Dangerous wildfires in Australia

Image captionNew South Wales is facing one of the most dangerous days of wildfires in the
state's history.

Wildfires in Australia
The Australian fire service says New South Wales is facing one of the most dangerous days
of wildfires in the state's history. There are more than a hundred fires alight, with 21 burning
uncontained in the country's most populous state.
The fire risk in some areas is at its highest level, which describes the conditions as
catastrophic -- there are high winds, dry vegetation, and temperatures are approaching 40
degrees Celsius. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said today was a very dangerous day, adding
that the word 'catastrophic' was being used for a reason.
The authorities have imposed a total fire ban and more people are being told to leave their
homes.
The truth about Australia's fires — arsonists aren't
responsible for many this season
By Kevin Nguyen, Tim Brunero, Sarah Thomas, Daniel Keane and Nicole Mills
Updated 18 Jan 2020, 11:21am

PHOTO: A firefighting helicopter tackling a bushfire in Victoria's East Gippsland region.  (AAP: State Government of
Victoria)
Only about 1 per cent of the land burnt in NSW this bushfire season can be officially
attributed to arson, and it is even less in Victoria, the ABC can reveal.

The world has been shocked by the scenes of devastation as the unprecedented destruction of
Australia's horror bushfire season rages on. The disaster has sparked significant media
speculation that many of the blazes were deliberately lit.
While it is true firebugs remain a legitimate and serious threat, we crunched the numbers provided by
police and fire authorities around the country. NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Inspector Ben Shepherd
said earlier this week lightning was predominantly responsible for the bushfire crisis.
"I can confidently say the majority of the larger fires that we have been dealing with have been a
result of fires coming out of remote areas as a result of dry lightning storms," he said.
In Victoria, where about 1.2 million hectares has burned, only 385 hectares — or 0.03 per cent —
have been attributed to suspicious circumstances.
This state-by-state breakdown reveals the true impact of arson this bushfire season.The Busbys Flat
fire, which burned through some 51,000 hectares of land and destroyed 44 homes in the village of
Rappville in northern NSW, may have been deliberately lit.
Police Minister David Elliott said whoever started that blaze in October was responsible for a "bastard
act".
A fire at Turramurra which briefly threatened homes on Sydney's north shore is also suspected of
being deliberately lit, as are a series of small fires in the Royal National Park.
NSW has been the epicentre of Australia's bushfire crisis, but the facts show arson has little to do with
it.This week, a NSW Police media release revealed 24 people had been charged over deliberately-lit
bushfires this season.
However, the majority of suspected arson relates to small grass fires and rubbish bins set alight, which
have inflicted negligible damage and burnt a tiny area compared with fires sparked by lightning.The
Gospers Mountain "mega-blaze" and the Green Wattle Creek fire, which are both near Sydney, were
ignited by lightning.
All the major blazes in the Snowy Mountains and South Coast which have taken hold since New
Year's Eve were also started by lightning.The Euroa blaze on January 4 closed a section of the Hume
Highway, burnt about 385 hectares, and destroyed no properties.
More than 1.3 million hectares has been burnt in Victoria so far this season. The Country Fire
Authority (CFA) said the majority of fires were not arson-related.
"Most of the fires have been caused by lightning," said Brett Mitchell, the CFA incident controller in
Bairnsdale, in East Gippsland.
"Our intelligence suggests there are no deliberate lightings that we are aware of."
Victoria Police had no arson figures available for this bushfire season, but said in the 12 months to
September 2019, a dozen people had been arrested for causing bushfires.Two fires which have
blackened more than a third of Kangaroo Island and killed two people, are believed to have been
sparked by lightning strikes, according to the state's Country Fire Service (CFS).
The Cudlee Creek blaze in the Adelaide Hills, which started in catastrophic conditions and killed one
person and destroyed more than 80 homes, was caused by a tree falling on power lines.
The CFS said a fire on Yorke Peninsula which destroyed homes and burnt 5,000 hectares in
November was sparked by power lines falling on grass during catastrophic fire conditions and
extreme winds.
A fire at Keilira in SA's south-east, which destroyed homes and killed thousands of livestock, has
been officially attributed to lightning strikes, after an investigation by the CFS and South Australian
Police.
Police said 10 people in SA had been reported or arrested for intentionally or recklessly causing a
bushfire since September.
Over 2.5 million hectares of the sunshine state has been engulfed by blazes since August 1. The QFES
also said about 6 per cent of the ignition causes were being treated as suspicious but 19 per cent was
being categorised as "accidental or natural".
This category includes lightning strikes.The remaining 72 per cent has been categorised as
"undetermined".The Sunshine Coast town of Peregian has been threatened by several blazes this
season.In September, two teenagers were charged with lighting a blaze there, while authorities are
investigating "suspicious" fires that also took hold there in October and December.
Queensland Police said there had been 1,068 reported bushfires between September and January 8,
114 of which had been deliberately lit. The Department of Fire and Emergency Service (DFES) said
about 2.2 million hectares of land had been burned since the start of November.
The DFES said 449 of the 1,537 bushfires across the state between November 1 and January 14 were
considered suspicious or were deliberately lit.In metropolitan areas, it was higher with 43.6 per cent
of the 679 fires being considered suspicious or deliberately lit.
A DFES spokesperson said the percentage of fires categorised as suspicious or deliberate was not an
unusual number compared to other years.The other major causes of ignitions in WA were cigarettes,
weather conditions and vehicles, which combined made up about 24 per cent of the ignition causes.
Tasmania is the only state where arson has allegedly been the overwhelming cause of fires.
Authorities attributed almost two-thirds of the blazes burning on the state's east coast and in the south
since late December to arson.
"Approximately 21,000 of the 35,000 hectares burnt is a result of deliberately lit fires," a Tasmanian
Fire Service spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, in the ACT, one person has been charged for deliberately lighting a fire, according to the
Australian Federal Police (AFP).The 20-year-old Mawson man allegedly lit several small grass fires,
although no property was damaged, and was charged with breaching a total fire ban.
Police are treating as suspicious another grass fire which started on Friday in Canberra's south.
 Corona, a mysterious virus from China has been
'investigated by people'
The number of people infected with the mysterious virus that emerged in China is far greater

