Review: ‘Sea Fever’ Is a Contagion Thriller On The High Seas – Pajiba Entertainment News

For centuries, mankind has traversed, fished, and polluted the ocean, masquerading as its master. But still, we just scratch at the surface of its terrain and mysteries. The ocean is a world untamed, containing creatures far bigger than we and far beyond our understanding. Such a creature is at the center of the outstanding sci-fi horror film Sea Fever.

Written and directed by Neasa Hardiman, Sea Fever follows the journey of an average Irish trawler as it sets forth to find a rich cache of fish. A hefty haul is needed by the boats married co-captains (Dougray Scott and Connie Nielsen), who are behind in their debts and in their crews paychecks. To make ends meet, they agree to allow a marine biology student on board to observe and survey the marine life they encounter. But things are tense from the moment Siobhn (Hermione Corfield) steps on deck. Not only is she cringingly socially awkward, but also shes a redhead. And allowing a redheaded woman aboard a boat is a bad omen for superstitious sailors. Nonetheless, they cast off, chasing a big catch and seeking good fortune. But what theyll find is a strange, glowing creature that brings nothing but hardship and horror.

Though a creature feature, this clever low-budget thriller doesnt boast the kind of showy monster sequences of Jaws, The Meg, or John Carpenters The Thing. Instead, it favors a more under-the-skin approach to terror. Hardiman gives us glimpses of a sea beast massive, menacing, and beautifully bioluminescent. She offers blue goo that sludges about the trawler as an oozing if ambiguous threat. And she introduces a life cycle that throws mankind back into the food chain, and, oh yes, there will be blood. But the richest tension in Sea Fever comes not from its monster but from those driven wild by it.

Hardiman sets up a sensationally suspenseful dynamic aboard her ship with a series of culture clashes. First off, shy Siobhn prefers her samples and studies to people, hovering over a microscope to turn her back on an office birthday party. Shes also an intellectual snob, who looks down her button nose at these scruffy blue-collar workers. And she lets them know it with carelessly offensive remarks, like blithely asking their brilliantly inventive engineer, Why dont you have a better job? Its little wonder this tight-knit crew doesnt immediately embrace this stuck-up, erudite barnacle of a girl. But making matters worse is their cultural conflict of science versus superstition. On a dark night, they share nautical folklore, which Siobhn initially finds little more than curious. But when this mysterious creature breaches the boat and infects their water supply, its the crew who is skeptical as Siobhn begins to plead about potential parasitic contamination.

Heres where Hardiman pulls some inspiration from The Thing. The crew begins to eye each other, this outsider, and their own reflections, wary of signs of infection. Every open wound is a reason to worry. Every emotional outburst a potential symptom. And every nautical mile they draw closer to shore pushes them closer to a point of no return. On top of all of this, the scant hours this team sleeps means they are susceptible to mental breakdown, delusions, and sea fever. So they may not be able to believe their eyes. What is real is uncertainand unnerving.

Lean but intense, Sea Fever is a stellar horror-thriller that hooks us with its class conflict, then reels us in with a tale of monsters, mayhem, and impossible choices. Its cast brings an earthy earnestness that grounds the film from its dockside introductions, making its sci-fi beast feel all the more real and terrifying. From theres, Hardiman embraces the claustrophobic vibe of the run-down trawler, trapping her audience with its heroes and their fear there is no escape. Hardiman ratchets up the tension with bursts of blood, sparks of violence, and a climax thats suitably explosive for this setting and scale. And then, most remarkable of all, she gives us a finale that is deeply satisfying and suitably and strangely beautiful.

Sea Fever is available on VOD.

Kristy Puchko is the managing editor of Pajiba. You can follow her on Twitter.

Header Image Source: Bright Moving Pictures

Next Article

Read more here:

Review: 'Sea Fever' Is a Contagion Thriller On The High Seas - Pajiba Entertainment News

Cruise lines turn to virtual cruising to give a taste of life on the high seas – The Telegraph

I cant help but feel a tinge of jealousy as I read about Danny Bradleys cruise around the Caribbean. Dolphin watching in the Dominican Republic, a sun-soaked beach in Jamaica, a day of sun, sea and cocktails as his ship sails from one island to another. And here we all are in lockdown in the UK.

As, indeed, is Danny. But while most of us are mourning holidays cancelled due to Covid-19, he has been livening up his lockdown by living his cruise virtually onsocial media.

Loving our balcony with these gorgeous Caribbean Sea vistas, he writes on his first day at sea on Marella Cruises ship Marella Discovery 2. Believe me Danny, so am I! By day four he is off for a bit of culture and beach time on a tour in Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. I can but dream!

The cruise his first with Marella was due to end this week in Jamaica but he loved it so much that plans to stay on for another virtual week as its a different itinerary. Lots of people have had their cruises cancelled and are feeling down in this crisis so this was a fun way to turn it on its head, he says. Will he ever do a real cruise again? I will certainly rebook with Marella as soon as I can, he promises.

Original post:

Cruise lines turn to virtual cruising to give a taste of life on the high seas - The Telegraph

Tired of ‘Frozen?’ Here are a few less obvious kids movies to stream – Martinsville Bulletin

This combination photo shows, The Beatles, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison arriving in Liverpool, England for the premiere of their movie "A Hard Day's Night," on July 10, 1964, left, a scene from the film "Apollo 11," center, and a portrait of Buster Keaton, the sad-faced comedian, in Los Angeles on Oct. 9, 1955. (AP Photo, left, CNN/Neon via AP, center, and AP Photo)

NEW YORK (AP) Weeks of quarantine with kids have a way of burning through a movie collection.

Even with the libraries of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, Disney Plus and others, there are plenty of households that have already had their fill of "Frozen" and overdosed on "Onward." In the best of times, the canon for kids movies can feel limiting. Disney overwhelms.

But there's a wider world of movies out there for young ones. We'll assume they've already accrued a solid foundation of some of the essentials: "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Iron Giant," Pixar, the Muppets, et cetera. So here's a few slightly further afield options all available to stream, rent or are free that your kids might not have seen.

"Fly Away Home"

The outlines of this 1996 film, with Anna Paquin and Jeff Daniels, suggest a familiar and schmaltzy kind of family movie, but it's handled with such grace that it rises above the ordinary. Also, the geese are really great. A 13-year-old (Paquin) moves in with her estranged father (Daniels) in rural Canada after the death of her mother. She adopts an abandoned nest of goose eggs, raises them and teaches them to fly South for the winter. Available to stream on the Criterion Channel. The director, Carol Ballard, and the cinematographer, Caleb Deschanel, also crafted a movie of pastoral beauty and sweet child-animal camaraderie in 1979's "Black Stallion," which is streaming on Amazon Prime.

"Lupin the Third: The Castle of Cagliostro"

For streaming Studio Ghibli films, we'll have to wait until they collectively hit HBO Max when it launches in May. (They are available outside the U.S. on Netflix.) They are so good among the most wondrous in cinema you might just go ahead and buy copies of "My Neighbor Totoro," "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke." But for now, you can stream the feature-film directing debut of Hayao Miyazaki, the animation master and co-founder of Ghibli. "The Castle of Cagliostro," on Netflix, isn't as well-known as Miyazaki's best. But the director's verve and imagination is already on display in this, a caper that continues the exploits of the debonair thief Arsne Lupin. Here Lupin discovers the loot from a casino heist is counterfeit.

Buster Keaton

No child raised on Buster Keaton can turn out bad. It's just a fact. Most even young children recognize, and laugh their heads off at, his genius. Keaton's features are widely available, but many of his equally brilliant shorts can be streamed for free. Among them, "One Week," in which he tries to assemble a house; "The Goat," wherein Keaton is mistaken for a murderer; and "Cops," in which he angers the entire Los Angeles police force.

"Stop Making Sense"

Concert films are an underutilized source of entertainment for kids. Jonathan Demme's glorious Talking Heads documentary, available for digital rental and to stream for free via Vudu, is a good place to start. And since David Byrne slowly assembles his band beginning with just himself, an acoustic guitar and a tape deck, on "Psycho Killer" "Stop Making Sense" offers a good step-by-step education on how to build a post-modern funk extravaganza. Plus tips on wearing big suits and dancing with floor lamps. (See also: "A Hard Day's Night," on Criterion Channel and "The Last Waltz" on Amazon Prime.)

"The Three Caballeros"

There are forgotten Disney treasures, too, including this trippy 1944 gem streaming on Disney Plus. On his birthday, Donald Duck receives a package from his friends in Central and South America. Inside are film reels that bring a handful of individual tales and travelogues that Donald leaps into, too. It's a loving if overly exotic celebration of South America with some fabulous and surreal moments that blend animation and live action. The movie was produced as part of the wartime "Good Neighbor" policy to bring the Americas together and ward off any appeals from Axis powers. All of which is to say: "The Three Caballeros" isn't your average Disney movie.

"Apollo 11"

This hit 2019 documentary, on Hulu, simply follows the moon mission from launch to rescue, without talking heads and with large amounts of previously unseen IMAX footage. It's a propulsive time-capsule, one that the intervening 50 years has made only more stupendous. "Apollo 11," like the archival "For All Mankind," captures the all-ages thrill and glory of the moon landing.

"Pirates! Band of Misfits"

Aardman Animations has been reliably churning out delights, from "Wallace and Gromit" to "Shaun the Sheep," for decades. "Pirates! Band of Misfits" (2012) came and went somewhat quietly and didn't spawn a franchise. But the Aardman charm is there on the high seas, too. Streaming on Hulu.

"Boy"

Taika Waititi does kids better than any working filmmaker today. Well before his Oscar-nominated "Jo Jo Rabbit," Waititi was making comic and big-hearted films about childhood, including his Oscar-nominated short, "Two Cars, One Night," and this semi-autobiographical sophomore feature, inspired by that short. James Rolleston stars as an 11-year-old Maori boy and Michael Jackson fan whose dimwitted ex-convict father (a mulleted Waititi) returns home. Available on the free, public library streaming service Kanopy.

