Plane Crash Kills 19 In Nepal

by Kraig Becker on

A plane bound for the infamous Lukla airport in Nepal crashed yesterday, killing all 19 people on board. It is believed that the aircraft struck a bird shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu, resulting in the crash minutes later. This is the sixth such accident in the past two years, calling into question the level of air safety in the country.

The plane, operated by Sita Air, set off with 16 passengers and three crewmembers for the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla, which is the starting point for trekkers hiking to Everest Base Camp. Shortly after departure, the air traffic controllers noticed an erratic maneuver by the aircraft and when contacted by radio the pilot indicated that they had struck a vulture. The plane was attempting to safely return to Kathmandu when it went down.

Reports indicate that there were seven passengers aboard from both the U.K. and Nepal, while the other five people were Chinese nationals. Most were there on holiday and were preparing to trek in the Himalaya Mountains.

Over the past two years, 120 people have been killed in similar accidents throughout the region. Most were either on their way to or from the airport in Lukla at the time. According to the BBC, Nepalese Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has vowed to improve safety and prevent similar accidents from happening in the future, although he has not outlined exactly how he intends to improve safety just yet.

Having made that same flight a few years back, I can tell you that it is a beautiful journey into the mountains, but most of the planes look like they’ve seen their better days. At the height of the trekking season, which is just getting underway now, aircraft are constantly in and out of Lukla. That means that there are dozens of similar flights all day long, weather permitting.

Hopefully the Nepalese government will introduce a more stringent maintenance and inspection process to prevent similar problems in the future.

[Photo credit: Associated Press]

TSA Officers Fired After Stealing From Passengers

by McLean Robbins on




Have you ever arrived at your destination to find items missing from your suitcase and thought, “I wonder how that happened?” It turns out, you may have been a victim of TSA theft.

ABC News, as seen in the clip above, conducted an investigation into the security of airport screening stations. New figures show that 381 TSA officers have been fired after stealing from passengers and their luggage. The investigation tracked checked bags with iPads and cash, and also went through security checkpoints with these items in carry-on luggage.

In nine of ten cases, the items made it to their destination safely. But in Orlando, an iPad left behind ended up in the hands of a security officer. Using a device-tracking app on the iPad, investigators traced the iPad to the home of the security officer last seen with the device. After denying that he stole the item, the officer was caught red-handed when the alert for the device was heard from inside his home.

Thankfully, the officer has been terminated. We’re sure this will lead to further TSA investigations, but for now, we’d suggest putting valuable items in the safety of your well-guarded carry-on bag.

Two Australian Tourism Board Websites Hacked And Defaced From Iraq

by Jessica Festa on

If you’re planning a trip to Australia and were recently on either the Tourism Industry Council of New South Wales website or the New South Wales Tourism Awards website you may have been a bit confused, and even somewhat disturbed, at what you saw.

Earlier this week, the two NSW websites were hacked and defaced with unsettling photographs. For example, instead of pictures of Sydney Harbour and the Outback, visitors were greeted by a young woman with a gag over her face. Other images included Batman’s archenemy, the Joker, and the “V For Vendetta” Guy Fawkes mask, an iconic symbol of the Occupy Movement.

Andrew Jefferies, Tourism Industry Council NSW’s general manager, has stated the hackers have been traced to Iraq.

“I still don’t know why someone would want to hack into our two sites,” he told news.com.au. “It’s forced us to increase our security and change our passwords and back up processes to ensure that we don’t have any of these problems again.”

After being hacked on Monday and again Tuesday, the sites are now back up and running. Unfortunately, since it was traced overseas, the company doesn’t believe there is much they can do aside for keeping their guard up and working to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

[Image via edans]

United Kingdom Amusement Park Ride Is Designed To Cure Hangovers

by Jessica Festa on




After seeing a 250% increase in people puking on rides, the staff at Thorpe Park in Surrey decided to do something about it. And with the help of science, they’ve created the United Kingdom‘s first winged roller coaster, the Swarm. Not only that, but it’s designed to cure hangovers.

First, riders are shot through head first down a 128-foot drop. While this may sound counterintuitive, neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis explains the blast of oxygen on the high-speed ride actually speeds the metabolic rate of a drunk person, helping to break toxins down more quickly.

There is also a breathalyzer next to the height bar. If you fail, you’re sent to The Swarm and not allowed on any other rides until you’ve sobered up. While Thorpe Park doesn’t condone drinking and riding, they understood many freshman just starting college probably don’t realize they’re still suffering from the previous night’s partying.

“We felt it was our duty to ensure that all of our guests enjoy the extreme nature of our rides and by putting them on the Swarm, which is proven to be the ultimate hangover cure,” Mike Vallis, divisional director of Thorpe Park, told news.com.au.

For a visual idea of the ride, check out the video above.

Japan, China, Taiwan All Fighting Over Uninhabited Rock

by Kyle Ellison on

Don’t look now, but according to a recent article by CNN there is currently much ado about nothing going on in the East China Sea.

If you have never heard of the Senkaku Islands that’s okay. Nobody lives there, so it’s not as if you’re going to offend anybody. In fact, the jury remains out on whether that’s even the name of this uninhabited island group located between Taiwan and the Japanese island of Okinawa.

China refers to the islands as the Diaoyu Islands, whereas neighboring Taiwan refers to them as the Tiaoyutai Islands. Japan, meanwhile, is adamant they be called the Senkaku Islands, while English-language mariners have simply begun calling them the Pinnacle Islands, most likely because we simply have a knack for butchering Asian words.

The issue, however, is not about the name; it’s about who actually owns these islands. China claims that they have been part of Chinese sovereign territory since the 16th century, which is odd seeing as Japan officially laid claim to them in 1895.

An enterprising Japanese entrepreneur attempted to start a fish operation on the island, failed, and then subsequently sold four of the islands to the Kurihara family of Japan. With their uninhabited rocks now in hand, the islands were promptly taken over by American forces in WWII along with most of the other islands in the area until eventually being handed back in 1972.

This is where things really get weird. Japan got the islands back from the US, and from 2002-2012 the Japanese government paid the Kurihara family ¥25 million per year ($321,500) to rent the uninhabited rocks in the middle of nowhere. Finally, this past month, the government decided they were sick of renting and just went ahead and bought the islands for a cool ¥2 billion ($25.8 million).This, of course, has people in China really riled up. Anti-Japanese protests have been ongoing and there have been reports of mass burnings of Japanese flags. Complicating the matter, of course, is the fact that Taiwan actually claims that the islands in fact belong to them, but as we all know, China still considers Taiwan to be a part of China, and Japan doesn’t actually recognize Taiwan as a country in the first place.

Add to this the fact that China is still a little bitter towards Japan for occupying them at the outset of World War II, and the tensions really start to mount.

Oh, and did we mention that there appears to be oil located beneath the islands?

Stay tuned as the drama unfolds in the East China Sea, where three of the world’s largest economies all squabble over a cluster of eight guano-covered rocks.

[Image courtesy of Tjebbe van Tijen on Flickr]