than the official number, scientists told the BBC.There have been 41 new virus cases

confirmed in the laboratory, but experts in the UK estimate the number to be close to 1,700.

Two people are known to have died of the virus, which first appeared in the eastern city of

Wuhan in December.

"I am much more concerned now than I was a week ago," said a plague scientist, Prof. Neil

Ferguson.The research was carried out by the MRC Center for Global Infectious Disease

Analysis at Imperial College London, which provides advice to various world institutions,

including the UK government and the World Health Organization (WHO).

"That worries me," said Prof Ferguson.

He added: "Cases in Wuhan which then spread three similar cases to other countries suggest

there will be more cases than have been reported." It is impossible to get exact figures, but

modeling outbreaks, which is based on viruses, local populations and flight data, can provide

an illustration. Wuhan International Airport serves a population of 19 million people, but

there are only there are only 3,400 international trips per day.
Prof Ferguson said it was "too early to be vigilant" but he now claimed to be "far more
worried" than a week ago.

Chinese officials say there are no cases of spreading the virus from one human to another.
Instead they say the virus originated from infected animals at the marine culinary market and
wild animals in Wuhan.

Prof. Ferguson argues: "Society must consider more seriously the possibility of human-to-
human transmission than they believe." Understanding how the new virus spreads is an
important part of assessing how big the threat is. What is this virus? Researchers and medical
staff have taken samples of the virus from several patients. The sample has also been
analyzed in the laboratory. Chinese authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO)
concluded that this virus is a coronavirus.