More entertainment news:

'The Mandalorian' Docuseries Coming to Disney+ for Star Wars Day

Worth Watching: Vampires Back in the 'Shadows,' 'Mrs. America,' 'Chicago' Finales, 'Riverdale' Does 'Hedwig'

'NCIS' Producers on Gibbs' 'Softer Side,' Episode 400 & Ziva's Season 17 Return

Follow this link:

Tired of 'Frozen?' Here are a few less obvious kids movies to stream - Martinsville Bulletin

Death on the high seas; the mysterious death of a humble fishing observer – Stuff.co.nz

On a sweltering but calm afternoon, EritaraAatiKaierua left the island of Pohnpei, Micronesiaon his final journey. Aboard a rusting Taiwanesefishing vessel he sailed south-east, leaving behind mangrove swamps on the shore line, and passing low coral atolls, beyond the breakwater beforereachingthe deep-blue of the Pacific.

He would never leave that ship. In less than five weeks, the 40-year-oldwould be dead, found lying on the floor of his locked cabin with a brutal head wound and bruising to his neck.

Kaierua's deathis now under investigation by Kiribati police, with assistance from Fijian pathologist.The father-of-fouris the tenthPacific fisheriesobserver to die on the lawless high seas in the last decade.

The tragedy hassparked a call for more protection for this vulnerable workforce, who oftenface hostility from captains and crews. And it's brought to light the mysterious deaths of two more i-Kiribati monitors in the last three years.

READ MORE:* Caught*Forced labour fishing tainting tuna supply*'Scorched-earth approach to fishing': Conservationists says Govt lobbying for fisheries*50 fishing boats refuse MPI observers in 18 months, data shows

Facebook

Eritara with his wife Tekarara Kabangaki.

Kaierua grew up on the Tarawara atoll in Kiribati, a central Pacific island nation that straddles the equator.

The sea was his playground and he and sisterNikora "Nicky"Kaieruawould play hide and seek on vessels moored in the lagoon."He was my best friend in childhood,"she said.

Their father was a ship's engineer and from the age of four, Kaierua dreamed of being a sea captain.

He graduated from a marine training centre and began sailing the world's oceans, working on cargo and oil ships. But these voyages took him away from his wifeTekararaKabangaki and their three young children, and in 2012 he took a job as a fisheries observer, working for the Kiribati government.

These watchdogstravel aboard fishing fleets, tracking their catches including any endangeredspecies by-catch. They make sure fishermen are following the rulesand not dumping unwanted fish overboard. It's vital toprotect oceans andpreserve fishstocks.

But it's dangerous and isolating work and they sometimes face hostility from the crews they are watching. Tuna is a multi-billion dollar industry and the Pacific is it's most lucrative fishing grounds.

H??l??ne Petit/WWF

Tuna contributes about US$42BN to the global economy, with a significant chunk of that caught in the Pacific Ocean.

Observer programmes are run bygovernments and regional fisheries management organisationsbut the monitors have no power to stop or sanction illegal activity. They can only watch, record and report.

In the past decade, ten observershave lost their lives on the vast stretch of ocean, with at least five under a cloud of suspicion. But the sea rarely gives up her secrets and these deaths have never been prosecuted.

"We've seen several instances over the last decade of observers that have gone missing or who have died under suspicious circumstances," says Alfred "Bubba" Cook, an ocean conservationist for the World Wide Fund for Nature.

"They are responsible for collecting information that can ultimately be used in investigations against that vessel and its crew. They're in a position where they're, at best, a nuisance and, at worst, a threat to the crew andthe company.

"So they're constantly in a position of being subject to threats, intimidation, bribes."

WWF

Bubba Cook is Western and Central Pacific Tuna Programme Manager at the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Kaieruaexperienced some of these tensions. In 2016, he told his sister about attempts to bribe him over a shark fin catch.

And in the year before he died, a crew turned on him after they were forced to offload tonnes of tuna in Tuvalu after officials check his log and found that it didn't match that of the captain. NickyKaierua, 42,says her younger brother felt his life was put in danger.

"Eritara got so scared... After that incident, he would go out to do his work, come back and lock himself up in his room.

"Inthe mess room, he was so fearful of being poisoned that he would grab the sailors food rather than eating the serve allocated for him.

"Most of the timehe would eatnoodles and biscuits, his own rations, in his room. He came off that boat and he reported it to Kiribati Fisheries."

His next posting was aboard a sister ship, and NickyKaierua said he was afraid. "Putting him aboard the sister boat showed safety wasn't a priority. But he came back alive and he was really thankful for that.

"The system appears to lack safety risk management. Had there been a robust and effectivesystem with a good reporting, lives could have been more protected and accidents could have been prevented."

Supplied

The WIN FAR NO.636 is currently being held in Kiribati while police investigate the death of an observer.

Kaierua's last voyage was aboard Win Far 636, a 30-year old tuna purse seiner, owned by Kuo HsiungFishery, based in Taiwan's Kaohsiung City. The local Kiribati agent for the vessel was the government-owned company, Central Pacific Products Limited (CCPL).

According to Kaierua's log, seen by his family, he boarded the vessel at 2.20pm on February 13. The vessel's tracking technology was switched off so their voyage is unclear.

His death was reported on March 3 in waters off Nauru. The Taiwanese government alerted the multi-national regulatory body Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and the Kiribati government.

The mainly Vietnamese crew opted to sail to Kiribati, but arrived a day later than expected. The ship was immediately impounded when it arrived.

Two of the crew were arrested, but thenreleased after questioning.

An autopsy revealed Kaierua died of a severe blow to the back of the head. On March 29 local police opened a murder inquiry.

Stuff understands he was found partially laying on his mattress which was on the floor. There was blood on his nose and there was food on his chest and neck.

supplied

Nicky Kaieru lost her brother Eritara at sea. She wants a thorough police investigation.

Mamara Ubatoi, of the Kiribati police, told Stuff the crew were cooperating: "According to the pathologist Eritara was murdered...We also have information that the [ship'] signalling device was off around the date and time of Eritara's demise," he said.

"We are still suspicious when they didn't report to Nauru and took so long for them to come to Kiribati. The case is still under investigation."

NickyKaierua said herfamily are anxious for answers and want a "solid" investigation. "I know the police are giving it their best shot but I also know police are not 100 per cent familiar with accidents at sea.

"We wantto get to the bottom of this. For the industry to learn from, for the observer programme or fisheries industry to learn from and to prevent the re-occurrence and mainly justice for my brother.

"We are hoping, we are praying."

She said her brother was conscientious and took his job seriously. "He was obedient, you know. He never broke the rules, even as a child."

Uati Tirikai heads Kiribati's fisheries observer programme. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Neither CCPL, the Ministry of Fisheries norTaiwan's Fisheries Agency answered questions.

supplied

Eritara Aati Kaieru "adored" his children.

MAONNIKI NAWII

The investigation has drawn attention to two other i-Kiribati deaths since December 2017, which the Association for Professional Observers, and WWF says they were previously unaware of.

Maonniki Nawiiwas found dead in his cabin aboard the Yu Wen 301 on December 18, 2017. He'd failed to show up for breakfast.

The vessel was in Papua New Guinea waters, but the captain request it dock in the Marshall Islands. Itwas instead directed to Honiara and Solomon Islands police carried out an investigation, at the request of Kiribati. It's understood authorities concluded that he died of "hypertension."

His wife couldn't be reached for comment, but she marked the second anniversary of his death on Facebook, saying: "They said that he slept and never woke up but [I] don't trust what they said." A relative added: "He was found on the job unable to wake up...it's a suspicious case. That's why we don't trust what was reported on him. He passed and lays to rest now next to everyone under the shade of the house."

Little is known about the death of Antin Tamwabeti, who is believed to have died by suicide, onshore.

FACEBOOK

Maonniki Nawii was found dead in his cabin after he failed to show up for breakfast.

Kaierua'sdeath has sent shockwaves around theobserver community, which has long been calling for greater protection and safety conditions.

In 2010, Charlie Lasisi's body was found, bound in chains, off the coast of WestSepik, Papua New Guinea in March. Six Filipino crew members were acquitted of his murder.

WesleyTaliawas reported missing in the waters of New Ireland, Papua New Guinea, in 2015.

Larry Gavin went missing at sea in 2016 but his disappearance is so mysterious, there was no record of which ship he was working on. There was never an investigation into his death.

Fijian UsaiaMasibalavu was lost in 2016, after reportedly falling ill two-weeksafter boarding a vessel that left Pago Pago, American Samoa.

In the same year, Josh Sheldon, from the US, died of an advanced MRSA infection allegedly contracted on a Vietnamese longline fishing vessel.

James Numbaruwent missing in Nauru waters in June 2017. He was aboard a Chinese-flagged purse seiner and his body was never recovered, but the crew said he'd fallen overboard.

Cook fears there may be more. "Consider that we didn't even know aboutMaonnikiuntil a little more than a week ago.How many more do we not know about in the last 30 years of observer deployments?"

Keeping track of harassment andcasualties is difficult because systematic recording is non-existent, and the investigation of complaints falls into a bureaucratic black hole, with governments andregional fisheries management organisation slow to follow up and reluctant to prosecute.

In2015, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), responsible for fisheries regulations in the region, implemented safety and security measures to protect observers.

But Liz Mitchell, of theAssociation for Professional Observers, says these must go further.

"There must be some accountability.

"I'd like to see a measure in place that would require these vessels have astorage capacity for their CCTV footage. So, that ifsomething happens there's that evidence. Right now, I think what they're doing is just taping over it every day."

Supplied

Eritara Aati Kaieru "never broke the rules."

Covid-19 travelrestrictionsmeantNickyKaieruawas the only one of four siblings who could make it back to Kiribati to bury their brother. The rest are scattered around the world.

Her "biggest worry" is forKaierua's widow Tekarara, herchildren and their financial future."She seems to be braver than me right now. She's got emotional strength but I know she is crying inside.

"The kids are missing their father, they keep thinking he is coming home. He was a very good father, he adored his kids."

UNICEF

Kiribati operates an observer programme, deploying people to monitor tuna catch across the region.

See the article here:

Death on the high seas; the mysterious death of a humble fishing observer - Stuff.co.nz

All the cruise ships that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard – Business Insider – Business Insider

The worldwide coronavirus pandemic hit the cruise ship industry like a rogue wave.

