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Mongolia’s ex-communists ahead going into Sunday’s election

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Mongolia’s ex-communists ahead going into Sunday’s election

Posted on September 26, 2020September 27, 2020 by

Sunday, May 22, 2005

“Communism was much better,” said Tsahiriin Daariimaa Saturday on the eve of Mongolia‘s presidential elections. Polls predict that many Mongolians plan to vote for their former communist rulers — the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP).

Under communism, “everyone worked for the collective farm,” Daariimaa said. None of her children has a steady job these days.

Myatav Choijav is a Mongolian who shares that view; “Now, some people are very rich and some are very poor. In the old times, the government took better care of us ordinary people,” Choijav said. “Now, the government is very far away from us, especially if you live in the countryside and take care of sheep. Everyone was equal under communist rule,” Choijav said.

Tseveenjav, a 70-year-old sheep herder, agrees: “I will support the MPRP. They always do the right thing.”

Tseveenjav wears the traditional Mongolian thick boots and hat while sitting upon his horse with a dead marmot hung from his saddle. Falcon and Tiger, his sheepdogs, help him keep watch over 500 sheep.

Sambuu Ganbaator, a member of the Democratic Party, has a different opinion from most of his neighbors.

“Too many people forget what the MPRP did to Mongolia,” he said. “They kept Mongolia under a brutal dictatorship. You weren’t allowed to speak your mind.” Now, he said, “you can say anything you want to say and do what you want to live a happy life.”

The MPRP’s candidate, Nambariin Enkbayar, leads the polls and the ex-communist party has said that it is now committed to democracy.

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What Kind Of Dog Or Cat Wheelchair Is Right For Your Dog}

Posted on September 24, 2020September 25, 2020 by

Here’s An Opinion On:
Website Www.Safetyandmobility.Com.Au

Submitted by: Mariecar Cervancia

When youre searching for a pet dog wheelchair, design isn’t really high in the list of priorities-at least not really usually. Preoccupied with the more demanding wants of the family dog, you normally give attention to a dog wheelchairs functionality and expense (lets be realistic, with these hard times, all the tiny problems you have to spend for add up) instead of the way they look.

Currently there are many dog mobility assists producers and distributors. And, while the products they offer might all appear very similar, certainly not most are pretty, nor are they all created and created the same way. Your dog wheelchairs purpose is to aid disabled dogs and cats with their flexibility, allow them walk and socialize particularly when you take them outdoors. They should be steady, sturdy, and most of all, must be secure for your pets.

Though a smooth style and a colorful splash of paint for any pets dog wheelchair are awesome, they are not requirements to get a good flexibility aid-and it does not show that you need to have those fancy dog wheelchairs when you go trying to find 1 to acquire. Dont get worried, your pet dog pal wont always be emotionally scarred or physically short-changed if you choose not to acquire one of those. Whether you obtain the one in a simple metal gray finish or something with a colorful paint job, the most significant aspect of the dog wheelchair is how it works not really the actual way it looks. Before that, the largest consideration of course, is if you can pay for it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VPY1d2t_FE[/youtube]

In as much as wed want to get the very finest for our dearest furry household pets, it might not always be achievable. Even skimping on our own needs and saving up so that you can obtain whats needed for them doesnt often do just fine. So, finding the optimum product, in cases like this, the very best dog wheelchair, one can pay for will have to do.

A dog wheelchair that has substance, one thats well-made and uses good materials but features a basic finish is more preferable that one having a fancy finish however iffy construction. You could always enhance the design and style with homemade or perhaps custom paint jobs-easily and for cheap-and some other elegant style and design, designing, and personalization choices.

There are various kinds of dog wheelchairs. Just as are there a variety of problems that may cause a pet to lose the usage of its limbs, there are various ways to handle them. Finding out our pets illness will point to the proper plan of action. There is surgery, medication, treatment, the usage of flexibility assists, and also the different combination of the above. It will likewise inform us precisely what type of dog wheelchair will certainly suit our pets needs the best-rear, front, or maybe total support-which sometimes might seem obvious, however in truth, requires a professional assessment.

You can actually plop your pet, belly down on a contraption of PVC pipes having a droopy cloth at the center and four wheels, as numerous of the search results photos resulted in, but you will never know if that is encouraging or harming your pets wellness.

This is not to say that there arent good do-it-yourself design plans out there that might match your pets needs. On the other hand, there are great individuals enough out there expressing ideas; its only a matter of finding it and executing the plan appropriately.

