Up to 800 Killed, Many More Injured in Saudi Stampede

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Saudi Govt INCAPABLE of Protecting Citizens, Guests

Second Right Royal F**k Up in Less Than Two Weeks

At least 717 people have been killed and nearly 900 others injured in yet another deadly stampede, while participating in the “Stoning of Satan,” Hajj’s last major rite in Mina, near the Islamic holy city of Mecca, said Saudi Arabia’s  civil defense directorate.

The stampede occurred at the junction of Street 204 and Street 223 in Mina at about 09:00 (06:00 UTC), the officials said.

The head of the central Hajj committee, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, has blamed the stampede on “some pilgrims with African nationalities,” reported Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV.

However, one of the foreign Hajj organizers told a news agency that two of the routes to the Jamarat pillars had been inexplicably closed off by the Saudi authorities, resulting in the build-up in pilgrims, which lead to the deadly stampede, said a report.

The disaster follows another deadly incident less than two weeks ago when a crane collapsed at Mecca’s Grand Mosque killing at least 109 people and injuring hundreds of others.

On September 12, 2015 Fire-Earth said

Explosions, Stampedes, Protests, Disease Epidemics and Failures of Crowd Control

In recent years, thousands of pilgrims have been killed and many more injured in dozens of evitable incidents during the Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, when about 3 million people visit the city.

The most recent incidents include

• Deadly stampedes in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006.
• Explosions and fires in 1975, 1997, and 2007.
• Protest and Violence in 1987 1nd 1989.
• Spread of epidemics (dates and casualty toll unknown/ undisclosed)
• Collapsing Infrastructure and Road Deaths.

The Saudi authorities have proven time and time again that they are too incompetent to prevent otherwise avoidable disasters that have led to so many thousands of deaths and injuries.

However, we cannot rule out that some of the bloody incidents may have been intentional.

Related Links

• Deadly Crane Crash Strikes Worshipers in Grand Mosque, Mecca  September 12, 2015

New Corn Disease Detected in the Midwest

Tar spot, a corn disease new to the U.S., reported in Indiana, Illinois

“Tar Spot,” a new disease affecting corn crops, has been confirmed in DeKalb, LaSalle and Bureau counties in Illinois, agriculture officials said.

The disease, not previously reported in the United States, was also identified in Indiana about two weeks ago after samples submitted from an Indiana field in the Cass/Carroll county area were diagnosed at the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Lab (PPDL) confirming the presence of Phyllachora maydis fungus, said a report.

“There are actually two fungi that cause tar spot disease on corn: Phyllachora maydis and Monographella maydis,” said University of Illinois Plant Clinic director Suzanne Bissonnette. “While Monographella maydis is known to be able to cause economic yield losses in Latin America, Phyllachora maydis is not known to significantly reduce yield. Other pathogens may be confused with tar spot, especially the overwintering teliospore or black phase of corn rust. Also, there are many fungi, called saprophytes that feed on dead corn tissue and form black splotches on the leaves.”

So far, only Phyllachora maydis, has been detected in Indiana and Illinois.

To date, cases of tar spot have been detected in at least four locations in Indiana and three in Illinois, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed.

Symptoms and signs of tar spot include brown lesions and black fungal structures. Lesions can cause large blighted areas of tissue. Source: Pest & Crop Newsletter/ Purdue Cooperative Extension Service/ Purdue University.

The disease was previously found in cool humid areas at high elevations in Latin America including Mexico, Central and South America.

“It looks like it came up out of that area,” said Bill Dolezal, a research fellow for seed company DuPont Pioneer, according to a report.

“Tropical Storm Bill, which brought rain to the central United States in June after spinning through the Gulf of Mexico, may have transported the disease,” Dolezal believes.

In 2004, an active hurricane season is thought to have brought a soybean disease called Asian soybean rust into the United States from South America for the first time.

Recently, farm animals have suffered more than crops from new diseases entering the country from abroad. This year, the United States suffered its worst animal-disease emergency ever in poultry from a strain of bird flu that originated in Asia.

In 2013, a pig virus never before seen in the United States was found. Previously seen in Europe and Asia, it has since killed millions of baby piglets. It’s still unclear exactly how the virus arrived. [See report]

Related Links

• Nature Upgrading Her Forces into Quasi-exotic Weapons? Posted on October 29, 2012