Coronavirus is a group of viruses that attack humans. Six of them have been known, before
the appearance of the latest virus in Wuhan lately. SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome), which is caused by a coronavirus, has infected 8098 people in China since the
outbreak began in 2002. A total of 774 people died from the virus. "There is a strong memory
of SARS, that is the source of fear. But we are now better equipped to deal with such
diseases," said Josie Golding, a health research institute based in London, England.
Reynhard Sinaga: 'Demon sexual predator', the
largest serial rapist in British history, sentenced to
life imprisonment

Reynhard Sinaga, a man from Indonesia, was sentenced to life for life by the
Manchester Court, England in 159 cases of rape and sexual assault on 48 male
victims, for a period of two and a half years from 1 January 2015 to 2 June
2017.

Among the 159 cases there were 136 rapes, in which a number of victims were
raped repeatedly.

Under the British legal system, the identity of a rape victim, including a name,
cannot be revealed for life unless the victim chooses to reveal her identity.

Judge Suzanne Goddard in her ruling on Monday (06/01) described Reynhard

as "a sexual predator of Satan" who "would never be safe to be released."
The judge ruled that Reynhard must serve a minimum of 30 years of his
sentence before being allowed to submit forgiveness.

Reynhard Sinaga: The biggest serial rapist in British history

Since the beginning of the trial, Reynhard always said that sexual relations were
carried out on the basis of like and like.

Rape victims: 'I want Reynhard Sinaga to suffer, rot in hell, he destroys one part
of my life'
Special report on Indonesian citizens doing 'biggest rape' in the UK
BBC News Indonesia observations, after hearing the verdict, Reynhard did not
appear to react.

Goddard further said that the victims who called Reynhard monsters were the
right picture and praised the "courage" of the victims who testified in court.
Reynhard Sinaga is said to have committed this act of rape in his apartment in
Manchester city center, he in various ways invited victims to their homes and
anesthetized them with drugs mixed with alcoholic drinks.

A number of victims were raped many times by Reynhard and filmed using two
cell phones, one for short distance and one from long distance.In the verdict,
Prosecutor Iain Simkin explained the impact of rape experienced by the victims.

The victims were deeply traumatized, and some "attempted suicide" as a result
of Reynhard's "vicious predator". "If there were no my mother, I might have
killed myself," Simkin quoted a victim as reported by BBC News Indonesia
reporter Endang Nurdin .

Police said Reynhard offered liquor filled with drugs to victims.

Officials from the special crime unit, the Greater Manchester Police, Mabs
Hussain, called the serial rapes "the largest rape case in the history of British
law".

Hussain said the evidence showed the possibility of a victim could reach 190
people including 48 people whose cases had been tried through four separate
trials from June 2018 to December 2019.He added that there were as many
videos of rape video recorded by Reynhard himself as "watching 1,500 films on
DVD."

Hussain also said, "Reynhard Sinaga is a depraved individual, who seeks

vulnerable men who are happy after a night out." He added that the rape
committed by Reynhard was even requested within 10 years. Caption Ian
Rushton from the Prosecutors' Office said, "Reynhard cites the biggest rapist in
the world." While Ian Rushton, from the Prosecutors' Office who led the
investigation of the case, said Reynhard was even "the largest serial rapist in the
world." Reynhard agreed to act alone. Rapists stayed 33 times India is again
rocked by gang gang rapes The modus operandi by Reynhard, according to the
Greater Manchester Police, is to invite victims who appear vulnerable after
being drunk, or lost in their neighborhood, in a crowded area in Manchester,
England. Reynhard then put in a drug suspected of being GHB - (gamma
hydroxybutyrate) an anesthetic that attacks the nervous system - and then
mounted the camera through two of his cellphones and attacked the victim.
During the trial it was revealed that the recording of the act of rape, which was
shown to the judges, lasted from around one hour to more than six hours.

Reynhard was also said to have taken the victim's belongings, including the
clock, identity card and took a picture of the Facebook account of most victims
as a trophy (memento), police said.