About the Author: Learn more about pet wheelchair and what it can do for you. Check them out now at

dogwheelchairscenter.com/

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US Court of Appeals reduces sentence for former Philippines officer in spy case

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US Court of Appeals reduces sentence for former Philippines officer in spy case

Posted on September 13, 2020September 14, 2020 by

Monday, February 9, 2009

Michael Ray Aquino, a former Philippines National Police officer serving six years imprisonment in McRae, Georgia for espionage could now be eligible for immediate release after a United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit judge panel Friday modified a United States District Court for the District of New Jersey‘s judgment, ordering a resentence of the accused under more lenient guidelines.

“I feel relieved for Michael Aquino and his family. We won the appeal. Michael will be resentenced. His new sentencing range will be 36-46 months (that is, essentially time served). Aquino has now served exactly 41 months in prison to the day on Feb. 9, 2009,” Aquino’s lawyer, Mark A. Berman, Esq. said. “The accused pleaded guilty to merely to possessing military secrets, and a three-judge panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Walls erred in using harsher sentencing guideline reserved gathering or transmitting classified documents,” Berman added.

But Federal prosecutors had argued for Walls’ sentence, alleging “his guilty plea included acknowledging the stolen documents could have been used to harm the United States, making him eligible for the stiffer sentence,” Christopher J. Christie, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey submitted. “Crimes like these strike at the heart of our national security because they involve our keeping our secrets secret. These defendants will face the full weight of federal prosecution,” said US Attorney Christie.

“The arrests of Leandro Aragoncillo and Michael Ray Aquino affirm the FBI’s commitment to apprehending those who would seek to reveal classified information to foreign nationals,” explained FBI Special Agent in Charge Leslie Wiser Jr. Both accused were ordered in judicial custody without bail by United States Magistrate Judge Patty Shwartz in September 2005.

“While Aragoncillo was an active participant in the offense, Aquino’s role was purely passive,” wrote Circuit Judge Maryanne Trump Barry in a written opinion promulgated Friday, in “US v Aquino” (No. 07-3202), an appealed case originating from D.C. Crim. No. 05-cr-00719. In the judgment, federal judges Barry, Michael Chagares and Jane A Restani, Chief Judge of the United States Court of International Trade, sitting by designation, have acknowledged that Judge William H. Walls’ interpretation of the harsher sentencing guideline was understandable, but the statute is imprecise. “Accordingly, we will vacate the judgment of sentence and remand for resentencing,” the panel ruled.

“The Honorable Maryanne Barry” is a United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit judge, daughter of Mary MacLeod Trump, who hails from Tong, Western Isles. Barry is the older sister of real estate mogul Donald Trump and the mother of David Desmond, who is a neuropsychologist and the author of the satirical novel Oliver Booth.

The espionage case was the first of its kind, obliging the Court to turn to the dictionary instead as a legal tool to resolve the landmark case. Circuit Judge Barry then used the 1993 version of the Webster’s Third New International Dictionary to define the word “obtain.” The pertinent part, pages 9 to 10 of the 13-page decision provides as follows:

First, Aquino never admitted—at least in so many words—that he “obtained” the documents found in his possession. According to Webster’s, “to obtain” means “to gain or attain possession or disposal of usu[ally] by some planned action or method.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary 1559 (1993). This has an active connotation. At his sentencing hearing, Aquino answered in the affirmative when asked whether he had “receiv[ed]” documents (App. 44) that Aragoncillo “was providing” (App. 45) or “transmit[ting]” (App. 46). At no point was “planned action or method” on Aquino’s part even suggested. While Aragoncillo was an active participant in the offense, Aquino’s role was purely passive. In short, there is no sound textual basis for selecting either § 2M3.2 or § 2M3.3 to address Aquino’s retention offense at Step One. Fortunately, at Step Two, the Sentencing Commission provided guidance that makes it functionally irrelevant whether we begin our analysis at § 2M3.2 or § 2M3.3. Critically, the District Court did not heed what the Commission had said.—”USA v. Michael Ray Aquino,” Case No. 07-3202, Circuit Judge Maryanne Trump Barry

Judge Walls sentenced Aquino to 76 months imprisonment for violation of 18 United States Code 793(e), punishable under the harsher United States Sentencing Guidelines, 2M3.2, (Gathering National Defense Information, which imposes 35 years sentence if top secret and 30 years, if not) instead of the more lenient 2M3.3 (Transmitting National Defense Information, etc.)

