World www.guardianonline.co.nz
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Ashburton Guardian
Wild weather hits UK AP Storm Ciara battered the UK and northern Europe with hurricane-force winds and heavy rains at the weekend, halting flights and trains and producing heaving seas that closed down ports. Soccer games, farmers’ markets and cultural events were cancelled as authorities urged millions of people to stay indoors, away from falling tree branches. The storm, named by the UK’s Met Office weather agency, brought gales across the country and delivered gusts of 156km/h to the Isle of White and 150km/h to the village of Aberdaron in northern Wales. Propelled by the fierce winds, a British Airways plane was thought to have made the fastest New York-to-London flight by a conventional airliner. The Boeing 747-436 completed the 3500-mile trans-Atlantic journey in 4 hours and 56 minutes, landing 102 minutes early and reaching a top speed of 1327km/h, according to flight tracking website Flightradar24. Storm surges ate away at beaches and pounded rock cliffs and cement docks. The Met Office issued more than 250 flood warnings, and public safety agencies urged people to avoid travel and the temptation to take selfies as floodwaters rose. Residents in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in northwest England battled to protect their homes amid severe flooding as the River Eden burst its banks. At least 10 rail companies in Britain sent out “do not travel” warnings, while nearly 20 others told passengers to expect extensive delays. The strong winds damaged electrical wires and littered train tracks with broken tree limbs and other debris, including a family trampoline. Dozens of flights were cancelled at London airports due to
Taika Waititi wins Oscar
Waves crash over the harbour wall by a lighthouse as Storm Ciara hits the south coast of England. PHOTO AP heavy wind. Lufthansa airlines said there would be numerous cancellations and delays beginning Sunday afternoon and running until at least Tuesday morning. Brussels Airport also saw delays or cancellations. Two huge ports on either side of the English Channel, Dover in England and Calais in France, shut down operations amid high waves. Dover was partially reopened after being closed for 10 hours. Ferries stopped running there and across the region, including in the turbulent Irish Sea and North Sea. The Humber Bridge in northern England also shut down, a move its website said was only the second time the massive bridge had been entirely closed. Breaking with her usual Sunday routine, Queen Elizabeth II did not attend church in Sandringham to keep her out of harm’s way during the storm. The Met Office said most
of the UK likely had seen the worst of Ciara, when the storm had moved on to northeastern Scotland. However, forecasters predicted more blustery weather Monday, including much colder temperatures and snow in some northern areas. In Ireland, an estimated 10,000 homes, farms and businesses had their power knocked out Sunday. National weather agency Met Eireann warned that a combination of high tides, high seas and stormy conditions had created a significant risk of coastal flooding, particularly in the west and north-west. Fierce winds knocked out electricity in northern France as well. Paris authorities sent out a warning to residents and tourists alike to stay indoors for their own safety. Parks and cemeteries in the city of Lille and nearby towns shut down as strong winds cracked heavy branches. Open-air markets
closed early. In Germany, where the storm was known as “Sabine,” national railway operator Deutsche Bahn cancelled long-distance trains to destinations most at risk. Teams of railway employees fanned out with chainsaws to remove any fallen trees blocking the tracks. In Denmark, meteorologists warned about possible hurricane-force winds coming late Sunday, and flights were cancelled out of Copenhagen. Danish authorities warned motorists not to cross large bridges, including the Great Belt Bridge that links eastern and western parts of Denmark. The storm was also expected to smash into southern Norway’s coast and hit southern and western parts of Sweden. In the world of sports, dozens of soccer games, horse races, rugby matches and other events were called off.
Taika Waititi has won an Academy Award. His film Jojo Rabbit picked up Best Adapted Screenplay. During his acceptance speech Waititi thanked his mother before admitting he had lost her in the auditorium, “hours ago”. He also expressed surprise at the weight of the statue. “This is really light,” he said. “This one’s light. It’s supposed to be heavy.” During a speech where nerves began to get the better of him he revealed that his mum was responsible for his Oscar winning adaptation. “Thank you for being my mother and for giving me the book that I adapted,” he said.
Schofield’s wife speaks out Phillip Schofield’s wife has broken her silence after her husband of 27 years revealed that he is gay on live television. Stephanie Lowe, who married the former NZ media personality in 1993, told media: “We’ve had to face the most emotionally painful time in our 27 years of marriage.” The couple wed in Scotland in 1993, and Schofield has told of how he always battled with his sexuality. “I am not saying I didn’t know. Whatever was ‘there’ I thought, ‘OK, whatever this is, you stay back because I am happy’.” he said. Schofield praised his wife and two adult daughters, for supporting him.
■■MEXICO
Conservationists attacked in porpoise refuge AP Conservationists on a Sea Shepherd vessel out to protect the endangered vaquita porpoise came under gun fire in the upper Gulf of California over the weekend by men in small boats. The confrontation took place Saturday in what is known as the “critical zone” of an area designated as a refuge for the vaquita because several of the porpoises have been sighted there. Officials from the Mexican navy, federal police and Mexican environmental protection agency were also onboard the M/V Sharpie. According to Sea Shepherd, four skiffs known locally as pangas approached the Sharp-
ie and began to chase the vessel at full speed, swerving in front and around the ship. The captain carried out anti-piracy procedures, including the use of water cannons and other anti-boarding techniques. At least two shots fired from the skiffs landed in the water near the Sea Shepherd vessel, which was not hit during the incident. Sea Shepherd said no injuries occurred. “This just shows how aggressive the poachers are here. It proves to us that they are armed and that we need to take every panga that we come across seriously, because we have no idea what they are capable of,” said Jacqueline Le Duc, Captain of the M/V Sharpie. Sea Shepherd shared pho-
tos and videos of the pursuit online. Mexico’s environmental protection agency also acknowledged the incident, while saying it would continue to collaborate with Sea Shepherd in an effort to protect the environment. The vaquita population has been dramatically reduced by illegal net fishing for the totoaba, whose swim bladders can sell for thousands of dollars in China. Only about a dozen or so of the reclusive porpoises are believed to remain in the gulf, also known as the Sea of Cortez. The aggressions on Saturday were in the same area in which Sea Shepherd discovered a dead vaquita trapped in a gillnet last March. Mexico’s environmental pro-
tection agency said that the porpoise was in an advanced state of decay but had deep stabbing wounds as well as slashes consistent with the cutting of nets around the animal. Sea Shepherd has been working with Mexican authorities in the area for six years, removing the illegal gillnets that threaten the species. Poachers have resorted to violence in the area before. In January 2019, Sea Shepherd vessel the M/V Farley Mowat was attacked by a mob of over 50 skiffs, who hurled rocks and molotov cocktails at the ship, breaking its windows and setting its hull on fire. Earlier that same month, Sea Shepherd said poachers ambushed and illegally boarded the Farley Mowat.
Wiggle ‘had no symptoms’ Original yellow Wiggle Greg Page has vowed to learn CPR after his heart stopped on stage during a fundraising show. Page suffered a cardiac arrest on January 17 during a reunion Wiggles children’s show in Castle Hill to raise funds for Australian bushfire relief. In a thank you message to those who saved his life shared on The Wiggles’ YouTube channel, Page said he had no symptoms or warning signs before the cardiac arrest. “This event took me, my family, friends and colleagues totally by surprise,” he said. He was “eternally grateful” to the people who used their training and skills to save his life.
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