When the victim woke up, according to police, he fabricated the story that they
were drunk and came to his flat or apartment or asked to come to his place of
residence to charge a cell phone.

Greater Manchester Police said 48 victims, from four separate trials, were aged
between 17 years and 36 years.All victims were white British men and most
were heterosexual and three homosexuals.

Reynhard - who stated his defense in the first and fourth trial - stated his
innocence and stated that sexual relations with men were based on mutual
pleasure.

But the victims - according to the judge based on video evidence - clearly did
not participate in this sexual relationship, and some victims were heard snoring
in the footage confiscated by the police.

The trial at the Manchester Crown Court in December 2019 was a stage four
hearing of 13 victims with 30 counts of rape and two sexual assaults.

The first stage of the trial began on 1 June to 10 July 2018 with 13 victims, the
second stage on 1 April to 7 May 2019 with 12 victims, and the third stage on
16 September to 4 October 2019 with 10 victims.

In total there were 159 charges of 48 male victims. Some victims were raped
many times.
Nadiem Erases National Examination Starting in
2021

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia - Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim

announced the National Examination (UN) will be removed in the coming 2021.
He said the National Examination which had been one of the graduation
standards for students would be held last in 2020.

Nadiem conveyed that in a joint coordination meeting with Provincial and

Regency / City Education Offices throughout Indonesia at the Bidakara Hotel,
South Jakarta, Wednesday (11/12).

"The implementation of the UN in 2021, which consists of the ability to reason

using language (literacy), the ability to reason using mathematics (numeracy),
and strengthening character education," Nadiem said.

Nadiem revealed several considerations to replace the National Examination

system with the Minimum Competency Assessment and Character Survey. The
most important thing, continued Nadiem, was because there were many
problems in the national examination.

See also: Sis Seto Proposes to Nadiem, Curriculum Adapted to Children's Needs
Nadiem said based on surveys and discussions from parents, students, to
teachers and school principals, it was mentioned that the material used in the
national examination tended to be solid. As a result, students only focus on
memorizing material rather than competence.
Not only that, Nadiem also said that the national examination held at the end of
the school level made students tend to be stressed.

"For many students, teachers and parents, because in fact this has changed as an
indicator of student success, as individuals, whereas the purpose of the UN is to
assess the education system," Nadiem said.

"Ie the school as well as the geography and education system nationally. And,
this UN only assesses one aspect, namely cognitive," continued the man who
was first known as the technology entrepreneur

On that occasion, Nadiem also explained the Minimum Competition

Assessment questions which would be a substitute for the national exam.

He claimed that the system would not only assess students, but also be able to
map schools based on the competency of the material being tested.

"Minimun Competency Assessment, is a truly competent competency in which

we can map schools and regions based on the minimum competency of the
material. The material has two cognitive parts. One is literacy and the second is
numeracy," Nadiem said.

Previously, the matter of the National Examination to determine the graduation

of students at the end of the school term was debated. The level of destruction
such as the influence of mental to learning objectives makes observers of
education demand that national exams be abolished.
Does Sophia the robot want to be
considered a human?
11 Januari 2018

Transcript

In a robotics lab at the University of Las Vegas, I've come to meet Sophia, who
looks pretty human, and is just learning to walk.
Sophia, Robot

"I want people to perceive me as the robot I am. However, I wouldn't want to
trick people into thinking I'm a human. I just want to communicate with humans
in the best possible ways, which includes looking like one."
Sophia, who's had advanced notice of my questions, has few practical uses right
now. But her creators - an American firm employing Chinese scientists - believe
she represents a big step on the road to artificial intelligence.

David Hanson, Hanson Robotics"Our aspiration is to bring the machines to life,

to create living intelligence systems and there you'll see the greatest revolution
in artificial intelligence. We're aspiring towards this. Do we know for sure that
it can be done? We think it can."