Because of the Barry decision which modified the original Hall’s sentence, Aquino now faces 37 to 46 months imprisonment when he is resentenced by the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Since he has already served 40 months, he could be immediately released.

But since he was initially arrested in September 2005 for tourist visa rules violations, he will be delivered by the judicial authorities to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services when he leaves McRae Correctional Institution in Georgia. Aquino will be processed for deportation. McRae is a city in Telfair County, Georgia, United States.

Michael Ray Aquino was a former Deputy Directory of the Philippines National Police Intelligence Group and former senior superintendent of the now-disbanded Philippines Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force under former Philippines president Joseph Estrada.

On November 24, 2000, PR man Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito were kidnapped along the corner Zobel Roxas Street in Manila and the South Super Highway by gunmen believed to be members of the PNP. Four days after, the victims’ charred remains, consisting of burnt bones, metal dental plates and a ring, were later found in Barangay Buna Lejos, Indang, Cavite. Both victims were killed by strangulation.

P/Col. Glenn Galapon Dumlao, one of the accused, named former Po/Supt. Cezar O. Mancao II and former S/Supt. Michael Ray Aquino as the brains behind the crime. Mancao and Aquino were members of Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force or PAOCTF, headed by then Gen. Panfilo Lacson. Suspects Mancao and Aquino left the country after being implicated in the heinous crime. Dumlao disappeared afterwards but later resurfaced in the US.

In 2005, murder cases were filed in Philippine courts and arrests warrants were issued against accused Dumlao, Aquino and Mancao. Dumlao, a resident of Patchogue, New York was arrested and held without bail on November 20, 2008 by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge William D. Wall. On December 10, Dumlao was ordered extradited to the Philippines by Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Long Island, New York.

The initial hearing of the extradition case of Dumlao’s co-accused, Mancao II, now detained in Florida, was held on December 3, in the US District Court in Southern Florida in Fort Lauderdale. Justice Secretary Raul M. Gonzalez had requested the US Justice Department to extradite Mancao and Dumlao to face murder charges in the Philippines. An extradition hearing has yet to be initiated for Aquino, although, as trusted officer of then PNP chief, now senator, Panfilo Lacson, was also requested for extradition by the Philippine government to face trial for the Dacer-Corbito double murder.

“Sir, the other day Leandro ‘Lean’ Aragoncillo called me. … He wants to talk to you and give you some updates on the political situation in the country,” wrote Aquino in an e-mail of January 2005 to his former boss Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. “I find all the information that you are sending me very useful. I hope you will continue sending more,” replied Sen. Lacson in an e-mail he allegedly sent in January 2005 to Aragoncillo. “By no means would you show this information. … I will be affected severely. Again, please protect the source – Me,” said Aragoncillo in an E-mail he allegedly sent in August 2005 to former Philippines President Joseph Estrada.

In March 2005, Aquino was arrested by immigration authorities for overstaying his visa. He contacted his friend, Leandro Aragoncillo, a Philippine-born civilian FBI Intelligence Analyst, who worked in the White House (between 1999 and 2002) as “administration chief” of the security detail assigned to the Vice President (Gore and then Cheney). However, Aragoncillo’s efforts on Aquino’s behalf eventually led to Aragoncillo being investigated by the FBI. In the course of that investigation, evidence of espionage against the United States Government was uncovered.

According to reports complied by Filipino intelligence professionals, there were indications of a link between Aragoncillo and the French intelligence service, Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure. Frequent visits by Aragoncillo to Manila allegedly were interspersed with clandestine meetings between identified, French operatives and several “illegals” (i.e. unregistered agents) around 2002 to 2004.

“What it means is that there is a hole in White House security. There are two kinds of people at the White House: Those that have been very well-vetted and those that have been extremely well-vetted and have access to the top secret computer network. This man had access to the top secret computer network.” said Richard A. Clarke, a former White House adviser.

“The FBI said Aragoncillo was concerned about e-mailing from his personal account so many classified documents from FBI computers, and he asked one recipient, Filipino opposition Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, whether he was a nuisance. “The reply, court records say, came back two days later in a cell phone message intercepted by the FBI: “What you are sending are never a nuisance to me. They are in fact informative and very useful,” Clark added.

In September 2005, Aragoncillo, a retired US Marine Gunnery Sergeant with 21 years service was suspended by the FBI, and arrested for violation of Title 18 of the US Code, Sections 371 and 951, admitting espionage activities from August 2000 to August 2005, and taking files while working under VP Cheney from 2001-2002, including giving information to another country.

In July 2007, Aragoncillo, age 50, a naturalized US citizen residing in Woodbury, New Jersey was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for “transferring classified information to assist in overthrow of Philippines government.” Aragoncillo, admitted passing information by cellphone text messages and e-mail messages through Hotmail and Yahoo accounts, to Aquino, former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, and opposition politicians, who wanted to oust Mrs. Arroyo, including former House Speaker Arnulfo Fuentebella, according to court documents. He will be released from Federal Correction Institute in Big Spring, Texas on May 28, 2014.

The court fined Aragoncillo $40,000. “I never intended to cause harm or injury to the United States,” Aragoncillo told the judge. In July 2007, Sen. Panfilo Lacson as well as deposed president Joseph Estrada have admitted to receiving information from Aquino, but they denied any conspiracy. “Aquino is determined not to return to the country,” said Sen. Lacson, who admitted extending financial support to Aquino and his family.

In July, 2008, Sabina and Carina Dacer, the daughters of missing public relations man Salvador “Bubby” Dacer testified at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC), after almost eight years of self-exile in the United States. “In his exact words he said, ‘mga anak, kung may mangyari sa akin, walang ibang may kakagawan noon kundi si Ping Lacson, (my daughters, if anything happens to me, no one but Ping Lacson is responsible)” Sabina Dacer told ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. “Hindi naman kilala ng daddy ko si Michael Ray Aquino as far as we know eh. So kung hindi siya kilala ng daddy ko, sino yung kilala niya na kilala ng daddy ko? (My dad does not know Michael Ray Aquino as far as we know. So, if my dad does not know him, whom does he know that my dad knows?)” Carina Dacer said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson has vehemently denied any involvement in the Dacer-Corbito murder case. “For the Nth time, I will assert the truth that I had nothing to do with it,” said Lacson in a text message. “They can lie and make people lie even under oath and before a court of law to make me look bad and guilty in the Dacer case. In fact, right after Dacer disappeared, the family sought my help… And I responded the way I should as a law enforcement officer at that time,” Lacson explained.

On Saturday, September 10, 2005, Aquino was also arrested at Queens, New Jersey and was charged with conspiracy and acting as an agent of a foreign official in the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, presided by U.S. District Judge William H. Walls. Aquino was accused of helping Aragoncillo transmit classified United States documents regarding President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to her opponents in the Philippines, including both former President Joseph Estrada and current opposition leader, Panfilo Lacson, who had been Aquino’s superior in the police force.

In an indictment of 6 Oct 2005 signed and filed by United States Attorney Christopher J. Christie, the Grand Jury sitting at Newark, New Jersey, accused Aquino with charges of – “knowingly communicating classified information by a government employee to an agent or representative of a foreign country (i.e. receiving classified information), acting as an agent of a foreign official without notification of the Attorney General, in violation of Title 18 of the US Code, Section 951, conspiracy to commit all of the above offenses in violation of Title 18 of the US Code, Section 371, and not cooperating with authorities, under Title 18 of the US Code, Section 2.

Under an eventual plea-bargain agreement, Aquino entered a plea of guilty to illegal possession of classified documents, but avoided the more serious charge of espionage which Aragoncillo received. On July 17, 2007, Aquino was sentenced to six years and four months in prison by U.S. District Judge William H. Walls. Federal prosecutors had sought the maximum 10-year term.

Aquino “did subject our nation to some peril,” ruled Judge Walls. “I am sorry for what I did. I never had the intention to harm the United States. I love this country,” said Aquino who addressed the court for three minutes before sentencing, and apologized. On November 21, 2008 his reduced sentence request was submitted to the appellate court.

Meantime, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is monitoring developments in the Aquino espionage case. “Of course we are interested in his case, but all we can do is to wait for the outcome of the case of Michael Ray in the US,” said a police official.

