe opposition figure fined for claiming poll win
A Zimbabwe court Monday convicted leading opposition figure Tendai Biti of an election crime and fined him for announcing his own results for presidential polls last July, which he claimed he won.
Biti, a respected former finance minister, proclaimed his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) the victor of the contested July 30 poll which sparked anti-government protests that were put down by soldiers.
Six people were killed in the violence.
Magistrate Gloria Takundwa ordered Biti to pay $200 -- the price of a full tank of petrol -- or go to prison for a week. He was also handed a jail term of six months, which was suspended for five years.
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, who was in court, said the conviction "casts a very dark shadow on our politics".
Zimbabwe was thrown into chaos following the elections, the first in the country's history not to feature former president Robert Mugabe following his resignation in the wake of a brief military takeover in November 2017.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa had promised not to repeat the rigging and intimidation that characterised previous votes, but delays in announcing results enraged the opposition and led to street demonstrations.
Mnangagwa, Mugabe's successor at the head of ruling party ZANU-PF, was later declared the winner according to the official results, but the MDC claims the election was rigged.
Biti fled the country for neighbouring Zambia at the height of the poll tensions but was returned to Zimbabwe despite seeking asylum, sparking an international incident.
The international community has urged Mnangagwa to guarantee the safety of Biti, who was the internationally-respected finance minister in Zimbabwe's 2009-2013 power-sharing government.
Biti's lawyer Doug Coltart described Monday's conviction as a "travesty, and said it remained "open to challenge."
Source: Daily Monitor