Cruise ships like the Diamond Princess, the Grand Princess, the Ruby Princess, the Oasis of the Seas, and the Zaandam became the focus of international headlines after crew members and passengers fell ill with COVID-19.

Those widely-publicized outbreaks have helped to upend the entire seafaring business, with shares plummeting for industry giants like Carnival. And government officials in the United States have taken action by extending a no-sail order for cruises for at least another three months.

It is likely that the number of COVID-19 cases linked to cruise ship crew members and passengers will only go up in the weeks to come, as thousands of crew members are still stranded on stricken ships.

Here's a look at the cruise ships at the center of the coronavirus crisis on the high seas:

Ruobing Su/Business Insider

More here:

All the cruise ships that have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard - Business Insider - Business Insider

Fossil discovery that changes the history of monkeys in the Americas – Somag News

32 million years ago, animals dominated terrestrial landscapes. Now, a new archaeological discovery changes what is known about the first monkeys on the American continent. Until recently, pot-bellied monkeys and white-capped capuchin monkeys were believed to have been the only primates to cross the Atlantic towards the Americas on small patches of land and vegetation. A new find in Peru has just included some more adventurers from the seas: those of the extinct species Ucayalipithecus perdita.

4-tooth fossils have been found on the banks of the Yura River, near the Brazilian border. Despite being few records, they can bring a lot of information. Teeth, because of their strength, are the easiest to last for millions of years. In addition, it is the dentition of mammals, in everlasting change, that can bring information about what type of animal is being analyzed.

Interestingly, the fossils found are quite similar to the monkeys of the extinct parapithecids group, which were believed to have lived only in Africa. Finding them in South America shows that they also crossed the ocean and found new land. This journey was purely random and had luck, but it spread the animals across the globe.

It is also worth remembering that, in this period, known as the Late Eocene, Africa and South America were closer. The two continents were 1.5 thousand to 2.1 thousand kilometers apart. Currently, both are 2,800 kilometers from each other. In other words, the journey through the seas was a little less long.

The fossils were found by scientists led by Erik Seiffert of the University of Southern California. I have to admit that I was much more skeptical about rafting until I saw a video of blankets of vegetation floating through the Panama Canal, with trees upright and maybe even bearing fruit, explains Seiffert about how monkeys would have made their own. travels.

However, the monkeys hardly had the intention of throwing themselves into the sea. Most likely, intense storms took coastal primates to the high seas, where they found a way to stay alive in these makeshift rafts. It was up to the sea currents to spread the different African monkeys to different points of the American continent from North to South.

Read this article:

Fossil discovery that changes the history of monkeys in the Americas - Somag News

Princess Annes Interview on Prince Andrew, Harry and Meghan & Life as a Royal – Vanity Fair

She declines to identify herself as a feminist; rather she says she wants to see every young person achieve their full potential. She became patron of Opportunity International U.K. (which helps young entrepreneurs in some of the poorest countries in Africa) in 1998 to do just that, but she also remains steadfastly loyal to her oldest charities and is deeply proud of her 50 years of work with Save the Children, for which she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. But she says its not her legacy thats important but whether the organization as a whole has made the sort of difference that it really wants to. So, you know, you look at the Save the Childrens adverts and you think, Has nothing improved? When actually, yes it has, but that doesnt get you any more funding.

I dont think this younger generation [of royals] probably understands what I was doing in the past.

Its not just about, Can I get a tick in the box for doing this? No, its about serving. It comes from an example from both my parents way of working and where they saw their role being. I mean, my father served. It was a more direct form of service, I suppose you could argue. And the queens has been a lifelong service in a slightly different way, but they both have that perspective of service which is about working with people. Remarkably for someone who has always seemed so driven and confident, it took her time to find her voice on the world stage. It took me probably 10 years before I really felt confident enough to contribute to Save the Childrens public debates, because you needed to understand how it works on the ground and that needed a very wide coverage. So my early trips were really important.

And she worries that the younger generation of royals may be in too much of a hurry to change the royal familys tried and tested approach when it comes to philanthropy. Describing herself as the boring old fuddy-duddy at the back saying, Dont forget the basics, she cautions, I dont think this younger generation probably understands what I was doing in the past and its often true, isnt it? You dont necessarily look at the previous generation and say, Oh, you did that? Or, You went there? Nowadays, theyre much more looking for, Oh lets do it a new way. And Im already at the stage, Please do not reinvent that particular wheel. Weve been there, done that. Some of these things dont work. You may need to go back to basics.

Over the years the princess has traveled extensively, clocking up visits to Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina with Save the Children, but she has reluctantly scaled back her overseas travel in part because of logistics and in part because the younger royals do the lions share of overseas work.

She has plannedpandemic permittingto be in the States this fall to visit the New York branch of the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity of which she is president, and the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island, which has asked her to be its new patron. It was very kind of them to ask, she says, adding that lighthouses have always fascinated her. How [Robert] Stevenson built those lighthouses [along the coast of Scotland] is just phenomenal. Theyre very important and need to be maintained, and thats a part of the maritime sector Im interested in, and I like trying to raise that profile.

Being at sea is a personal pleasure and on the rare occasions she does get time off, she enjoys sailing up the West Coast of Britain with her husband, Vice Admiral Laurence.

Its just my husband and I, she smiles.

This summer had been set to be a busy one, if travel and social restrictions are relaxed, so the high seas may have to wait. (At press time, the Prince of Wales had tested positive for coronavirus. Princess Anne was safe and well at her home Gatcombe Park, and following government guidelines.) The queen is rumored to be planning a special birthday celebration for her daughter (who turns 70 on August 15) while courtiers are gathering representatives from her many charities and organizations for a special get-together at Buckingham Palace. And yet, the princess is just like anyone else reflecting on a milestone birthday. Well, it would be nice if it were just another year passed, she says, but I dont think thats going to happen.

Visit link:

Princess Annes Interview on Prince Andrew, Harry and Meghan & Life as a Royal - Vanity Fair

Interview: Building a robot to navigate the high seas – ComputerWeekly.com

On 19 September 2020, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflowers voyage to the New World, an autonomous trimaran vessel, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, will trace the route of the original Mayflower in 1620, sailing from Plymouth, UK, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, US.

Although remotely controlled ships are not a new concept, Don Scott, chief technology officer of the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, says the project is at the bleeding edge. Whats new about the project is the marine autonomy aspect, creating the ship as an edge device that operates on its own, sensing its environment, making intelligent decisions and acting on them without any human intervention, he says. Thats what makes this vehicle really innovative.

The Mayflower is a prototype, a proof of concept, to demonstrate that a solar-powered autonomous ship can navigate the oceans safely and cope with changeable weather, other ships, and encounters with marine creatures and submerged hazards.

Scott has worked on the oceans for 30 years. For him, one of the biggest challenges in developing an autonomous ship is the unpredictable nature of the sea. You certainly dont approach these engineering tasks lightly, he says. You very quickly get humbled by the power of the ocean.

He says one of the philosophies that underpins the design isthat the Mayflower Autonomous Ship needs to operate in an extremely hostile and dynamic environment, which is very unpredictable.

Until very recently, undertaking such an engineering task would have seemed impossible. For Scott, the recent convergence of technologies such as computing power at the edge and the growth of machine learning has meant that today it is possible to have an edge device make decisions in a timeframe that enables a vehicle to operate within the environment it was designed for.

Engineering for unpredictability requires partitioning different tasks, so that there is a strong sense of separation and layering between the software running on the edge devices. The architecture is highly modularised, where each edge device maintains its own situational awareness and communicates upstream and downstream with other modules.

Sensor inputs include six cameras, an automatic identification system, wind speed and direction sensors and obstacle avoidance sonar. Scott says: Each of these collects unstructured data, which is then processed and fed into a data server to provide the information needed for the vessel to navigate.

Weather forecasts are provided via application programming interfaces (APIs) to The Weather Company. Weather updates will be our highest priority, says Scott. We will steer around a storm cell, for sure.

The Mayflower is designed to run autonomously, but it will have the ability to send and receive data. Given that the ocean offers limited low-bandwidth satellite communications, weather data is given a priority. It is critical information we will get what we can get, says Scott.

IBM PowerAI Vision models are being used to provide object classification and object tracking for the vessels computer vision system, he says, adding: All of this information is fed into a navigation hazard map used by a collision avoidance module.

The collision avoidance module takes this data to determine a series of potential courses and speeds, which are then fed into a route planner, which Scott says is essentially an autonomous system that determines the course the vessel should take. Layered on top of the route planner is our safety manager, which deals with more localised information, such as wave direction and the unpredictable aspects of the ocean, he adds.

Each system on the vessel is redundant, with a backup module running in parallel, which is ready to take over if the primary system fails. One of the hazards of the ocean is short circuits, so the Mayflower Autonomous Ship has been built in a way that enables it to continue if systems are damaged.

Any system that is exposed to the ocean needs to be isolated to protect against electricity shorts, says Scott. We are hedging our bets on the electrical reliability of the system by putting in a backup system.

Because each system has been designed to operate independently, each one can be tested before they are all integrated on the ship, says Scott. For instance, at the start of March, the collision avoidance system, called AI Captain, is being tested at sea on another ship.

The ocean presents a lot of different hazards, such as land, marine debris, submerged objects, wildlife and even curious whales, says Scott. In a classical marine system, human vigilance is required to make decisions on these hazards.

The autonomous system also needs to adhere to the rules of the sea, he says. We need to identify surrounding marine traffic and make sure we are operating safely.

Scott says IBM suggested taking ODM, its rules-based engine for determining credit card fraud, and adapting it to marine regulations. This means that AI Captain enables the Mayflower to follow the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) as well as recommendations from the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).

Having the AI Captain make decisions based on a predefined set of regulations means its decisions do not come out of a black box, says Scott. In effect, the AI decision-making for collision detection is entirely explainable because it adheres to the rules that govern marine navigation.

For Scott, the vehicle systems the Mayflower will use are proven technologies, tried and trusted. We know we can do this voyage tomorrow, with the existing capabilities we have in classic deterministic systems, going waypoint to waypoint, and dynamic updates based on local conditions, he says.