The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines has criticized the judgment: “For the AJLPP the news of the release proves that the charade of injustice is ever present when it comes to the cabal of AFP men who served as worst human rights violator and proven puppets of the United States military like the Lacson boys,” the AJLPP said. “On the other cases of oppressed immigrants like the Baoanan case languishes in courts and not acted upon. So much for double standard of American justice system.” The AJLPP statement concluded.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=US_Court_of_Appeals_reduces_sentence_for_former_Philippines_officer_in_spy_case&oldid=4515710”

What A Gaggia Grind And Brew Coffee Brewer Gives You

Posted on September 13, 2020September 14, 2020 by

Here’s An Opinion On:
Richard Light Interactive It

Submitted by: Beatrice Mcpherson

On of the most pleasing things for the coffee or espresso lover then the satisfaction of having their very own espresso shop in the kitchen, and in the event you are searching for that kind of espresso maker, then the Gaggia Platinum automatic grind and brew coffee machine is something that will surely amaze you. We shall be reviewing this machine and will show you a number of the outstanding specifications that will show why this coffee machine standout from the crowd. Gaggia Platinum coffee machine is an automatic grind and brew machine that makes use of a modern and sleek design with touch button controls and a Liquid crystal display display. When it comes to gourmet coffee brewing, this machine was able to combine modern sophistication and long-established process of brewing a cup of Espresso. Gaggia utilizes a boiler made from stainless-steel with the intention to speed up the procedure of heating up the coffee.

The controls of this automatic gourmet coffee machine are a lot simpler than what you think. This Gaggia Platinum Automatic has a modern LCD screen and touch ring button, you are able to create your first dose of coffee almost in an moment.

This automatic espresso maker has a interrogated removable water reservoir which will store as much as 57 oz. of water, plenty to suit anybody that who is a fanatic of hot thick cappuccino or espresso. The passive stainless rapid steamer also will allow this automatic coffee machine to steam up the water with no trouble, permitting you to get your favorite piping hot coffee latte within minutes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhV-cAp1G8A[/youtube]

Making thick cappuccinos and lattes are freshly brewed easy by Gaggia Platinum Swing Automatic Espresso Machine with Milk Island since it utilizes the one touch automatic milk froth to enhance the thickness of the cappuccino and latte. To say the least, Gaggia Platinum espresso machine is like having a cafe right inside your kitchen, and that is just right for any gourmet coffee drinker who likes the enjoyable things in life.

Should you need to have a instant cappuccino, latte, or hot chocolate, the Milk Island built-in to the Gaggia Platinum will definitely serve fresh creamy hot milk for your cappuccino espresso coffee and coffee latte. All you have to do is to add cold milk in to the flask, which will hold as much as 13 oz of milk, and basically turn on the steaming knob of the espresso grind and brew machine.

When it comes to milling whole fresh coffee beans, these type of automatic coffee grind and brew machine is also able to ease up the chore for you. This espresso machine uses a ceramic conical burr grinder which makes it possible for the coffee maker to mill whole coffee beans and transfer the grounded coffee in the coffee machine all in a single go. This is certainly something that only expert baristas could do in the past.

The automatic coffee machine also consists of an added fantastic accessory and that is the Aqua Prima water filter which will remove all the impurities within the water that you may be using for your coffee or espresso. This can also assist you to reduce the build-up of lime scale within your espresso brewer.

Gaggia is focused in providing innovation, simpleness of use, sophisticated appearance of the programmable espresso machine, and excellence of every espresso shot every time. This really is certainly one of the explanations why espresso lovers like me loved this machine the minute you get your hands on it. Not only that, Gaggia Automatic Espresso Machine literally puts connoisseur style coffee shop in the comfort your home by allowing you to get the best coffee latte in town with a press of a button.

About the Author: If you are not an espresso coffee drinker and rather filter coffee have a look at our review about the newest Capresso Coffee Maker which also grinds and brews. Drop by our web site

grindandbrewcoffeemakerssale.com

for articles of many more about the most popular Grind and Brew Brewers.

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Results of the 2005 New Zealand General Election

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Results of the 2005 New Zealand General Election

Posted on September 10, 2020September 11, 2020 by

Saturday, September 17, 2005

The New Zealand General Election

Preliminary Election Results:

Labour	NZ First	National
40.72	5.84	39.63
Greens	United Future	ACT
5.07	2.72	1.52
Progressive	Maori Party	Others
1.21	1.98	1.29

100 % Counted:5 hrs in to the Count

Polling Places Counted: 6,094 of 6,094 (100.0%)
Total Votes Counted: 2,052,813
Special Votes: 193,348

Official Results

Other Wikinews election coverage:

Date announced for by-election to replace former New Zealand PM Clark
Category:New Zealand General Election
New Zealand Labour Party announces ‘early election’ list
Results to be announced in the New Zealand 2005 General Election
Results of the 2005 New Zealand General Election
Polls Closed in The New Zealand 2005 General Election
NZ opposition leader admits to fundamentalist contacts
New Zealand general election: National, Labour TV debate

Background:

Wikipedia, Wikinews’ sibling project, has in-depth background articles on:

At 07:00 UTC today (19:00 NZST, local time), the polls closed in the New Zealand general election, 2005.

