【943-946】也门医生被霍乱杀死&泰国下令打击清迈污染&尼桑前执行官再被捕&埃塞俄比亚飞行员在坠机前遵照波音公司的指示
AS IT IS
Killed by Cholera, Yemeni Doctor Knew He was Fighting 'Disastrous' Epidemic
April 04, 2019
Women are treated for suspected cholera infection at a hospital in Sana'a, Yemen, Mar. 28, 2019.
Yemeni doctor Mohammed Abdul-Mughni described the rising number of cholera cases he was treating as “disastrous.”
Two weeks later, he also died of the disease.
Yemen has been at war since 2015. The conflict has led to food shortages and put 10 million people at risk of famine.
Then cholera struck.
The United Nations says it has recorded 110,000 probable cholera cases and 200 deaths in three months. UN officials say the disease is spreading like “wild-fire.”
Cholera usually spreads in unclean water and contaminated food. One sign of infection is severe diarrhea.
Abdul-Mughni had been working in a diarrhea treatment center at a hospital in Sanaa. About 120 to 150 severe cases arrive there every day.
“We are taking in patients around the clock, constantly...Cholera is spreading widely now,” said Ismail Mansoury. He is a doctor who worked with Abdul-Mughni. Mansoury told the Reuters news agency he had seen about 1,100 cholera patients in the past two weeks.
Cholera causes severe diarrhea and fluid loss. It can kill within hours. Children, older adults and those who are weak from hunger are most at risk.
The diarrhea treatment center has temporary shelters, outdoor restrooms and overworked employees. Women receiving intravenous fluids take up every place out of the sunshine. Children lie on the ground. A man helps a boy to use a restroom.
Many of those arriving are in shock or suffer from kidney failure. They are so dehydrated it is difficult to give them lifesaving fluids.
As the Iran-backed Houthis fight the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, the country has collapsed. The war has destroyed Yemen’s healthcare system and the economy. People must travel great distances to find simple medical care.
“Hardly a drop of water”
The 70-year-old mother of Mona Ali’s husband traveled 25 kilometers to the hospital in a bus after three days of uncontrollable diarrhea and being sick.
Ali had cholera two months ago and recovered at home. She told Reuters her family was poor and had to borrow money to bring her mother-in-law to the hospital.
“If there was food the body would be stronger,” she said.
Water is not easily found in Yemen, the poorest nation on the Arabian Peninsula. Pumps are needed in many parts of the country to bring water up from the ground. Clean water has become costly because of rising fuel prices.
Ali said her village cannot pay for the fuel needed to pump the water. “We end up taking it from the wells, even though…it harms us,” she said.
The cholera outbreak is also a sign of the war’s destruction of public health systems. Human waste has polluted so much water that it is ending up in the water used for farming, explained Tarik Jasarevic. He is a spokesman for the UN’s World Health Organization.
To slow the disease’s spread, diggers have been removing waste from the streets of Sanaa and spraying areas with disinfectant.
Yemen’s war began in late 2014 when Houthi forces pushed the government of President Abdul-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. A Saudi-backed alliance of Yemeni and Arab forces began fighting in March 2015 to re-establish him as president.
The Houthis say their revolution is against corruption. They control Sanaa and most population centers.
The war has slowed the movement of aid, fuel and food. It has reduced imports and caused severe inflation. Those with government jobs have not been paid in months and are urgently looking for food.
Mohammad Habab is a 34-year-old university-educated father of three. He works for a state-operated company, but has not been paid.
His three-year-old daughter Zainab was receiving fluids nearly 80 kilometers from home after developing signs of cholera. Habab blames her condition on a lack of clean water and food.
I’m Susan Shand.
The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in this Story
famine – n. a situation in which many people do not have enough food to eat
diarrhea – n. an infection that causes you to pass waste from your body and in liquid rather than solid form
contaminate – v. to infect by contact with someone or something
intravenous - adj. entering the body through a vein
kidney – n. either of two organs in your body that remove waste products from your blood and make urine
dehydrate – v. to lose too much water
disinfectant – n. a chemical substance that is used to kill germs and bacteria
AS IT IS
Thai Leader Orders Action to Fight Pollution in Chiang Mai
April 04, 2019
A thick layer of smog covers Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Maytanan Merchant)
Thailand’s leader traveled to the northern city of Chiang Mai earlier this week to personally inspect areas with extremely poor air quality.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered government agencies to take urgent measures to fight the air pollution, which has reached dangerous levels.