But the fully autonomous AI Captain needs to operate without any human intervention. Scott adds: The thing that keeps me up at night is the collision avoidance system, which we havent tested yet. It is essential for the success of the ship. We need to go through a bunch of sea trials.

These trials are beginning in early March.

View original post here:

Interview: Building a robot to navigate the high seas - ComputerWeekly.com

Design Collective by Cintas Creates High Fashion on the High Seas with Virgin Voyages Apparel Collection – Yahoo Finance

British fashion designer Gareth Pugh and Design Collective by Cintas collaborate on modern wardrobe collection

Richards Bransons new cruise line Virgin Voyages is scheduled to set sail in April 2020. Today Design Collective by Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) announced that it will execute a modern apparel collection designed by British fashion designer Gareth Pugh for the crew. Virgin Voyages led a collaboration with Design Collective by Cintas to bring Gareths fashion-forward designs to life with apparel pieces that mirror the vivacity which is synonymous with the Virgin brand.

"Were honored for the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Virgin Voyages and Gareth to bring together modern and luxurious designs to Virgin Voyages," said Todd McKeown, President and COO of Design Collective by Cintas. "Richard Branson puts his employees first, so it was critical for every crew member to feel confident and comfortable in the apparel, so they can be a critical part of the total passenger experience. We used our extensive experience in designing and manufacturing for the cruise industry and worked with Gareth Pugh and the Virgin Voyages team to develop this game changing program."

The core collection includes sustainable fabrics and garments designed for a range of job functions, climates and body types. The program breaks with cruise stereotypes by removing epaulettes (shoulder stripes designating rank for officers), ties and waistcoats. It features a distinct combination of structure and fluidity and includes a wide range of looks from slick razor-sharp tailoring to relaxed pillow-case tunic shirts referencing the early days of British punk, and more.

"We really wanted to shake up the industry and redefine cruise fashion. Working with fashion Designer Gareth Pugh helped us create a fantastic wardrobe collection for our crew reflecting a modern sailing holiday experience," said Dee Cooper, SVP Design and Customer Experience at Virgin Voyages. "We decided to partner with Design Collective by Cintas to make sure the garments would really deliver on all levels. Their knowledge of fabrics and application made the designs functional for the cruise environment, and they helped create an Epic Sea Change for all."

Virgin Voyages currently has four ships on order, and will launch its first adults-only vessel, Scarlet Lady, in Spring 2020.

For more information about Design Collective by Cintas, please visit: http://www.cintas.com/designcollective.

About Design Collective by Cintas

The Design Collective by Cintas is a distinctive fashion house dedicated to creating a modern wardrobe for employees. With design studios in Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto and Miami, Design Collectives award-winning designers blend garments from our ready-to-wear line with custom-designed pieces to curate apparel collections that enhance brand identity. These collections are often complemented with garments from our retail brand collaborations, giving employees wardrobes they love to wear. Design Collective is a division of Cintas Corporation, a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poors 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.

About Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages is a global lifestyle brand committed to creating the worlds most irresistible holidays. The brand currently has four ships on order with master shipbuilder Fincantieri and has operations in the US, UK and Europe. With its inaugural season beginning this year, Virgin Voyages first ship, Scarlet Lady was designed to reflect a yachts sleek luxury. Featuring spaces designed by some of the top names in contemporary interiors, Scarlet Lady will be Adult-by-Design, a sanctuary at sea for the 18+ traveler. A dose of Vitamin Sea will be naturally intertwined across the entire ship, with well-being activated through a mix of high-energy moments coupled with relaxation and rejuvenation. Scarlet Lady will also feature alluring entertainment and 20+ world-class intimate eateries on board. Putting a twist on luxury, Virgin Voyages will offer incredible value for its sailors with all restaurants, group fitness classes, soft drinks, and many more Virgin surprises.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005650/en/

Contacts

Christina AlvarezMulberry Marketing Communications708-908-0898calvarez@mulberrymc.com

See the original post here:

Design Collective by Cintas Creates High Fashion on the High Seas with Virgin Voyages Apparel Collection - Yahoo Finance

This Is How Much It Costs to Stay in Kylie Jenner’s Vacation Villa – KMOX

Lifes a very expensive beach when youre Kylie Jenner.

The self-made billionaire is enjoying a vacation from her hectic work life by staying in a lavish private estate in the Bahamas that no mere mortal could afford.

Kylie and her besties are kicking back at Villa Rosalita on Harbour Island, which rents for $10K a night, according to TMZ.

For that price, the beauty mogul gets a six-bedroom, eight-bath mansion located on the islands pink sand beaches.

The estate is loaded with luxurious amenities including a heated pool, separate pool house, full gym, barbecue, outdoor showers and a wet bar.

While it includes a chefs kitchen, Kylie and squad wont need to fetch their own meals or anything else as the property comes fully staffed with a cook, cleaning crew, laundry service and groundskeepers.

In addition to the 10 grand a night, the property also requires additional security and service fees which makes the total price even more exorbitant.

But with cost not being an issue, Kylie appears to be having a great time taking in all the creature comforts of the resort life.

The 22-year-old has posted a slew of photos enjoying the sun and fun with sister Kendall Jenner and daughter Stormi Webster.

The siblings posed in matching multicolored swimsuits on the steps of the villa and also hit the sand together for a bonding session on the beach.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star also managed to explore the local environs as she and Stormi took an excursion on a yacht. Kylie shared adorable photos of her bundle of joy on the high seas and added the caption, boat day with bestie.

Kylies friends Anastasia Karanikolaou and Amber Asaly are also part of the vacation crew.

Notably absent from the Caribbean holiday is Stormis dad, Travis Scott.

While Kylie and Travis split last October, over the weekend, she posted romantic throwback shots with the rapper and hinted at a possible rekindling of their romance.

And prior to jetting off to her girls trip, she shared a pic wearing the Sicko Mode singers newly released Nike SB Dunk low-top sneakers. Without mentioning Travis name, she captioned the image, brb baby.

Time will tell if Kylie returns to his arms after her vacay.

LISTEN NOW on theRADIO.COM AppFollowRADIO.COMFacebook|Twitter|Instagram

Here is the original post:

This Is How Much It Costs to Stay in Kylie Jenner's Vacation Villa - KMOX

The U.S. Navys Future Fleet May Run Aground In Heavy Weather – Forbes

Small surface ships will struggle in high seas

The sea is a tough place, and, given that stormy seas often damage ships and endanger sailors, the U.S. Navy has habitually worked to keep vessels out of harms way since 1944. But over the past 30 years the Navy became so risk-averse that it has kept surface ships out of several strategic-but-stormy seas for decades.

That retreatand the general loss of sustained heavy-weather experience by the cost-conscious post-Cold War U.S. Navyhas had real consequences. As the memory of sustained, stormy weather operations faded under the weight of a tough anti-terror operational tempo, the number of U.S. sailors and other naval tastemakers who understood that battle in high seas demanded ships with particular sea-keeping features dwindled away.

A troubling indication of that can be seen in Secretary of Defense Mark T. Espers February 27 letter to House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, in which he argued for more smaller surface combatants; greater reliance on lightly and optionally-manned ships. Do he and other similarly minded policymakers understand that they may be arguing for a fleet that will be more effective fighting from a pier than out in the contested seas the future Navy is meant to secure?

Sea States Mattered:

Up until a little more than 18 months ago, almost an entire generation of U.S. sailors lacked experience sailing in the rough seas north of the Arctic Circle. In late 2018, Carrier Strike Group Eight was the first U.S. aircraft carrier battle group to operate in the Norwegian Sea in 27 years. The experiencealong with several othersshowed that the Navy had lost a lot of old operational secrets and practices needed to project power in stormy weather.

The same can be said for design. Back in the Cold War, naval designers grew surface combatants to, in part, better prosecute combat in the high seas. The enormous displacement of an old Cold War mainstay, the Spruance class destroyer, was controversial. At over 8,000 tons, the Spruance was twice that of Americas previous front-line destroyer, the Charles F. Adams class.

But back in the early 1980s, when the U.S. Navy was a bit more concerned about the impact of storms and high seas upon the operational capability of U.S. Navy ships, studies cautioned that even the Spruance Class destroyers were only fully operable 80 percent of the time at Sea State 5 and barely operable 20 percent of the time at Sea State 6.

Cold War naval designers had super-sized the destroyer, to, in part, fight better in high sea states. But while Americas giant nuclear carriers were barely affected by heavy seas, their escortseven the big new Spruance class destroyersstill struggled to remain effective.

Smaller ships have plenty of opportunities to struggle in high seas; in the open ocean of the Northern Hemisphere, Navy studies from 1982 estimated that the probability of seas of Sea State 6 or higher was almost 27 percent. The probability of Sea State 5 or higher was almost 50 percent. This was reflected in choices the Navy made as the Cold War wound down. The Navy shed frigates and other small ships at an enormous rate while retaining the Arleigh Burke class, a destroyer even larger than the Spruance class.

Sea States Still Matter:

Thanks to the end of the Cold War and comprehensive meteorological guidance, Navy ships couldand didset their courses for the best weather possible. With no threat, such risk avoidance made sense. And as China and Russia emerge, the Navy can no longer plan on operating in calm seas. The Navy must go to where the war isand today, as storms are becoming stronger and more frequent, the chances of a fight in higher, rougher seas will only increase.

Meanwhile, Pentagon technologists like Secretary of Defense Mark Esperan Army veteran, who, as Secretary of the Army, urged the a-strategic dismantling of the Armys sea transport wingis extolling the virtues of the low-cost, small ship Navy. Does the Secretary of Defenseor the Deputy Secretary of Defense, David L. Norquist, who has been charged to lead a comprehensive review and analysis of the Navys proposed future fleet force structure, actually understand the tradeoff between vessel size and high-seas effectiveness?

Certainly, frigates and small ships are usefulthe Navy needs a far wider variety of vessels to supplement Americas large-ship Navy. But fundamental systems engineering questions risk being overlooked in the rush to propose exciting and fundable small-ship concepts. Right now, Washington think tanks are proposing fun-sounding baubles like 2,000 ton minimally manned vessels to serve as floating arsenals for carrier strike groups without really digging into the nitty-gritty operational feasibility of such new schemes.