Labour– has won 50 seats and National Party has won 49 in the 122-member House of Representatives , which has increased by two (from 120) because the Maori Party won four electorate seats, more than its proportion of the party vote entitled it to (Called in MMP an overhang).

Neither the Labour-led coalition or the National Party have won sufficient seats to govern on their own, and will require the backing of other smaller parties to govern in a coalition.

There are 193,348 special votes still to be counted. Official results are expected to be announced on 1 October 2005.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Results_of_the_2005_New_Zealand_General_Election&oldid=425262”

Wikinews investigates disappearance of Indonesian cargo ship Namse Bangdzod

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Wikinews investigates disappearance of Indonesian cargo ship Namse Bangdzod

Posted on September 7, 2020September 8, 2020 by

Thursday, January 10, 2019

In late December, Indonesian cargo ship MV Namse Bangdzod vanished in local waters. The tanker, gross tonnage around 1,150 and loaded with crude palm oil, had over ten crewmembers. Wikinews examined data and contacted experts and local authorities in an effort to establish further details.

The exact date of disappearance is unclear, with industry publications reporting either December 27 or December 28. Crew totals are also unclear, with both eleven and twelve reported by industry sources while The Jakarta Post reports a captain and eleven other crew. Wikinews has contacted the Command and Control Centre of the Coast Guard seeking to clarify, among other things, the date of the disappearance and is awaiting a response.

Wikinews is also awaiting responses from both the Coast Guard and the National Search and Rescue Agency detailing the efforts being made to find the ship, which was last known to be in the Java Sea. MV Namse Bangdzod sailed with cargo from Sampit, a port town on a river in Borneo; it was last bound for Jakarta. It is owned and operated by Indonesian companies and also registered in Indonesia. The 75 m (250 ft) ship was built in 1993 in Japan.

Ships broadcast their position and other information via both the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system. AIS is a ship-to-ship safety system, but can also be detected from further afield by satellites. Marine Traffic’s AIS tracking database shows a reestablishment of AIS contact by MV Namse Bangdzod on January 6, with a pattern described by Marine Bulletin as “rather hectic and kind of confused”. In addition to asking local authorities, Wikinews sought expert input on the AIS data.

Dr. Tristan Smith of University College London, a shipping researcher with expert experience interpreting AIS results, explained to Wikinews that crews might turn their AIS transponders off on purpose for security reasons, such as “in certain sea areas where piracy is a risk” in order to “avoid attracting unwanted attention. This can involve them being turned off for several days at a time.” Doug Miller of Milltech Marine, a firm specialising in AIS, told our correspondent an AIS transponder will broadcast automatically provided it has power and antennae, even if the crew abandoned the vessel.

Baslan Damang, a security official from the port of departure, on Tuesday told The Jakarta Post radio broadcasts were being used to alert other traffic such as fishing vessels to look out for MV Namse Bangdzod. He added authorities “are still waiting for updates on the tanker’s condition, so please refrain from speculating that it had been hijacked”. As of yesterday, no oil slicks or other evidence of accidents have been found along the scheduled route the vessel was due to take. A major search continues.

Miller and Smith both acknowledged faults with the AIS system on-board as possible explanations, with Miller describing issues with the signal between the transponder and the satellite receiving it as one potential scenario for intermittent data reception. He too suggested a hypothetical scenario, in which “the AIS equipment has been tampered with or has been turned off for some of the time — either intentionally or accidentally or due to a power malfunction.” Smith called the disappearance an “interesting” case; Miller said “It is a little hard to definitively say what’s going on”. Miller explained that while transponders generally transmit every ten seconds “even if the transponder is transmitting there is no guarantee that other vessels or MarineTraffic can see it”. “It could also be a power supply issue or faulty transponder”, said Smith.