Recently, pollution levels in and around Chiang Mai have risen above those of major world cities known for having poor air quality.
In recent days, tests found that Northern Thailand had very high levels of airborne particulates known as PM2.5. PM2.5 particulates are small enough to be taken into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. They can cause breathing problems and may raise the risks of heart disease and even some cancers.
Recently, the Chiang Mai area has had PM2.5 measurements as high as 480 micrograms. This is more than six times higher than Thailand’s air pollution safety limits. Air quality experts consider any level over 300 "hazardous." By comparison, India’s capital New Delhi recently reached a level of 228, while Beijing had 161.
Much of Chiang Mai’s current pollution is a result of farmers burning crops. Many farmers set fires at this time of year as a way to clear land for planting. Agriculture experts say the air pollution is worse this year because of extremely dry weather.
The dirty air led many people walking or working outside to wear face masks and at least two universities cancelled classes. Mountains surrounding the city trap large levels of pollution in the area, which is popular with foreign travelers.
Prime Minister Prayuth said he had met with local officials to discuss ways to reduce the burning activities within seven days. Measures would cover more than 1,900 places across nine provinces.
“We need to work on a long-term solution with understanding from the public,” Prayuth said. “We need time to change the way we grow crops and farm. Tens of millions of people could be affected.” He said officials had given out nearly two million face masks to people in affected areas.
His visit came after widespread criticism of the government’s reaction to the air pollution. About 40,000 people signed an online appeal calling for the local governor to be replaced. Chiang Mai officials have resisted calls to declare a state of emergency, partly because the move could frighten off visitors.
Earlier this year, Thailand’s capital Bangkok also had a problem with air pollution. That led more than 400 schools to close and Bangkok’s governor to declare a “pollution control” area. That declaration permitted road closings and limits on use of diesel fuel, outdoor burning and some building projects.
Since then, air quality in Bangkok has stayed mostly at moderate levels.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
hazardous – adj. dangerous
mask – n. covering for the face
online – adj. of or related to the internet or computers
AS IT IS
Former Nissan Chief Arrested Again on New Financial Charges
April 04, 2019
Former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn leaves his lawyer's office in Tokyo, Japan, in this photo taken by Kyodo April 3, 2019.
Carlos Ghosn has been arrested for a fourth time in Japan on new charges of financial wrongdoing. He is the former chief of carmakers Nissan, Mitsubishi and Renault.
Government lawyers say Ghosn was arrested at his home in Tokyo Thursday. He is accused of sending $5 million dollars that was meant for a car dealer in Oman to a company he controlled.
The 65-year-old former business leader was first arrested in November. At the time, he was charged with under-reporting his pay over nearly 10 years by $82 million. He was arrested twice in December on other charges, including transferring $16 million of his personal investment losses to the Japanese carmaker.
If found guilty, he faces a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Ghosn released a statement Thursday denouncing his arrest as an attempt by people at Nissan to silence him.
He said that, if tried fairly, he would be found innocent.
Ghosn was released early last month after paying $9 million to ensure that he would appear for trial. He announced on Twitter Wednesday that he planned to tell the truth about the charges against him in a press conference planned for April 11.
The businessman has spent about three months in jail waiting for his trial. The case has brought international attention to Japan’s justice system. Observers have criticized methods used by Japan’s government, and what some consider limited rights of people accused of crimes.
Shin Kukimoto is deputy chief prosecutor at the Tokyo District Prosecutor’s office. He spoke to reporters about the case Thursday. Kukimoto said the new charges are different from those presented in January. At that time, government lawyers said Ghosn caused damage to Nissan to benefit himself and a business partner. In the latest charges, Kukimoto said, it was “for his own personal benefit.”
The French government also is investigating Ghosn’s financial activities at Renault SA, Nissan’s industry partner. Ghosn was chairman and chief executive officer – or, CEO – of Renault until his arrest last year.
Renault is France’s largest carmaker. The French government has been watching the case closely.
Lawyer calls detention ‘hostage justice’
Ghosn’s lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, strongly criticized the government’s methods. Speaking about the renewed detention, he said, “I feel this is hostage justice.”
He added that Ghosn had prepared a video statement if he is unable to leave detention by April 11.
Nissan has held its own investigation into Ghosn’s activities. The company also faces some of the charges.