The question is simple. If an 8,000 ton destroyer is unable to fully operate in Sea State 5 or higher, how well will a far more sophisticated and delicate 2,000 ton optionally-manned missile boat be ready to fight? How will these small vessels keep up with the carrier strike groups they are charged to defend? Have the sensitive technologies necessary for these small ships to fight actually been developed, optimized and tested in real-world sea conditions that a small ship will experience?

Theres a reason why U.S. Navy surface combatants have gotten so bigits because they need to do a lot of complex warfighting-oriented things. They must keep up with the carriers they defend and they need to be operational at high seas. Small ships can do lots of similar things too, but they cannot do as well at keeping up with an aircraft carrier in high seas and will have a hard time being operational in even ubiquitous mid-sized seas.

Small vessels are finebut they are no panacea. When the seas are big, the lighter, smaller and cheaper fleets favored by budget-minded technocrats risk becoming ineffective. For navies under threat, high seas are an immutable and unavoidable fact of life that must be sailed through no matter what. But, for the past thirty years, the U.S. Navy has avoided high seas and forgotten a lot. And even worse, now that a former Army paratrooper and a Certified Government Financial Manager are poised to fundamentally reshape the U.S. Navy, the Navy itself is poorly positioned to even try to express the deep operational risks posed by dramatic changes in naval composition.

In this headlong rush to leverage new technologies and hot new concepts, the fancy powerpoint slides that point the Pentagon towards a cheap, pint-sized and optionally-manned fleet still has a long way to go before being converted into operational reality. In particular, the Navy needs to explain these operational challenges to David Norquist. If they dont, David Norquist will do what his brother, Grover Norquist, could not. While Grover Norquist has failed in his quest to reduce the U.S. Government to the size where he can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub, Grovers highly-regarded brotherif allowed to make decisions based largely on accounting principles and exciting powerpoint conceptsmay be set to do just that very thing to the U.S. Navy.

Continued here:

The U.S. Navys Future Fleet May Run Aground In Heavy Weather - Forbes

As sea levels rise, high marshes along the Oregon coast are likely to shrink – Yale Climate Connections

(Photo credit: Rick Obst / Flickr)

Where the land meets the sea, youll often find coastal wetlands called salt marshes. During high tide, salt water floods the low-lying part of the marsh, the tidal flats. The high marsh, a drier sandy area, floods less frequently.

When theres a storm, the high marsh provides an important buffer helping protect inland areas from waves and flooding.

But as the climate changes, rising seas could put high marshes in jeopardy.

What weve been doing is trying to figure out how will salt marshes respond to sea-level rise, says Martin Lafrenz, a geographer at Portland State University.

He and his colleagues have been studying salt marshes along the Oregon coast. He says by 2050, the high marsh will begin to shrink.

And then by 2100, he expects a very large decrease in the amount of high marsh and very large extension of the tide flats.

He says roads and dikes prevent the high marsh from expanding inland.

So the marsh cant migrate anywhere, he says. Its sort of stuck in place. And so what that means is as we lose that high marsh, all the coastal communities will be losing that protection from stormwater and from storm surges.

So he says in many cases, they need to consider moving vulnerable resources inland.

Reporting credit: ChavoBart Digital Media.

Read the rest here:

As sea levels rise, high marshes along the Oregon coast are likely to shrink - Yale Climate Connections

If Honesty Is The Best Policy, Why Do We Forget It? – Forbes

Franklin Roosevelt on December 8, 1941

Be honest!

Thats the sentiment that my friend John U. Bacon, best-selling author and sports historian, expressed in a recentcommentaryfor Michigan Radio. Bacon was referencing advice from the University of Michigans former sports information director, Bruce Madej, who said,First, lets start with the truth.While the advice is simple it is often ignored, and it leads to a failure of integrity.

Being honest about wrongdoing requires courage. The reason that organizations, large and small, for-profit and non-profit, get into trouble is that too often when a crisis strikes, the instinct is to protect the institution before addressing the harm done to its victims.

There is another aspect of honesty. Tell people what they need to hear. During a crisis, people are upset; they seek reassurance. A leader who delivers the truth and does so calmly and confidently gives people a reason to believe that the right people are in charge and will do what they can to improve the situation. At the same time, honesty dictates being straight with people. Just because they seek comfort does not mean you dispense bromides like everything will be better, trust me. No, be brutally honest.

A history lesson

A classic example of brutal honesty was Franklin Rooseveltsaddress to Congressand the nation on December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese navys attack on Pearl Harbor. While we remember his comments as the Day of Infamy Speech, we forget the tenor and tone of his voice. It was firm and resolute. After excoriating the aggression, Roosevelt did not pull any punches. Although he did not reveal the full damage done to the U.S. Navy, but he did not sugarcoat the losses.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Then, Roosevelt asserted his leadership and his faith in our military.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

Roosevelt lastly turned to what had happened on this day of infamy into a righteous cause for all Americans.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

In the novel,The Kite Runner,the author Khaled Hosseini, writes, When you tell a lie, you steal someones elses right to the truth.

Honesty raises a cause to righteousness. Dishonesty taints not only the leader but also erodes faith in the institution. When people lose confidence in their leader, they also turn away from that institution. By contrast, as Roosevelt did, when people believe in their leader, they join with him to put things right.

Better then to face an ugly reality immediately than to have it rot. Be honest.

View post:

If Honesty Is The Best Policy, Why Do We Forget It? - Forbes

Four things to do in the Hastings area – Bexhill Observer

Wondering what to do over the next few weeks? Here are four of the best events.

Neo burlesque pioneers at piano festival this weekend

The Puppini Sisters perform with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra on Saturday, March 7 (7.30pm), at St Mary in the Castle.

The event is part of the Hastings International Piano Festival (pages 60-61).

Tickets cost 27.50 from whiterocktheatre.org.uk.

The Puppini Sisters are known for their gorgeous close harmonies, impeccable fashion sense and trailblazing re-workings of pop and classic songs, said a festival spokesperson. They released their first album, Betcha Bottom Dollar, in 2006, produced by the Oscar nominated Charest. The album was labelled the fastest selling jazz album of all time when it hit no.1 in the UK Jazz Charts and went gold. They quickly became musical pioneers of the neo burlesque/swing scene in the early noughties and continue to this day as mainstays of the underground performance art scene.

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was founded in 1969 and enjoys a busy schedule playing the best music from the 1920s and 1930s.

Helen performs the great tunes of inspiring diva vocalists

Helen Ward-Jackson sings at the Stables Theatre, Hastings, on Monday and Tuesday, March 9-10 (7.30pm).

She returns to the venue after her sell-out show last year.

Helen is set to perform the music of Adele, as well as the tunes of the many diva vocalists who have inspired her, from Etta James to Celine Dion and Whitney Houston.

A spokesperson said: With a laid back acoustic set she will blow you away with her vocal talent. Regarded as the most accurate tribute to Adele, Helen has wowed audiences all over the world and on the high seas, not only as Adele but also with her diva show This Is Me.

Tickets cost 12-15. Call 01424 423221 or visit stablestheatre.co.uk.

Steve and Arthur get real at Stables Theatre

Steve Hewlett brings his comedy ventriloquism to Stables Theatre next week.

Arthur Lagers Get Real tour will be at the venue on Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12 (7.30pm).

Tickets cost 15 for adults, and 12 for under-18s and members. Call 01424 423221 or visit stablestheatre.co.uk.

A spokesperson said: Steve and Arthur came to prominence after their successful appearance on Britains Got Talent and have toured together since. Highlights have included appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, the last ever Atlantic crossing of the QE2 and as special guest with Claudia Winkleman for her Ts and Cs on Strictly Come Dancing.

Sensational tour brings 1960s hits to Hastings

The Sensational 60s Experience Tenth Anniversary heads to Hastings White Rock Theatre on Thursday, March 19 (7.30pm).

It features Mike Pender MBE (the original voice of The Searchers) with The Trems (all former members of The Tremeloes), The Fortunes, The Swinging Blue Jeans and The Dakotas.

Classic pop and rock fans can take a trip back in time with tunes like Needles and Pins, Silence Is Golden, Storm In A Teacup, Hippy Hippy Shake, Little Children and many more.

Tickets cost 30 (2 off for White Rock Friends). Call 01424 462288.

RPO Gala Concert, review: Hastings International Piano Festival, White Rock Theatre, February 29. Click here to read more.

Aysen Ulucan violin recital, review, Christ Church, St Leonards-on-sea, February 21. Click here to read more.

Boney M, Maizie Williams and Odyssey bring disco, funk and soul to Hastings. Click here to read more.

A unique play set on Beachy Head. Click here to read more.

Read this article:

Four things to do in the Hastings area - Bexhill Observer

Doomed: The Story of How Nazi Germany’s Best Battleship Was Sunk – The National Interest Online

Key Point:Berlin's battleships didn't have a good chance against the Royal Navy. Nazi Germany might have good submarines, but their capital ships were too few in number.

April 1, 1939, was a red-letter day in the history of the reborn German Kriegsmarine for two key reasons. First, Reich Chancellor Adolf Hitler presented the fleets chief, Erich Raeder, with an ornate, icon-studded Navy blue baton of office as the first grand admiral since the days of the Kaiser Wilhelm II. This was done with great ceremony and a gala luncheon afterward aboard the new battle cruiser Scharnhorst, anchored on Jade Bay in the former Imperial port of Wilhelmshaven. Second, the Kriegsmarine christened and launched the Third Reichs newest and most modern battleship, the Tirpitz, on the same day. The Tirpitz, the last battleship the Third Reich would build, was the sister ship to the Bismarck. But the Tirpitz was heavier than the Bismarck. Moreover, it had the distinction of being the largest warship built in Europe up to that point in time.