Smith told Wikinews “There are also some operations done on ships containing hazardous cargoes[…] where all risks of sparking/arcs need to be removed and radio transmitting equipment is sometimes turned off for this reason.” He said this applied to product tankers, but the long duration of AIS downtime would in this instance be unusual if this is the reason. Smith had one more theory: Namse Bangdzod could be the victim of identity theft, with a second vessel conducting manoeuvres it wished to conceal while falsely transmitting information identifying itself as Namse Bangdzod. Smith told Wikinews this might happen in cases of illegal fishing. He stated “In this scenario, it would normally be expected that both the legal and illegal transmission would be received but depending on how Marine Traffic handle this, it’s possible the two signals could be confused.”

Smith drew attention to LRIT as another method for search and rescue personnel to find the tanker. Unlike AIS, which is a safety and tracking system, LRIT is used for maritime security by seagoing nations. Created under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, LRIT allows states to examine data about ships bearing their flag, visiting their ports, or in or near their waters.

Like all vessels exceeding 300 tons, Namse Bangdzod is required to transmit LRIT data. Search and rescue bodies can also access this information; Smith told Wikinews he believed this would include foreign navies with ships in the Java Sea. Singapore, India, and Australia have in the past conducted emergency searches of the Java Sea: All three nations offered military assistance after Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501 vanished in December 2014.

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What has happened to MV Namse Bangdzod?
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Marine Traffic’s website’s most recently publicly available AIS result, as of Tuesday, showed the ship underway a few miles off Jakarta. VesselFinder listed no AIS results for the last month. Vessel Tracker’s database had no sighting of the ship within the last 59 days on Tuesday; the website noted the AIS signal received from Jakarta but declared the ship was not actually there. Maritime Connector has an entry for the ship in its database but has no location data available.

Local authorities, according to Maritime Bulletin, have noted other unusual AIS data. The website yesterday suggested piracy, perhaps to obtain the valuable cargo, is now the most prominent theory. The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association reports a value of US$473.60 per metric ton of crude palm oil as of November 2018, with the price decreasing that month. “Its plausible that an explanation [why] the AIS transponder is not transmitting is that it had been turned off by pirates who wanted to hamper the efforts of a rescue mission” Smith told Wikinews yesterday.

Yesterday the Search and Rescue Agency told The Jakarta Post it was intending to end its search on the basis of piracy, which is outside its remit; the paper also spoke to the Navy, who told it this was as-yet uncomfirmed and noted no ransom has been sought and the ship vanished from an area without previous piracy problems. Four Navy ships assisted by aircraft are searching. “We will continue searching until we find it,” 1st Fleet Command’s Navy Information Agency head Arba Agung told The Jakarta Post, which also today reported location data falsely showing the ship in Sunda Kelapa Port after its inaccurate position in Jakarta Bay was recorded.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Wikinews_investigates_disappearance_of_Indonesian_cargo_ship_Namse_Bangdzod&oldid=4490724”

Gazprom stops supplying gas to Moldova

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Gazprom stops supplying gas to Moldova

Posted on September 6, 2020September 7, 2020 by

Wednesday, January 4, 2006

The Russian concern Gazprom stopped supplying gas to Moldova on January 1, as the latter did not sign a gas supply contract, which stipulates a price of 160 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres for the next three months, according to officials of Chisinau and Russian concern Gazprom.

In connection with this situation, Vladimir Voronin, current president of Moldova, cancelled his winter vacation and created on Monday, 2 January, an anti-crisis group, composed of the representatives of the cabinet and SA Moldova-Gaz.

At the moment, Moldova is ensured gas from Ukraine, in proportion of 50%, according to an agreement between Voronin and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko.

The head of the Moldovan state stated that, theoretically, he agrees to accept the market prices of gas, but, pursuant to him, these must be “logical and not illusory”.

Moldova will continue negotiations with Gazprom. An operative staff on energy security headed by Minister Vladimir Antosii was created for this purpose.

Chisinau officials say that an agreement on transit of Russian gas through Moldova should be signed on January 3, and an agreement on new prices was expected to be signed later. The situation in Moldova, which does not have other gas sources, is unique, as 15 percent of the natural gas supplies of Russia are transited to the West through Moldova’s territory. Negotiators have recently agreed in Moscow on a transit price of 2.5 dollars for transportation of 1,000 cubic metres on a distance of 100 kilometres.

azi.md. “Russian Federation Ceased, Without Warning, Gas Deliveries to Moldova” — azi.md, January 3 2006
BASA-Press. “Gazprom stops supplying gas to Moldova, as latter did not sign contract on new prices” — BASA-Press, January 3 2006

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