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Sad Day : The son of the ruler of Dubai dies at 33

Category: By Echo
The son of the ruler of Dubai died of a heart attack Saturday morning, state-run WAM news agency reported. Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was 33.


Al Maktoum's funeral will be held Saturday, when a three-day mourning period will start in Dubai.
He was the eldest son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the ruler of Dubai and also the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates.
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ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Category: By News Updater

ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

 

Chemical Safety Symbols

Category: By News Updater
A guide to meanings of common chemical safety/hazard symbols (a.k.a. warning labels, Danger symbols, Chemical safety labels...).  These are the European/international standard; I originaly put them online as they didn't seem to be anywhere else; they seem to still be popular judging by the number of people who read this so I've carried them over to blogger as a bit of a public service... Click on the images to enlarge, for printable label size and suitable for downloading. Feel free to use these pictures. 


Poisonous
The poison symbol is self-explanatory. Whereas most chemicals are fairly dangerous if ingested or inhaled, many of these are dangerous even on contact.




Environmental hazard
Relatively rare with laboratory chemicals (most of which pose some environmental hazard if not got rid of correctly), these require particular care to be taken on disposal.





Corrosive
Will destroy or irreversibly damage another substance with which it comes in contact. The main hazards include damage to eyes, skin and tissue under the skin, but inhalation or ingestion are also very risky.  Avoid contact, and bear in mind that these can (under some ciurcumstances) rust chemical cupboards.  


Explosive
Again, fairly self-explanatory, though fairly seldom seen in the average lab. Bear in mind that noise and movement can also trigger explosion (not just sparks/flames!).




Flammable or extremely flammable
Chemicals to be stored in flame-resistant cupboards. Volatile solvents can be a particular problem as they are prone to spread around from unsealed containers. This also covers pyrophoric materials (that catch fire spontaneously on exposure to air).


Irritant or HarmfulThis symbol covers a wide range of (sometimes relatively minor) hazards - with precautions such as avoid contact with the skin, do not breathe, etc. - best to refer to relevant data sheet for details.





Oxidising chemical
Oxidising chemicals are materials that spontaneously evolve oxygen at room temperature or with slight heating, or that promote combustion. To be kept away from flammable chemicals at all costs! 


Whereas the square symbols above (which tend to be the most familiar ones) will be found on bottles & jars, diamond shaped symbols are used in transport (mainly as they can be slotted into holders on the backs of trucks & tankers to identify what the mess is (and how dangerous it is) in the event of a leak.



Poisonous Gas
Used for transport of a poisonous gas - on gas cylinders, or sometimes as an indicator on vehicles.




Miscellaneous danger
Catch-all symbol for all other dangers (usually specified in the space).






Poison
More general symbol for the transport of poisonous materials (not necessarily a gas).





Flammable Solid
Flammable solid.





Stow away from foodstuffs
Harmful material to be kept away from edible material.







Dangerous when wet
This generally means that it will react fairly violently with water... 






Flammable Gas
Safety symbol used for the transport or storage of a flammable gas.




Non flammable gas
Safety symbol used in the transport of non flammable (and hence often non hazardous, at least out in the open) gases.



Organic Peroxide
Chemical safety symbol used in the transport and storage of organic peroxides.






Corrosive
The corrosive symbol is used in the transport of corrosive materials - again, avoid contact with the skin. 





Inhalation Hazard
Inhalation hazard transport/storage symbol.




Marine Pollutant
Marine pollutant - do not dispose of in sewer system.



Explosive
Used in the transport of explosive materials.






Spontaneously Combustible
Spontaneously combustible material (treat with great caution!...).





Flammable Liquid
Used in the transport of flammable liquids.



Other good sources for these are the HSE website, which is very complete and also explains the precise meaning of these symbols and where they should be used, as well as including common workplace safety signs. In the US, the NIOSH website includes full safety information for many chemicals and chemical families. Try also the HSE leaflets, which explain some of the issues relating to chemical transportation and various aspects of laboratory safety.  Above all, remember that this explanation is for curiosity only - there's no guarantee that any of this is correct! 



 

162 passengers feared dead after AirAsia flight QZ8501 goes missing

Category: By News Updater
An AirAsia plane with 162 people aboard went missing en route from Indonesia to Singapore on Sunday morning shortly after the pilots requested a change of flight plan because of weather, the third major aviation incident this year involving a Malaysian carrier.

AirAsia Flight QZ8501 with 155 people on board -- including one British, one Malaysian, one Singaporean, three Koreans, -- and seven crew members lost contact with air traffic control at 07.24 am local time Indonesia.

Sixteen children and one infant were among the passengers on board the AirAsia Airbus A320-200 that went missing on the flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore.

At a press conference this morning, Indonesian officials said the plane was several hours past the time when its fuel would have been exhausted.

There were unconfirmed media reports that a aircraft crashed in the waters of East Belitung, off the east coast of Sumatra.