The name of the new battleship paid tribute to Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, who worked with the Kaiser to create Germanys powerful and impressive High Seas Fleet, which served and protected the empire from 1898 to 1918. Tirpitz was a gruff old salt who sported a Neptune-like pointed beard. When the Kaiser refused to allow him to command the fleet during the Great War, he resigned in a huff in 1916. Turning his attention to politics, he founded the pro-war Fatherland Party and was subsequently elected to the German Reichstag as a deputy. Sadly, he was not alive to see the ship that bore his name slide into the water in 1939 for he had died nine years earlier. But his daughter, Ilse von Hassell, was present. She was on hand for the April 1 ceremony in which Hitler named the mighty vessel honoring her late father and she christened it.

Just two months before Hitler had authorized Raeder to enact his ambitious Plan Z. The plan entailed the expansion of the Kriegsmarine so that it could successfully challenge the naval power of the United Kingdom. The ambitious plan called for a naval force composed of 10 battleships, 15 pocket battleships, four aircraft carriers, 250 submarines, and more than 100 cruisers and destroyers.

The Kriegsmarine had sketched out the ambitious plan the previous year. The grandiose German super fleet envisioned by Hitler and the Kriegsmarine would not be ready until 1948. But the British declared war on September 3, 1939, on Nazi Germany before the Kriegsmarine had made any tangible progress toward the plans goals.

At that point, Raeder had only two 15-inch-gun battleships, three 11-inch-gun pocket battleships, two 11-inch-gun battle cruisers, two 8-inch-gun heavy cruisers, six 6-inch-gun light cruisers, 34 destroyers, and 57 U-boats. The Bismarck had launched on February 14, and the Tirpitz on April 1.

The Germans never built any aircraft carriers with which to counter the French and British fleets. The odds against the Germans at sea increased dramatically when the Soviet Union and United States entered the war in 1941. Raeder faced an early sea war that he neither expected nor wanted, but Hitler showed little concern for grand admirals wishes.

The Tirpitz displaced 41,700 tons, was 828 feet long, and had a beam of 119 feet and a draft of 36 feet. Three geared steam turbine engines powered the Bismarck-class battleship. She had a dozen superheated boilers that when working in tandem produced a maximum speed of 30 knots. Her wartime crew numbered 108 officers and 2,500 enlisted sailors.

The Tirpitzs main armament was her eight deadly 15-inch guns, which were housed in four turrets. One pair of the 15-inch guns was located forward and another pair was located aft. The guns had a maximum range of 22.4 miles. The fore turrets were named Anton and Bruno, and the aft turrets were named Caesar and Dora.

The Tirpitzs secondary armament consisted of a dozen 5.9-inch guns housed in six double turrets, three of which were located on each side amidships. For protection against incoming enemy rounds, the Tirpitz had belted armor plating that was 13 inches thick. The battleships turrets, gunnery control, and command posts were individually protected with additional armor; however, the antiaircraft positions lacked overhead cover. In addition, she also boasted two quadruple 21-inch torpedo mountings on deck.

Installed foreward, foretop, and aft, the Tirpitz featured Model 26 search radar rangefinders, as well as a Model 30 on her topmast and a Model 213 fire-control radar unit aft, which complemented her 4.1-inch antiaircraft gun rangefinders.

To meet her aerial reconnaissance needs, the Tirpitz possessed four Arado Ar-196 seaplanes. The crew launched the single-wing seaplanes using a double-ended, 34-yard-long telescoping catapult. The seaplanes were armed with machine guns and cannons, and also could carry one 110-pound bomb to strike enemy submarines caught on the surface. The crew retrieved the seaplanes from the ocean surface by hauling them back on board by crane.

The Royal Navy viewed the Tirpitz as a menace not only to its warships, but also to merchant vessels that brought food and ammunition to the British Isles. From her Baltic Sea home port, the Tirpitz could intercept Allied convoys bound for Murmansk in the Arctic Circle. Because of these threats, the British Royal Navy and Royal Air Force had to delegate a large complement of naval and air resources to counter the threat the Tirpitz posed. This was known as the fleet-in-being concept by which a powerful warship or naval force poses a threat without ever leaving port.

In the aftermath of the sinking of the Bismarck on May 27, 1941, the Kriegsmarine was reluctant to send the Tirpitz on raiding missions in the North Atlantic Ocean. Such missions became even less practical in the wake of the British commando raid against St. Nazaire on March 28, 1942, in which the ports dry dock was severely damaged.

In light of such setbacks, Hitler insisted that the Tirpitz deploy to Norwegian waters to shore up the German-occupied countrys maritime defenses. Hitlers rationale was that the Tirpitz could help defend the Norwegian coast against an Allied invasion. Despite evidence to the contrary, he firmly believed that the Western Allies would attempt a seaborne invasion of Norway. He even feared a possible invasion of northern Norway by the Soviet Union.

The first attacks by the Royal Navys Fleet Air Arm occurred while the Tirpitz was under construction at Wilhelmshaven, but she was not hit. The Tirpitz was commissioned on February 25, 1941. British Royal Air Force aircraft failed to score any hits on the Tirpitz while she was undergoing extensive trials and crew training in the Baltic Sea.

As captain of the Kaisers yacht Hohenzollern before World War I, Raeder had firsthand knowledge of the location of many of the protective Norwegian fjords to which he ordered Tirpitz to set sail on January 14, 1942. But the Germans did not know that the British were able to decipher their radio traffic through Enigma machines.

Captain at Sea Karl Topp, the Tirpitzs commander, pronounced her ready for combat operations on January 10, 1942. Four days later she departed Wilhelmshaven bound for Trondheim. Although the British knew that she had sailed, inclement weather conditions in England prevented any aerial sorties against her while she was en route to Trondheim.

The Tirpitz dropped anchor at Faetten Fjord on Trondheims eastern end on January 16, 1942, where she was duly discovered eight days later by a startled Forward Air Arm pilot who initially mistook the behemoth battleship for an island.

Besides her own powerful guns, Tirpitz was protected by multiple antiaircraft batteries ashore and from 100 yards away by sunken steel antisubmarine and antitorpedo netting. The Germans also had Junkers Ju-88 fast bombers and Junkers Ju-87 dive bombers stationed on nearby airfields.

The shore-based antiaircraft gunnery defenses were aided by heavy booms installed in the fjord moorings mouth. To keep the crew both busy and in good physical shape, Topp dispatched tree-cutting details ashore to provide camouflage on-deck for the huge vessel.

In February 1942, Tirpitz had her first real combat jaunt at sea when she participated in a deceptive sortie to draw away Royal Navy attention from the coming English Channel dash of Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen returning to German home ports.

Operation Cerberus was a successful joint Luftwaffe-Kriegsmarine episode of good cooperation between the two normally rival services. In concert with both destroyers and torpedo boats, the following month the Tirpitz had orders to begin assaulting both inbound and outgoing Allied convoys in Operation Sports Palace, but the enemy was forewarned by Engima intercepts that helped to foil the mission.

On March 9, 1942, the RAFs Forward Air Arm conducted a series of aerial torpedo attacks against the Tirpitz that resulted in the wounding of three sailors. The RAF lost two aircraft to the Tirpitzs antiaircraft guns.

Back at Trondheim on March 30-31, 33 Halifax bombers failed to score a single hit at the cost of five bombers. Follow-up raids conducted on April 27-28 by Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax bombers resulted in the loss of seven more bombers without any hits on the battleship.

Continued here:

Doomed: The Story of How Nazi Germany's Best Battleship Was Sunk - The National Interest Online

Susan Calman announced to host Cruising With after Jane McDonald quit – Metro.co.uk

Jane decided to step down as host after four years (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images/BBC)

Susan Calman has been announced to replace Jane McDonald as the new host of Channel 5s Cruising With and Holidaying With.

Following on from the success of her popular series Secret Scotland with Susan Calman, the comedian will be heading out on new adventures, exploring the high seas and popular holiday destinations.

Im over the moon to be working with Channel 5 on such a prestigious group of shows, she explained.

I cant wait to go on exciting voyages and incredible journeys and take the wonderful viewers with me. Its the start of a magnificent chapter and I cant wait to get going.

Director of Programming at Channel 5 Ben Frow added: Susan was my first and only choice for these shows and I am absolutely cock-a-hoop that she is doing more with Channel 5.

I have encouraged her to make both shows uniquely hers and I am genuinely excited to see how she evolves them in her own, inimitable style. The world is, literally, her oyster and I cant wait to travel it with her.

Jane McDonald quit Cruising With Jane McDonald and Holidaying with Jane McDonald after more than four years sailing the high seas.

The 56-year-old confirmed the news in a statement, thanking Channel 5 for blessing her and the rest of us with some amazing memories.

It has been a privilege to call this a job, she said.

After so many years of filming abroad, I am looking forward to some much needed time in the UK and to focus on my music and tours and exciting new projects.

Thank you Channel 5 for some great trips and many fabulous memories.

The Loose Women star has spent four-and-a-half years living her best life around the world on our TV screens and picked up a Bafta in 2018 for her troubles.

The series won the best feature award and marked the corporations first-ever win at the annual bash.

She is currently recording her final stint on the show.

Jane teased that she has exciting new projects coming up on her return to dry land but a stint on Im A Celeb probably wont be one of them.

After Adele Roberts took a framed photo of the TV icon into the camp with her last year, she insisted that will be the closest she gets to jungle life.

Oh gosh, no. Its not for me, she told Metro.co.uk. I like my creature comforts. Literally creature comforts in there!

But no, Im very, very fond of my hairdryer and Im not good without makeup. I mean no, its not a good look!

And its on for so long and my schedule doesnt allow me that much time off.

Got a story?

If youve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with theMetro.co.ukentertainment team by emailing uscelebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page wed love to hear from you.

MORE: Love Is Blinds Amber and Barnett admit theyre still gross as they plan second wedding

MORE: Joe Swash comes home with bandaged head just days before Dancing on Ice final

See the original post:

Susan Calman announced to host Cruising With after Jane McDonald quit - Metro.co.uk

This is a solution that could help end illegal fishing – GreenBiz

This article originally was published on World Resources Institute.

When the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) five years ago, the world aligned around the need to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by 2020 (SDG 14.4). Seen then as an achievable target, it is now a deadline were going to miss.

