Today In History – August 30 – Jawaharlal Nehru Requests Independence Of India

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August 30, 2021

1146 European leaders outlaw the crossbow, intending to end war for all time

1363 Beginning of the Battle of Lake Poyang; two Chinese rebel leaders Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang are pitted against each other in what was one of the largest naval battles in history during Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty

1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)

1682 William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World

1862 Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia ends with a Confederate victory over Union forces

1914 Battle of Tannenberg (WWI) in East Prussia ends in destruction of the Russian Second Army with 122,000-170,000 killed, injured or captured by the German 8th Army led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff

1928 Jawaharlal Nehru requests independence of India

Aug 30 in Film & TV
1976 Tom Brokaw becomes news anchor of NBC’s “Today Show”

Aug 30 in Music
1968 1st record released on Apple label in UK is The Beatles single “Hey Jude”

Aug 30 in Sport
1905 Detroit Tigers future Baseball HOF center fielder Ty Cobb makes his MLB debut, doubling off Jack Chesbro in a 5-3 win over the NY Highlanders at Bennett Park, Detroit

Do you know this fact about today?Did You Know?
Hotline communication link between the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow installed. Often known as the “red telephone” no phones were ever used, relying instead on Teletype equipment, fax machines and most recently secure email.

Would you believe this fact about today? Would You Believe?
1st recorded occurrence of a comet hitting the sun, releases energy equal to one million hydrogen bombs

ASUU Confirms They are Not Starting Strike Tomorrow

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Rhoda Onuzulike

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August 30, 2021

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, is not embarking on industrial action from Tuesday, a member of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the union has said.

The NEC member, who is also the Chairman of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, chapter, Dr. Dele Ashiru, in a chat on Monday, explained that there are steps and processes for the union to embark on strike.

He, however, agreed that the union gave the Federal Government up till Tuesday, August 31, to meet some demands.

According to Ashiru, “Yes, we gave the government till the end of this month to meet some demands of ours.

“However, assuming that the demands are not met within the stipulated period, we won’t just begin an industrial action that same day.

“The reason is that ASUU is not a one-man union and is not run like a one-man show. If the demands are not met, the national leadership would call a meeting of NEC and report back to it.

“It is at that NEC meeting that the next step would be decided on. As we talk now, no NEC meeting has been called and so the likelihood of a strike starting on Tuesday is not there.

“Our demands from the government are just three. We want the government to sign and implement the renegotiated agreement we have with them;

“That the government should also mainstream our Academic Earned Allowances and to pay the N40 billon Revitalisation Fund,” he explained.

Recall that the union and the FG had a face-off that led to a nine-month strike by ASUU last year.

The strike was called off last December, but up until now most of the promises made by the government are yet to be fulfilled.

Other issues that union wants the government to address are the implementation of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System, IPPIS, and the proliferation of universities, especially by state governments in the face of poor funding.

Japan Considers Oct. 17 Election As PM Ratings Hit Record Lows

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Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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The Japanese government is considering holding a general election on Oct. 17, Kyodo news said on Monday citing government sources, even as public support for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga hits record lows in two new opinion polls.

Suga has failed to capitalise on delivering the Olympics for the country, currently being hit hard by a fresh wave of coronavirus infections. The government has declared a fourth state of emergency in most of the country amid a sluggish vaccination rollout.

The Mainichi newspaper poll showed public support for Suga had slid below 30% for the first time, to a dismal 26%. The Nikkei daily put his ratings at 34%, in line with a record low hit in its survey last month.

If the general election plan is approved at a cabinet meeting, it would mean Suga will not call a snap election but instead allow the members of the lower house of parliament to serve out their full terms.

But before the general election takes place, Suga faces a challenge for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), due for Sept. 29, whose winner is all but assured of being premier due to the LDP’s majority in the lower house.

Public support ratings are watched particularly closely because the new party chief will lead the LDP in the general election.

One of the polls showed that Suga’s possible rivals for the party leader job, such as Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono, in charge of Japan’s vaccination push, and former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba, were more popular with the public.

The 72-year-old prime minister also faced criticism from writer Haruki Murakami, who in rare public comments said that if the premier was able to see a way out of the pandemic, “he must have very good eyesight for his age”.