Ghosn is widely credited for helping Nissan avoid financial failure and become one of the world’s most popular carmakers. Last year, he signed a contract to continue at the company until 2022.
However, Ghosn’s high personal pay has been very unusual for a Japanese company official. It has raised suspicion in recent years.
Ghosn became chairman and CEO of both Renault and Nissan in 2005. In 2016, he also became head of Mitsubishi Motors, another one of Japan’s large carmakers.
Ghosn was born in Brazil and holds citizenship of both Brazil and France.
I’m Mario Ritter Jr.
Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this story for VOA Learning English from VOA and AP reports. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
benefit –v. to provide something useful or helpful or wanted by someone
prosecutor - n. a lawyer who represents the side in a court case that accuses a person of a crime and who tries to prove that the person is guilty
AS IT IS
Report: Ethiopian Pilots Followed Boeing Instructions Before Crash
April 04, 2019
Ethiopia's Minister of Transport Dagmawit Moges addresses a news conference on the preliminary report to the Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 plane crash in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, April 4, 2019.
The pilots of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 followed all of Boeing’s recommended steps when their plane began to nose dive shortly after takeoff. But they still could not stop the plane from crashing. Those are the early findings from a report released Thursday by the Ethiopian government.
The Boeing 737 Max 8 jet crashed on March 10 just six minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa. All 157 passengers and crew members died.
The Ethiopian government said it based its report on flight data and cockpit voice recordings.
The plane’s builder, Boeing, said it could not comment until it studies the full report. The company’s 737 Max 8 jet has been criticized since a Lion Air flight crashed off the coast of Indonesia last October. That crash and the Ethiopian Airlines crash have several similarities, aviation experts say.
At the center of the crash investigation is the plane’s flight-control system. Boeing and U.S. officials have said that pilots could regain control in emergencies if they followed a series of steps. Those steps include turning off a system designed to prevent the plane from crashing. This anti-stall system is known as MCAS. It was designed especially for the Max model.
Ethiopian investigators did not name the MCAS system in their report. But they recommended that Boeing examine “the aircraft flight control system related to the flight controllability.” They also recommended that aviation officials confirm that issues have been fully addressed before permitting Max planes to fly again.
Boeing’s 737 Max planes are currently not permitted to fly anywhere in the world. Boeing is working to fix the model’s anti-stall system. The change must be approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulators.
The FAA said Monday that it expects Boeing’s final software improvements for 737 Max airliners “in the coming weeks.”
The report did not say whether Ethiopian officials were seeking only those software improvements or whether they want a larger update to the Max’s flight controls.
It is also not clear whether the Ethiopian pilots followed all of Boeing’s recommendations fully. The pilots followed Boeing’s instructions to disconnect the MCAS system. But for a still-unknown reason, the pilots then seemed to turn the system on again. That information comes from an official familiar with the investigation, who spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on the condition of remaining unidentified because Ethiopia’s report had not yet been released.
Boeing’s emergency instructions advise pilots to turn off the MCAS system and to continue flying manually for the rest of the flight.
Ethiopian investigators did not talk about that issue at their press conference Thursday. They said the pilots had done what they were supposed to do.
In a statement Thursday, Ethiopian Airlines said its pilots followed Boeing instructions.
The Ethiopian officials did not say whether the MCAS system might have turned on again because of a broken sensor. One of the sensors, called Angle of Attack, did not work correctly in the Lion Air crash, which turned that plane’s MCAS system on again.
David Hasse is an aviation expert and editor of the online publication airliners.de. He said it is important that the report found the Ethiopian pilots followed the correct steps provided by Boeing. That finding links the case more closely to the Lion Air crash.
Hasse said, “What is special about this case is that two crashes seem to have a very, very similar reason. This is something that is very rare in aviation.”
Hasse said he questions whether all Boeing 737 Max planes should have been grounded after the Lion Air crash.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
The Associated Press reported on this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor.
We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.
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Words in This Story
nose-dive –n. to drop suddenly with the front end pointing toward the ground
cockpit –n. are in an airplane where a pilot sits
aviation –n. related to flying vehicles such as airplanes and helicopters
stall –v. to stop flying suddenly because of a loss of lift
regulators –n. government officials who enforces laws and rules
manually –adv. operated by a person, not automatic
sensor –n. a device that senses heat, light, sound, force or other things electronically
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