IUU fishing accounts for nearly 20 percent of the world catch; up to 50 percent in some areas, with poorer coastal states disproportionately affected. In the Pacific Ocean, a report estimated 24 percent of the fish are unreported and illegally traded in international markets. This directly leads to $4.3 billion to $8.3 billion of loss in gross revenues every year to the formal economy, and up to $21 billion per year across the fish value chain. In addition, destructive fishing methods and deceptive practices are being used to reap profits at the expense of local fisheries, coastal states and the marine environment. In some cases, IUU fishers are associated with crimes including drugs, weapons and human rights abuses.

The problem stands to worsen. Climate change is expected to decrease the quantity of fish available globally and alter where they can be caught. At the same time, global consumption and demand for seafood is projected to increase by 20 percent (30 million metric tons) by 2030, particularly in developing nations. Conflicts over increasingly scarce resources already have begun, such as in Sierra Leone, where skirmishes between artisanal fishers and larger IUU trawlers are common.

The problem stands to worsen. ... Global consumption and demand for seafood is projected to increase by 20 percent (30 million metric tons) by 2030, particularly in developing nations.

Thats the bad news. The good news is that we have a suite of tools with which to take on IUU fishers.

A new paper prepared as an input to the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy shows that major strides in regulation, technology and cooperation are underway to curb illegal fishing.

The European Union has enacted robust legislation over the past decade to close markets to illegally harvested fish, and other nations are improving their legislation and regulations. The global law enforcement body Interpol has a special unit to help countries identify and capture offenders. Countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Spain are dealing heavier penalties to IUU fishing vessels. And great advances in technology such as machine-learning and satellite data on vessel movements make it easier to spot suspected wrongdoing.

The obvious problem with trying to police the ocean is that it covers 70 percent of the planet. Few countries have the resources to effectively monitor and enforce their own waters, let alone the high seas. But coastal states have the opportunity to patrol who can use their ports, which brings the fight against IUU fishing to the land, and within reach.

To that end, one of the most significant recent developments in curbing IUU fishing is the 2016 Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA). The only binding international agreement focused on combatting IUU fishing, it sets minimum standards and processes that ports need to apply when foreign vessels seek entry whether to offload catch, refuel or make repairs. Any vessel suspected of IUU fishing practices can be inspected or denied access to port. Nothing deters a thief better than not being able to offload the goods.

But the PSMA isnt yet as effective as it needs to be.

For one, only 64 countries have adopted it. For it to be truly effective, all countries with ports must join and apply the system uniformly.

Under the PSMA, officials check fishing vessels permits and records whenever they request entry to dock, but all too often, information is missing or conflicting. Illegal fishers frequently switch vessels names and flags before they come to port so that their records cant be traced. And with pressure on to unload the fish, the time to dig into a vessels background is short. Despite all the progress made, the global fishing fleet is dogged by a lack of required, uniform, robust vessel identification and activity information. Port inspections are less expensive and safer than monitoring, pursuing and inspecting vessels at sea, but it does still require adequate investment in people, technology and training to track this information and share it effectively across relevant agencies and countries.

The PSMA isnt yet as effective as it needs to be. For one, only 64 countries have adopted it. For it to be truly effective, all countries with ports must join and apply the system uniformly.

What if instead of expending precious resources running down bad actors, authorities focused more on rewarding good ones?

We could learn from "trusted traveller" border control programs, which operate in Canada, Germany, Japan, the United States and United Kingdom, among others, and allow low-risk travellers expedited clearance upon arrival in a country, with trusted travellers often exempt from routine questioning. A similar process could apply to fishing vessels, with pre-screened, compliant ones being fast-tracked, while those with a record of infringements or missing paperwork face automatic scrutiny and a possible bar on entry. This is wholly in line with the principles of the PSMA, but reverses the burden of proof: Operators must prove they are compliant.

By applying this "trusted traveller"-like principle, vessels would be required to put in place elements that speed up the checks needed to enter port, such as on-board signal systems that publicly tracks their journey and activities. Ports themselves also would need to implement measures for document checking and inspection.

By adopting these cost-effective measures, illegal fishers that often switch vessels names and flags or turn off trackers to mask activity immediately would be considered suspicious. Port officials also would have more time to scrutinize potential IUU fishers by automatically greenlighting compliant fishers.

Countries may miss this years deadline for ending unsustainable fishing, but 2020 should serve as the moment to focus minds sharply and secure commitments. The explosion in new data on the ocean has created enormous potential for advances in our understanding and stewardship of ocean resources and countries must take the opportunity to make this information widely known, applied and available. Adopting radical global transparency, concerted international cooperation and stringent, uniform entry requirements at all ports is the formula for ending the great ocean heist.

The rest is here:

This is a solution that could help end illegal fishing - GreenBiz

The Perfect Time to Visit Panama City Beach for Every Type of Traveler – Thrillist

The Best Festivals & Special Events to Visit in Panama City Beach - Thrillist Courtesy of Visit Panama City Beach

Every spring in Panama City Beach, Florida, a group of burly men in kilts compete to hurl a burlap sack over a bar using only pitchforks. If that sounds strange to you, you might be underestimating this waterfront city. While PCB has a well-deserved reputation for resorts and pristine beaches, the full calendar of events here is staggering, ranging from zany pirate battles to stacked music festivals -- and yes, Scottish sheaf tossing. Foodies, athletes, and families will all find something to do in Panama City Beach, so weve outlined the perfect time to visit based on what type of event youre into.

Panama City Beach Scottish Festival, March 7Florida was a major destination for Irish and Scottish immigrants to the US, and thanks to those settlers, Panama City Beach is now home to the Celtic Heritage Alliance. At their yearly Scottish Festival, attendees rock kilts, show off tartans, and participate in the Highland Games, which are central to the festivities. The open-registration games feature traditional Scottish sporting events like the caber (basically throwing a huge log over your shoulder) and the sheaf toss (the previously mentioned hurling of burlap sacks). If you want to start the festivities early, partake in single malt Scotch whisky tasting on March 6. Tickets are $35 for the whisky tasting and just $15 for the festival if you buy in advance, so scoop them up while you can.Dont leave without: Trying PCBs most authentic fish & chips at Temperleys British Eatery.

UNwineD, March 20 & 21UNwineD is PCBs festival dedicated to wine, spirits, and craft beer, which makes it the perfect excuse for a girls weekend, especially when combined with plenty of time on the beach and live music in the park. This years concert is headlined by Death Cab for Cutie, and is a steal at just $20 a ticket. The exclusive Friday night kickoff party ($175) is hosted by Southern Living magazine, and will feature an appearance by Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark, plus custom cocktails and live music. Saturdays Grand Afternoon Tasting ($75) is the main event, however, with endless craft beers, wine, and spirits from around the world, and food from chefs across Northwest Florida. Plus, the Art & Vendor Row will be selling crafts, cookbooks, and home decor for you to browse while sipping drinks.Dont leave without: Booking massages and facials at Serenity Spa.

Sandjam Fest, April 24-26Sandjam is relatively new to the music festival circuit, having only started in 2018, but its already booking solid lineups to rock out at M.B. Miller County Pier. The alt-rock fest returns this year with headliners Shinedown, 311, and Weezer, plus supporting acts such as Rival Sons and White Reaper. Be sure to bring sunscreen and towels, as this is one festival that truly takes place on the beach. If youre willing to throw down for VIP tickets, youll get additional access to firepits, hammocks, and a two-story viewing platform.Dont leave without: Keeping the party going at local venue Tootsies Orchid Lounge.

Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast, May 9Some people come to PCB to run on island time, other people come just to run. The Ironman 70.3 is sometimes called the intro Ironman, in that its only 70.3 total miles -- a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run. If youre ready for a challenge, this might be the race for you, as it weaves through St. Andrews State Park and across beautiful beaches. For those of us more accustomed to the gym treadmill, its still well worth the watch. The course is spectator-friendly with great views of the swim loop and finish line.Dont leave without: Taking in the nature trails at Conservation Park.

Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, September 4-6In most cities, Labor Day means the end of summer. In PCB, it means breaking out your cowboy hat and heading down to Frank Brown Park for the Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam. The festival is known for A-list headliners (last year brought Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, and Kid Rock) but also for sponsoring the Pepsi Southern Original Contest, where up-and-coming artists compete for a spot on the lineup. Lineups havent been released yet, so keep an eye on their website and be sure to grab tickets early -- pricing is tiered and will go up as September approaches.Dont leave without: Going on a pilgrimage to Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville.

Pirates of the High Seas Fest, October 9-11Legend has it that pirates used to roam the waters around PCBs St. Andrews Bay, and you can celebrate that swashbuckling history at Pirates of the High Seas, the citys immersive (and free) family festival. The Columbus Day weekend event is packed with parades, fireworks, storytelling & music shows, and more, all pirate-themed. Dont miss the pirate invasion where ships dock by Russell-Fields pier and battle with the towns defenses. (Of course, a victory parade ensues afterwards.)Dont leave without: Taking to the high seas in search of treasure (read: dolphins) on a family dolphin tour.

Schooners Lobster Festival, October 12-18Consider the lobster. More specifically, consider eating a ton of lobsters, prepared in every way you can imagine. Schooners Lobster Fest brings divers from all across the coast to compete in crustacean catching competitions, judged by the weigh-in scales. You can also watch professional sand sculptors compete to build extravagant castles, or enter with your own design. And, of course, there will be plenty of food tents serving grilled tails, smoked lobster dip, lobster mac & cheese if you can put lobster in it, theyre cooking it. The vibe here is that of a weeklong party, with endless live music and daily raffles for cash prizes.Dont leave without: Trying the fried green tomatoes and gator bites at Dustys Oyster Bar & Eatery.

Panama City Beach Oktoberfest, October 16-18PCB is stacked with plenty of stellar breweries, but theres only one time that the citys beer fans all converge in one place: Oktoberfest. Just like the one in Munich, this fest features a massive traditional tent, beer gardens, and plenty of German brats, sauerkraut, and beer-infused cheese. If youre worried about bringing the family, dont be: There are kid-friendly activities like a bounce castle, face painting, and arts & crafts (plus kids 12 and under can get in free).Dont leave without: Exploring the local brews at The Craft Bar.