Police Drag Activists Out Of Court In Poland

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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A group of pro-democracy activists in Poland entered the grounds of the country’s constitutional court in an act of civil disobedience Monday, on the eve of an expected court ruling critical to the country’s future relationship with the rest of the European Union.

Some stood outside with a huge banner that read “Civic Shutdown of the ex-Constitutional Tribunal.”

As smoke bombs sent black plumes into the air, a smaller group made it to the court’s main entrance.

They had brought boards and nails hoping to nail the door shut but did not manage to do that. Police dragged them away as others chanted “This is not a court!”

Judges of the Constitutional Tribunal are scheduled to convene on Tuesday to decide which has primacy – Poland’s own constitution or the law of the 27-member European Union.

Poland’s prime minister had asked the court – dominated by ruling party loyalists – to make the judgment amid a larger conflict over systematic changes to the court system in Poland, which the EU views as a violation of democratic norms. The constitutional court’s ruling was initially expected in April but has been postponed.

The activists said they do not consider the court legitimate, in part because the ruling party appointed three judges to the court soon after it won power in 2015 in a maneuver that was illegal under Polish law.

Now they fear that if the court rules that Polish law has primacy over EU law, it would mark another step away from Western norms for Poland.

The ruling party says its changes to the court, which have been opposed by EU institutions, are meant to fight corruption by judges and make the court system more efficient.

German Train Drivers To Go On Strike From Wednesday

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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Germany’s GDL train drivers’ union said on Monday it would go on strike on Sept.1 for a week after wage talks with rail operator Deutsche Bahn failed to yield a compromise.

The strike, the third and longest in the current wage dispute, will affect freight services from Wednesday afternoon while passenger traffic will be affected from the early hours on Thursday. The strike will run until Sept. 7.

GDL, which has already held two strikes in August, is demanding a 3.2% increase for drivers in addition to a coronavirus bonus of 600 euros.

Deutsche Bahn has said that it is ready to meet the wage rise demand but that the two sides could not agree on when the increase should go into effect.

Deutsche Bahn’s HR chief Martin Seiler said in a statement that a negotiable offer is on the table and Wage agreements cannot be dictated.

North Korea Has Restarted A Key Reactor – IAEA

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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NKOREA-NUCLEAR-MISSILE — This picture taken on September 3, 2017 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 4, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un attending a meeting with a committee of the Workers' Party of Korea about the test of a hydrogen bomb, at an unknown location. North Korea said it detonated a hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile on September 3 and called its sixth and most powerful nuclear test a "perfect success", sparking world condemnation and promises of tougher US sanctions. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS / STR / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / (Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images)

North Korea has restarted a nuclear reactor widely believed to be capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, according to a report from the global nuclear watchdog released Sunday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had first spotted activity at the 5-megawatt Yongbyon plant north of the capital, Pyongyang, in late 2018 and had seen new signs of activity in recent weeks.

“Since early July 2021, there have been indications, including the discharge of cooling water, consistent with the operation,” according to the report, which is issued annually and was released Sunday.

It added that the country’s nuclear activities continue to be a cause for serious concern.”

Scientific reports and independent analysis have said Yongbyon is capable of producing multiple kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium in a year.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has long been vocal about his nuclear ambitions, saying in January that he would seek “completely new nuclear capabilities aimed at attaining the goal of modernization of the nuclear force.” Last year, he spoke of developing a “new strategic weapon.”

According to the report, there have been five North Korean nuclear tests since 2006, most recently in 2017, when the U.N. Security Council demanded that the country immediately abandon its nuclear program in a “complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”

While inspectors haven’t had access to North Korea since 2009 and have to rely on commercial satellite imagery to make their assessments, the new IAEA report made clear Kim’s regime has not followed the Security Council’s instruction.

Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny’s Spokeswoman Leaves Russia

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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Kira Yarmysh, the spokeswoman for jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, has left Russia, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing two anonymous sources.

One of the sources said Yarmysh has flown to the Finnish capital Helsinki. Yarmysh did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

A Russian court imposed 18 months of restrictions on her freedom of movement earlier this month, after finding her guilty of breaching COVID-19 safety rules.

Russian authorities have cracked down hard on the opposition before a parliamentary election next month, and many of Navalny’s most prominent allies have left Russia rather than face restrictions or jail at home.

The court ruling banned Yarmysh from leaving her home at night, from taking part in rallies, and from changing her home address without first notifying prison authorities.

She was found guilty of breaching COVID-19 safety rules over what police said was an illegal protest in support of Navalny last winter. She has said the charge was politically motivated and has appealed.

Navalny is serving 2-1/2 years in jail for parole violations in an embezzlement case he says was trumped up. Navalny’s allies accuse the authorities of using the law to crush dissenting voices.

Haiti’s Hunger Crisis Bites Deeper After Devastating Quake

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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In a tent encampment in the mountains of southern Haiti, where hundreds of villagers sought shelter after a powerful earthquake flattened their homes this month, a single charred cob of corn was the only food in sight.

In Nan Konsey, the earth’s convulsions tore open the village’s cement cisterns used to store drinking water and triggered landslides that interred residents’ modest subsistence farms.

Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, has long had one of the world’s highest levels of food insecurity. Last year, Haiti ranked 104 out of the 107 countries on the Global Hunger Index. By September, the United Nations said 4 million Haitians – 42% of the population – faced acute food insecurity.

This month’s earthquake has exacerbated the crisis: destroying crops and livestock, leveling markets, contaminating waterways used as sources of drinking water, and damaging bridges and roads crucial to reaching villages like Nan Konsey.

The number of people in urgent need of food assistance in the three department’s hardest-hit by the earthquake – Sud, Grand’Anse and Nippes – has increased by one-third since the quake, from 138,000 to 215,000, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).

Haiti was largely food self-sufficient until the 1980s, when at the encouragement of the United States it started loosening restrictions on crop imports and lowered tariffs.

A subsequent flood of surplus U.S. crops put droves of Haitian farmers out of business and contributed to investment in the sector tailing off.

Former Ambassador Joins State Department’s Iran Team

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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Former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has joined the State Department’s Iran team as a senior adviser, according to a senior State Department official.

The appointment is significant given that Israel is pressing the Biden administration to start discussing a “Plan B” in case diplomacy with Iran fails.

Shapiro, who has a personal relationship with many Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is equipped to play a key role in any such talks

His portfolio will be the regional aspects of the Iranian issue and coordination with Israel, according to Ravid’s report.

Shapiro was in Washington ahead of the Biden-Bennett meeting and advised the State Department on several issues, though he did not meet the Israeli delegation, a source familiar with the issue said.

State Department officials say Shapiro will spend half of his time in Washington and half in Israel, where he’ll work out of the US embassy.

One of his main missions will be to engage in discussions with the Prime Minister’s office, foreign ministry and ministry of defense to enhance coordination and allow a more intimate dialogue about Iran.

Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018, but has been holding indirect talks with the US on a return to the deal.

While the Islamic Republic has been holding indirect talks with the Biden administration on a return to the agreement, it recently paused the talks and announced they will not resume before the new Iranian government takes office.

New Orleans Loses Power As Hurricane Ida Batters Louisiana

By

Zoe Maven

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August 30, 2021

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Powerful Hurricane Ida battered the southern US state of Louisiana, leaving at least one dead and knocking out power for more than a million people, including the whole of New Orleans.

Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm on Sunday, 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, but had weakened to a tropical storm early Monday.

The storm knocked out power for all of New Orleans, with more than a million customers across Louisiana without power, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.US.

New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell said on Twitter that they have now lost power, citywide! This is the time to continue to remain in your safe places. It isn’t a time to venture out.

Electricity provider Entergy said it was providing back-up power to New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, which operates the pumping stations used to control flooding.

The National Weather Service issued warnings of storm surges and flash floods for several areas, including the town of Jean Lafitte, just south of New Orleans, where mayor Tim Kerner said the rapidly rising waters had overtopped the 7.5-foot-high (2.3-meter) levees.

Several residents of LaPlace, just upstream from New Orleans, posted appeals for help on social media, saying they were trapped by rising flood waters.

President Joe Biden, who described Ida as “a life-threatening storm,” declared a major disaster for Louisiana, which gives it access to federal aid.

Throughout Sunday showers and strong winds swept New Orleans’ deserted streets, buffeting boarded-up windows at businesses and homes surrounded by sandbags.