Suez Canal crisis from space: see shipping backlog in satellite images


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Egypt's Suez Canal Authority on Saturday evening said that 321 ships are now waiting to pass through the vital trade route, which was blocked on Tuesday by a massive container ship wedged diagonally across the waterway.

The blockage has halted upward of $400m of trade an hour as international salvage crews and US military experts join the effort to refloat the Ever Given, a 400-metre long, 200,000-tonne vessel that became stuck shortly after entering the canal.

New video shot by a satellite shows tugboats trying to free the giant cargo ship.

"The Suez canal traffic jam is visible from space," Airbus Space, a space technology company, said on Twitter, after posting satellite imagery.

Tugs managed to shift the stricken vessel 29 meters on Saturday and dredgers succeeded earlier in freeing the propellers from the sediment that has glued the vessel to the canal's banks.

Satellite images shows the Gulf of Suez on March 21, left, and the same area with a build-up of waiting ships on March 25. ESA via Reuters.
Satellite images shows the Gulf of Suez on March 21, left, and the same area with a build-up of waiting ships on March 25. ESA via Reuters.

The video, shot by Planet Labs Inc, captured the work around the Ever Given, including dredgers, tugboats and digging efforts alongside the canal.

The European Space Agency on Friday also released space images of the traffic jam of ships waiting to pass through the Suez.

Two Suez pilots were on the ship at the time it ran aground and officials have blamed strong winds and a sandstorm.

However, Admiral Oussama Rabieh, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, said that technical or human error could have contributed.

“When it comes to big accidents like this one, there is always more than one cause. The investigation could reveal a human error or a technical fault,” he said on Saturday.

No formal investigation into how the accident occurred will begin before the ship is refloated and traffic returns to normal, he said.

At a press conference in Japan on Friday, Yukito Higaki, president of Shoei Kisen, which owns the Ever Given, said there were no signs of damage to its engines and instruments.

Additional reporting by Sarwat Nasir

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

GAC GS8 Specs

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street

The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets