Third man is arrested over Essex anti-migrant protest which saw thugs clashing with riot police near asylum hotel after Ethiopian resident was charged over schoolgirl sex attack
A third man has been arrested after violent protests erupted outside an asylum hotel in Essex following the arrest of an Ethiopian resident accused of sexually assaulting schoolgirls.
What Eyewitnesses Remembered About the World's First Atomic Bomb Explosion in 1945
Historian Garrett M. Graff describes his upcoming book, The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb. "I assembled an oral history of the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II in the Pacific, told through the voices of around 500 participants and witnesses of the events — including luminaries like Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer and political figures like President Harry Truman."
It was 80 years ago this week that physicists and 150 other leaders in the atomic bomb program "gathered in the desert outside Alamogordo, New Mexico, for the world's first test of a nuclear explosion." In an except from his upcoming book, Graff publishes quotes from eyewitness:
Brig. Gen. Leslie Groves: I had become a bit annoyed with Fermi when he suddenly offered to take wagers from his fellow scientists on whether or not the bomb would ignite the atmosphere, and if so, whether it would merely destroy New Mexico or destroy the world. He had also said that after all it wouldn't make any difference whether the bomb went off or not because it would still have been a well worthwhile scientific experiment. For if it did fail to go off, we would have proved that an atomic explosion was not possible. Afterward, I realized that his talk had served to smooth down the frayed nerves and ease the tension of the people at the base camp, and I have always thought that this was his conscious purpose. Certainly, he himself showed no signs of tension that I could see...
As the hour approached, we had to postpone the test — first for an hour and then later for 30 minutes more — so that the explosion was actually three- and one-half hours behind the original schedule... Our preparations were simple. Everyone was told to lie face down on the ground, with his feet toward the blast, to close his eyes and to cover his eyes with his hands as the countdown approached zero. As soon as they became aware of the flash they could turn over and sit or stand up, covering their eyes with the smoked glass with which each had been supplied... The quiet grew more intense. I, myself, was on the ground between Bush and Conant...
Edward Teller: We all were lying on the ground, supposedly with our backs turned to the explosion. But I had decided to disobey that instruction and instead looked straight at the bomb. I was wearing the welder's glasses that we had been given so that the light from the bomb would not damage our eyes. But because I wanted to face the explosion, I had decided to add some extra protection. I put on dark glasses under the welder's glasses, rubbed some ointment on my face to prevent sunburn from the radiation, and pulled on thick gloves to press the welding glasses to my face to prevent light from entering at the sides... We all listened anxiously as the broadcast of the final countdown started; but, for whatever reason, the transmission ended at minus five seconds...
Kenneth T. Bainbridge: My personal nightmare was knowing that if the bomb didn't go off or hang-fired, I, as head of the test, would have to go to the tower first and seek to find out what had gone wrong...
Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Farrell: Dr. Oppenheimer held on to a post to steady himself. For the last few seconds, he stared directly ahead.
A few examples of how they remembered the explosion:
William L. Laurence: There rose from the bowels of the earth a light not of this world, the light of many suns in one.
Kenneth T. Bainbridge: I felt the heat on the back of my neck, disturbingly warm.
George B. Kistiakowsky: I am sure that at the end of the world — in the last millisecond of the earth's existence — the last man will see what we have just seen.
Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Farrell: Oppenheimer's face relaxed into an expression of tremendous relief.
J. Robert Oppenheimer: We knew the world would not be the same. A few people laughed, a few people cried.
Norris Bradbury, physicist, Los Alamos Lab: Some people claim to have wondered at the time about the future of mankind. I didn't. We were at war, and the damned thing worked.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
REVEALED: Weight loss injections now linked to FIVE deaths in Scotland
Fat jabs have been linked to the deaths of five people in Scotland, including one reported to watchdogs this year.
JK Rowling hits out at Nicola Sturgeon in the wake of NHS Fife trans row
JK Rowling has reignited her feud with Nicola Sturgeon - and blamed her for the SNP's handling of the NHS Fife trans row.
Marcus Rashford on the brink of Man United exit as Barcelona enter final stages of loan-to-buy agreement - with Red Devils exile approved by manager Hansi Flick
It's understood there is an agreement in principle for the deal to go through which would see Barcelona pay all of Rashford's £315,000-a-week wages and include an option to buy.
Essex firefighters tackle 48 hectares of farmland across three separate fires
Essex firefighters tackle 48 hectares of farmland across three separate fires
Love Island star Siannise Fudge blasts ITV show for 'normalising' toxic behaviour as she reveals past relationship abuse in emotional post
Fans have slammed this year's male stars for their toxicity - with allegations of 'manipulation, gaslighting and disrespect'.
Ukraine proposes fresh peace talks with Russia next week, president Zelensky says - following weeks of relentless missile strikes by Putin
In his evening address to the nation, Zelensky said the pace of negotiations should be increased and 'everything should be done to achieve a ceasefire'.
Truth behind Tube station brawl revealed: Man dumped toddler on floor to pile into massive fight
A commuter caught brawling with another man at Highbury and Islington Station in north London had been holding a toddler before dumping the child as the dispute turned violent, a witness has told.
Vehicle 'ploughs into crowd' in Los Angeles to injure at least 31 - with three fighting for life
Emergency services are responding to the scene of a collision on Santa Monica Boulevard where an 'unknown vehicle' reportedly drove into a crowd in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Boeing Fuel Switches Checked, as Critic Cites a Similar Fuel Switch Cutoff in 2019
ABC News reports:
Dialogue heard on a cockpit voice recording indicates that the captain of the Air India flight that crashed in June, killing 260 people, may have turned off the fuel just after takeoff, prompting the first officer to panic, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited sources familiar with U.S. official's early assessment... The president of the Federation of Indian Pilots condemned the Wall Street Journal report, saying, "The preliminary report nowhere states that the pilots have moved the fuel control switches, and this has been corroborated by the CVR [cockpit voice recorder] recording."
But meanwhile "India on Monday ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing aircraft models," reports Reuters, "while South Korea ordered a similar measure on Tuesday, as scrutiny intensified of fuel switch locks at the centre of an investigation into a deadly Air India crash."
The precautionary moves by the two countries and airlines in several others came despite the planemaker and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration assuring airlines and regulators in recent days that the fuel switch locks on Boeing jets are safe... [The preliminary report] noted a 2018 advisory from the FAA, which recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally... Some airlines around the world told Reuters they had been checking relevant switches since 2018 in accordance with the FAA advisory, including Australia's Qantas Airways. Others said they had made additional or new checks since the release of the preliminary report into the Air India crash.
The web site of India's Financial Express newspaper spoke to Mary Schiavo, who was Inspector General of America's Transportation Department from 1990 to 1996 (and is also a long-time critic of the FAA). The site notes Schiavo "rejected the claims of human error that a pilot downed the Ahmedabad to London flight by cutting off the fuel supply."
Schiavo exclusively told FinancialExpress.com that this is not the first time fuel switch transitioned from "Run" to "Cutoff" on its own. It happened five years ago, too. "There was an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight in 2019 in which the 787 aircraft did this itself, while the flight was on final approach. No pilot input cutting off the fuel whatsoever," Schiavo told FinancialExpress.com... "The investigation revealed the plane software made the 787 think it was on the ground and the Thrust Control Malfunction Accommodation System cut the fuel to the engines," she told FinancialExpress.com, before adding, "The pilots never touched the fuel cutoff..." Both engines flamed out immediately after the pilot deployed the thrust reversers for landing. The aircraft, which was also a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was towed away from the runway by the authorities, and no injuries were reported.
UK Civil Aviation Authority, four weeks before the crash, had warned about similar fuel system issues on Boeing aircraft [on May 15, 2025]. "The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Directive addressing a potential unsafe condition affecting fuel shutoff valves installed on Boeing aircraft," the UK regulator's notice read, listing the B737, B757, B767, B777 and B787...
Thrust Control Malfunction Accommodation informs FADEC [a digital computer] about whether the aircraft is on the ground or in the air, and if it believes the aircraft is on the ground, it may automatically throttle back the engines, without the pilot's input.
Reuters notes that the Air India crash preliminary report "said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash."
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader wired_parrot for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Love Island's latest bombshell Angel Swift 'secretly dated TOWIE hunk Dan Edgar' just weeks before entering the villa in latest twist
The stunner, 26, made her show debut on Thursday and quickly caused chaos after quickly turning Harry Cooksley's head as sparks flew between the pair.
Gwyneth Paltrow was 'sad' when ex Brad Pitt married Jennifer Aniston, bombshell book reveals
Gwyneth Paltrow put her Oscar winning acting skills to good use when her ex-fiancé married another woman. A new book claims Paltrow was sad when Brad Pitt tied the knot with Jennifer Aniston.
NATO scrambles war planes as Putin launches savage new strike on Ukraine - but dictator sees his capital Moscow hit in revenge
Russia staged a five-hour missile and drone onslaught on the strategic city of Pavlohrad - in the worst attack it has suffered during the three-year war.
Cowboy builder went on foreign holidays and golf trips as he left work unfinished and swindled customers out of £150,000
Paul Atkinson, 46, failed to finish building work at a number of homes despite taking cash from vulnerable clients and leaving them swindled out of £150,000.
The gorgeous Essex nature reserve home to orange seals
Essex is home to a large seal colony, and there are many areas in the county where the animals can be spotted
Michelin-starred chef 'shuts down restaurant' in 'the finest dining room in London' after just six months
The restaurant (pictured) now appears to have served its last diners, after stopping taking bookings and staff confirming to The Caterer it suddenly closed its doors on July 15.
Phil Tufnell is among sports stars paying tribute at funeral of England cricketer David 'Syd' Lawrence who lost battle with motor neurone disease aged 61
Fast bowler turned nightclub owner, Lawrence, 61, died after a year-long battle with the debilitating Motor Neurone Disease (MND) on June 21.
Army sergeant investigated for forcing soldiers to do pushups under MAGA banner
An Army sergeant is under investigation after a video showed him forcing soldiers to do pushups under a MAGA flag.