Emerald Coast Cruizin Car Show, November 11-14For anyone who daydreams about driving down to the Keys in a vintage hot rod, Emerald Coast Cruizin is a must-see. PCBs premier car show turns Aaron Bessant Park into 17 acres of showroom, with car enthusiasts and dealers converging for live auctions, meet-and-greets, and music. After the official events are over, local bars host cruise-ins where owners can show off their rides in a more informal setting, and Hammerhead Freds even hosts a Flame Throwing Contest for modded hot rods to show off their pyrotechnics.Dont leave without: Riding without limits on the go-kart track at Hidden Lagoon.

Like us on Facebook to get the best of both worlds.

We see that you already have an account. You're good to go!

There was an error signing up. Try again.

Original post:

The Perfect Time to Visit Panama City Beach for Every Type of Traveler - Thrillist

Is Turkey right on Idlib and refugees? – Ahval

Turkeys military has likely been preventing an unprecedented massacre in Syrias last rebel-held province, while Greek and European authorities have appeared to violate international law in recent days by blocking new refugee arrivals, creating scenes of violence and chaos along the Greek-Turkish border.

Following a Syrian government strike that killed some 35 Turkish soldiers last week, the Turkish government launched a major offensive against Russian-backed Syrian forces in Idlib, while also encouraging refugees within Turkey to head for the Greek border and cross into Europe.

On Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Ankara needed more support in managing the humanitarian situation in Idlib, where as many as 3 million displaced people are caught between advancing Syrian troops and the Turkish border. He also said Turkey had been carrying the refugee burden alone for nine years, and warned that those millions of displaced would soon be headed to Europe.

Hours later, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who in January signalled Berlins willingness to help fund Turkeys refugee resettlement plan, appeared to agree with the Turkish leader. We need a ceasefire in Idlib, she told reporters, according to Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency. We also need a safe zone for hundreds of thousands of Syrians on the border with Turkey."

Erdoan has come under considerable criticism in recent days for using refugees as a tool to force the European Union to come to its aid on Idlib. And with its years of support of various rebel groups, including jihadists, many observers argue that Turkey helped exacerbate the Syrian war and the refugee problem, as explained by former senior U.S. State Department official David Phillips in Ahval this week.

Many also see why the West might be reluctant to help Turkey, pointing to a laundry list of offences in recent years: accusing the United States of masterminding the 2016 failed coup; holding Americans hostage as a negotiating tactic; calling European leaders Nazis; and buying Russian S-400 missile defences despite repeated U.S. and NATO warnings, to name a few.

Yet Turkey has shown considerable generosity in taking in some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country, and hosting them for years, even as their welcome has worn thin. In addition, Turkey is yet to receive more than $3 billion of the $6.6 billion the EU promised as part of the 2016 deal spurred by an earlier refugee wave.

For me it is hard for the West to throw stones at Turkey when it hosts close to 4 million refugees, economist and analyst Timothy Ash wrote in a Sunday tweet. We need to do something about Syria rather than close our borders and blame Turkey.

Migrant arrivals spiked at Greeces land border and on its Aegean islands over the weekend, even as Greek authorities sought to stop the crossings and vowed to refuse all asylum applicants for a month. Border forces have clashed with thousands of migrants along the border, using tear gas and water cannons.

On Monday, the Turkish government released video that appeared to show Greek Coast Guard vessels blocking the advance of migrant boats coming from Turkey as soldiers fired warning shots into the water. Men on smaller boats menaced the migrants with paddles and fired shots into the air.

Men, women and children seeking safety are shot at; their boats pushed back towards High Seas, UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard said in a Monday tweet, pointing out that this was not a scene from World War Two. This is EUROPE in 2020.

The U.N. High Commission on Refugees issued a statement calling on Greece to refrain from excessive or disproportionate force and reminding Greek and European authorities that neither the international convention on refugees, nor European Union law provides any legal basis for suspending the granting of asylum.

The human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe called for urgent action to deal with the crisis. The European Council president was expected to visit the Greek-Turkish border on Tuesday with Greeces prime minister, while EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet this week to discuss the crisis.

In Syria, many analysts agree that the Turkish military is all that has stood between the millions of displaced civilians in Idlib and the wrath of President Bashar Assads forces, which are backed by Russia and Iran.

Turkey is correct to say that it has prevented a massacre in Idlib and/or another wave of refugees, independent Syria analyst Kyle Orton told Ahval.

If Turkey had pulled back from Idlib, he said, Syrian forces would most likely have retaken the province with a strong reliance on Russian air power, which would have created a death toll into five figures and forced the remaining displaced toward the Turkish border.

Ankara would then have faced a devil's choice of admitting a million and more Syrians, further destabilising its domestic situation, or keeping the border closed and seeing a massacre on a scale that's novel even for Syria's war, said Orton.

Aron Lund, a fellow with the Century Foundation, largely agreed. Without Turkish support, rebel groups in Idlib, led by al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), would likely have fallen to the Syrian advance, either after a pitched battle or negotiated handover.

It's very hard to imagine any scenario at all for Idlib, retaken or not retaken, that wouldn't result in a lot of fighting, incarceration, abuse, and killing, he said, pointing out that many of Idlibs displaced are Assad opponents who have fled fighting in other provinces.

There are a lot of people in the Idlib region who would be unwilling to surrender to Assad, or too afraid to do so. Many would likely be jailed, tortured, and in some cases killed if the area is retaken.

As tensions grow along Turkeys borders with Syria and with Greece, all eyes turn to Thursdays meeting between Erdoan and Russian President Vladimir Putin, at which they will discuss a possible Idlib ceasefire.

Ahval English

The views expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Ahval.

Continued here:

Is Turkey right on Idlib and refugees? - Ahval

From Brexit to coronavirus: warehousing threats – Tina Massey

Logistics businesses are faced not just with the consequences of Brexit but now coronavirus. Steve Purvis, operations director, Bis Henderson Space, has some answers

Northampton, UK: As manufacturers and retailers run down their pre-Brexit stockpiles, pressure on warehouse space in the UK may appear to be tempered for the moment although there can be little doubt that there will be another cliff-edge event at the end of the year as the EU-UK trade talks approach Boris deadline.

Meanwhile, however, there is a new and very real risk to supply chains from the growing threat of the Coronavirus.

With the virus having become an epidemic during, and perhaps partly because of, the Chinese New Year break, it is too early to quantify likely impacts on production, but not good seems a reasonable assessment. The automotive industry, with its tight Just-In-Time operations, is naturally the bell-weather: Hyundai temporarily closed South Korean plants because of a shortage of wiring harnesses, Fiat Chrysler reported that one European plant is two weeks from closure because of shutdowns at one critical supplier (and potentially three others), while Ford was airlifting parts out of China while it still can. Regarding UK manufacturers, there are similar reports related to Jaguar Land Rover (parts couriered out in suitcases!) and JCB too.

Other sectors feeling an early impact include pharmaceuticals, where China supplies many drug precursors, fashion, where production for the Autumn season should be ramping up right now, and almost any industry dependent upon electronic components. There are already concerns over goods for the Christmas 2020 market. While some firms had coincidentally built up stocks against the usual Chinese New Year shut-down, this can only be a short-term relief.

Production isnt the only issue shipping will also be affected. There are reports of backlogs building on the Yangtze River, airfreight out of China is well down, and ship operators may be unwilling to visit Chinese ports the prospect of a viral outbreak on a large but minimally manned container vessel on the high seas is not a happy one. If vessels are avoiding China that also reduces service to intermediate ports such as Singapore. Meanwhile empty containers are stranded in the wrong locations.

Industry will be doing what it can to mitigate the risks of disruption. Obviously it is too late to start stockpiling Chinese goods but businesses will be loading orders on to alternative suppliers particularly where these suppliers are in other Far Eastern countries that could be at risk from the virus, although with the disease now established in Northern Italy, even sources closer to home cannot be considered secure. Companies may also be bringing forward orders, even from suppliers in currently unaffected areas, before global prices rise. Conversely, buyers of goods whose price is largely determined by metal and other markets may see opportunities to exploit depressed commodity prices.

This will undoubtedly lead to stockpiling but there are other effects that will increase demand for warehouse space in the UK. A manufacturer whose production is slowed or halted by the absence of perhaps just a single component still has all the other parts coming in indeed, many of these may already be on the high seas. The supply tap cant be turned off instantly and these materials will have to be stored, either as they are or as semi-finished goods for completion when normal service is resumed. Component and finished goods suppliers in this country also will prefer to maintain some level of production rather than shut down, even if their customers here or abroad cant or wont take delivery. These goods too will need to be stored and, for parts in shortage or for high-end finished goods, security of storage will also be an issue.

The course of these events is impossible to predict. But for many businesses there is a real likelihood that stocks will build up at some point in their supply chains, and it is only sensible to start scoping out contingency arrangements.

At Bis Henderson Space, we are already helping clients with their strategies to meet different challenges. One retailer, besides actively looking to domestic manufacturers for alternative sources of supply, is also reviewing its sales promotion cycle. It is likely that this will mean fewer and smaller-scale promotions to protect revenue. This in turn means that requirement stock peaks will be higher, and last longer, than in previous years, with implications for stockholding space requirements.

Another of our retail clients reports that only 5% of their Chinese production capacity is operative, and even stock that exists at production sites cannot be transported due to movement restrictions. They too are looking for additional domestic supply and expecting slower unit sales, which they believe will require an increased forecasted stock holding of 35,000 pallets. An end to the epidemic would not be the end of the problem: a return to normality later in the year would see a surge of container movements creating a requirement for additional de-stuffing capacity.

Both these retailers have their own networks and, in the second case, 3PL support, but have previous experience of Bis Henderson Spaces capabilities in securing additional and seasonal capacity and have turned to us for planning assistance and support. We have extensive experience, and unrivalled network of UK wide suppliers, partners and providers to source the best possible space solution for your individual requirements. We can offer short term temporary space solutions as well as supporting you with your over-arching long term supply chain strategy. For guidance on finding flexible warehousing arrangements that are available at competitive rates, contact us today.

Steve Purvis is operations director at Bis Henderson Space.

View post:

From Brexit to coronavirus: warehousing threats - Tina Massey