The exact location of the crash site has not been identified, media reports said.

The aircraft was in the Indonesian flight information region, more than 200 nm southeast of the Singapore -- Jakarta FIR boundary, when contact was lost, civil aviation authority of Singapore said.

Contact with the plane was lost 42 minutes after takeoff. There were no Indian nationals on board.

The plane took off from Surabaya (Indonesia) at 5:20 am local time and was scheduled to land at Singapore's ChangiAirport at 8.30 am.

A statement on AirAsia's Facebook page said: "AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07.24 am."

"At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available," the Malaysia-based carrier said in a statement.
The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC.
"At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service," the statement said.


Indonesian Transport Ministry official Hadi Mustofa said the plane had asked for an unusual route before it lost contact, local media reported.
Air Asia said the pilot had requested "deviation" from its flight plan because of bad weather.
"The aircraft... was requesting deviation due to en route weather," it said.
Indonesia's national search and rescue agency bangka belitung said it has dispatched one vessel to search for AirAsia flight QZ8501.
"We received information from Basarnas in Jakarta that contact had been lost with an AirAsia flight over Bangka Belitung waters...We then dispatched a vessel with a search and rescue team of 22 members to check the information," Febi Imam Saputra, an information official at Basarnas Bangka Belitung, was quoted as saying by the Indonesian Antara news agency.
"If we look at the map, these coordinates refer to an area around 20 nautical miles from East Belitung," said Febi.
Search and rescue operations have been activated by the Indonesian authorities from the Pangkal Pinang Search and Rescue office.


Indonesian authorities have mobilised search and rescue operation near BelitungIsland, deploying five ships and a surveillance aircraft carrying 15 Indonesian Air Force personnel.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore has confirmed that it is linking up with Indonesian authorities to help locate the missing plane. Australia and Malaysia have also offered assistance.

A massive search is underway for the missing plane. The last detected position of the missing AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 is believed to be between Tanjung Pandan on BelitungIsland and Kalimantan, Indonesia, according to Indonesia's Director of Air Transport, Djoko Murjatmodjo.

"The position where contact was lost was between Tanjung Pandan and Pontianak, about 100 nautical miles south-east of Tanjung Pandan," said Djoko.

The pilot Captain Iriyanto has an experience of 6,100 flying hours.

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes has asked his company to stay strong. "Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We must stay strong," tweeted Fernandes, an ethnic Indian, who set up the budget airlines which now flies to several countries.

Fernandes has said that he is heading to Indonesia.

Malaysia has also offered assistance in the search operation.

AirAsia is popular in the region as a budget carrier. It has about 100 destinations, with subsidiaries in several Asian countries.

The loss of contact with the AirAsia plane comes nearly 10 months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which went missing on March 8.

Searchers are yet to find any debris from Flight MH370, which officials believe crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

Another Malaysia Airlines plane MH17 was shot down over Ukraine in July, killing all 298 on board. 

 

Cricket world mourns loss of Phillip Hughes

Category: By News Updater

Cricket united in grief as Australian batsman passes away following blow to the head

The cricket community worldwide is in mourning today following the death of Phillip Joel Hughes, aged 25.

Cricket Australia announced the news with a statement from team doctor Peter Brukner.

"It is my sad duty to inform you that a short time ago Phillip Hughes passed away," Dr Brukner's statement read. "He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday.

"He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends."

Australia captain Michael Clarke, who was commended for his efforts in supporting the Hughes family since Tuesday's incident, read out a brief statement on behalf of parents Greg and Virginia and siblings Jason and Megan Hughes.

"We're devastated by loss of our much-loved son and brother Phillip," Clarke read.

"It's been very a difficult few days and we appreciate all the support we have received from family, friends, players, Cricket Australia and the general public.

"Cricket was Phillip's life and we as family share that love of game with him.

"We would like to thank all medical and nursing staff at St Vincent's Hospital and Cricket NSW medical staff for their great efforts with Phillip.

"We love you."

Clarke bowed his head momentarily to compose himself before exiting.

Hughes was struck on the head while batting for South Australia during a Sheffield Shield game at the SCG on Tuesday, and underwent emergency surgery shortly after being rushed to St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.

He had since been in an induced coma in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Australia captain Michael Clarke, a long-time teammate and friend, was among the many from within Australian cricket to visit Hughes and his family at the hospital, offering support and well wishes.

The Australian team was due to assemble in Brisbane this weekend for next Thursday's first Test against India. Instead players from around the country flew into Sydney as the cricket family drew strength from the company of one another.

Hughes, who hailed from Macksville on the New South Wales mid north coast, was struck by a ball below the helmet while attempting to play a hook shot to a short-pitched delivery at 2.23pm Tuesday, the opening day of his team's match against NSW.

He was 63 not out at the time and pushing his case for a recall to the Australian Test team.