News
Mining Giants Told To Pay $9.7bn Over Brazil Dam Disaster
BRAZIL DAM: A federal judge in Brazil has sentenced mining companies BHP, Vale, and their Samarco iron ore joint venture to pay 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in damages for a disastrous dam break in 2015.
The collapse of the Fundão dam in the southeast of the country resulted in a massive mudslide, killing 19 people.
It also significantly polluted the Rio Doce River, risking the waterway’s route to the Atlantic Ocean.
It needed to be clear how much each corporation was expected to pay.
Judge Vinicius Cobucci ruled that the firms were accountable for “moral damages,” or non-material harm, such as emotional distress experienced by people touched by the occurrence.
Mining Giants Told To Pay $9.7bn Over Brazil Dam Disaster
He further stated that the money, adjusted for inflation since 2015, will be placed in a state fund and used for projects and initiatives in the area affected by the dam collapse.
State and federal public prosecutors filed a civil action, and the ruling was in response.
Vale told the BBC that it had not been informed of the verdict.
The company also stated that as of December last year, the Renova Foundation, which the firms have been utilising to make compensation payments, had handed out 34.7 billion reais.
BHP did not immediately respond to the BBC’s requests for comment. Samarco declined to comment.
The ruling empowers the companies to appeal the outcome.
Samarco is a 50-50 joint venture between Australian mining company BHP Billiton and Brazilian Vale.
The accident in Minas Gerais state, which also displaced 700 people, is regarded as one of the nation’s biggest environmental disasters.
Mining Giants Told To Pay $9.7bn Over Brazil Dam Disaster
When the dam burst, it unleashed a flood of thick, red, poisonous muck, destroying the settlement of Bento Rodrigues.
It also polluted the Rio Doce River and the Atlantic Ocean 650 kilometres away, destroying animals and contaminating drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people.
A 2016 assessment concluded that design deficiencies caused the dam’s collapse.
The technical analysis that Samarco’s joint owners, BHP and Vale, commissioned did not assign blame for the tragedy.
Dams storing mining waste, known as “tailings,” typically feature walls comprising sand-like particles and clay-like silt.
According to the assessment, a change in the Fundão dam’s design between 2011 and 2012 resulted in inefficient water drainage, leading to its collapse on November 5, 2015.
The sand in the dam walls grew saturated and suddenly began to behave more like a liquid, a process known as “liquefaction”.
Mining Giants Told To Pay $9.7bn Over Brazil Dam Disaster
According to the research, a tiny earthquake on the day the dam broke may have “accelerated” the failure.
The catastrophe prompted considerable scrutiny of the mining industry’s safety policies.
BHP and Vale also face a class action lawsuit in the UK, with over 700,000 claimants.
In January 2019, another Vale-owned tailings dam collapsed in the same state near the town of Brumadinho, killing 270 people.
SOURCE – BBC
News
Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.
Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”
The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”
Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.
Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.
The Prime Minister dances.
This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.
Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf
— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024
“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”
“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.
On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”
Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.
Pro-Palestinian protests
Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.
Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.
Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.
On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.
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News
Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla
The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.
The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.
The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.
“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”
According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.
Calgary Zoo Questioned
It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.
An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.
Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.
“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.
The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.
“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.
“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.
While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”
Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.
The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.
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News
Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M
Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.
Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.
The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.
According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.
While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.
Lotto Max History
Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.
The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.
Let’s have a look at the rules:
- Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
- Numbers cannot be repeated
- Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
- Each play buys 3 lines
- Each play costs $5
Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)
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