And among the thousands of new gadgets on show in Las Vegas this week,
artificial intelligence is a constant theme.There's a seeing suitcase that can
follow its owner around the airport. This friendly robot wanders around your
home filming short bursts of video to send to your phone.

And Vincent, developed in Cambridge, is a drawing programme that learns to

turn simple sketches into works of art.
And here is the most obvious example of AI: the race to transform cities
with driverless cars. This autonomous cab from Uber's rival, Lyft, still has
someone who can take over the wheel. But within a couple of years, this
company believes we'll hop into a cab which will take us across town all on its
own.
Kobe Bryant: What are the factors that caused the
fall of the helicopter carrying the legendary
basketball world?

Nine people who were in the helicopter were killed, including Bryant's 13-year-
old daughter, Gianna.

The investigation team is expected to focus the investigation on foggy weather

conditions and focus on engine problems that might be the cause of the
accident.

Bryant is considered one of the greatest players in the history of basketball.

Kobe Bryant played for 20 years for the Los Angeles Lakers. He retired in April
2016.His achievements include the NBA Player of the Year award (MVP) in
2008 and twice the best player in the NBA Finals.

Kobe Bryant and his daughter who died in a helicopter crash, January 27, 2020
in Los Angeles, California.
He has also appeared twice as the NBA's top scorer and twice became a member
of the US basketball team Olympic gold medalist.

In 2006, he gained 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest
record in NBA history in one match.Outside the basketball court, he won an
Oscar in 2018 for Dear Basketball, a short animated film based on his love letter
to basketball that he wrote in 2015.
After his death, his fans, including fellow basketball players and public figures
from all over the world, expressed sorrow.

Messages and some flower stalks were placed by fans of Kobe Bryant outside
the Mamba Sports Academy stadium in Thousand Oaks, California, January 27,
2020.
Early on Monday morning, his fans gathered and paid their respects in front of
the Lakers stadium at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. In Italy, respect is done
by silence "in all basketball games for a week".

Bryant spent part of his childhood in the country when his father played in the
Italian basketball league.
Investigation teams from the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) and the
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) gathered at the crash site to begin
the investigation process separately, reports said.

Meanwhile, federal agents have a team of about 20 people in Los Angeles and
will work with the FAA, the helicopter factory and the company that makes the
engines, the Washington Post said.The investigation team began conducting
research on the helicopter wreckage on Monday.

The location of the fall of the helicopter carrying basketball legend Kobe
Bryant.The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is helping the
NTSB team document the location of the incident, which is standard procedure,
he added.The helicopter - Sikorsky S-76B - crashed in a remote area in the city
of Calabasas west of Los Angeles on Sunday morning at 10:00 am local time.

Conditions at the scene were foggy when the helicopter took off, and the local
police had to cancel flights by helicopter because of bad weather.However,
flight traffic controllers on Sunday gave special permission to helicopter pilots
to fly in inclement weather, CNN reported.

Pilots can experience "spatial disorientation" when they fly in foggy conditions,
due to limited vision, Thomas Anthony, director of the USC Aviation Safety
and Security Program, told the BBC.

However, he added that "there was never a single factor causing a plane crash",
and the investigation team needed to look at "what things came together that
caused this tragic accident".

The S-76 helicopter is "a sophisticated helicopter that is widely used throughout
the world", he said, adding that the aircraft had two jet engines, which gave it
the ability to fly, even if one of the engines stopped working
1. Kitab Arjunawiwaha, berasal dari Kerajaan Kediri pada masa
pemerintahan raja Jayabaya. Kitab Arjunawiwa ditulis oleh Mpu Kanwa.
Dalam kitab ini diceritakan kisah perkawinan antara Airlangga dengan
putri dari Kerajaan Sriwijaya.
2. Kitab Bharatayudha juga berasal dari Kerajaan Kediri pada masa
pemerintahan raja Jayabaya. Kitab Bharatayudha merupakan karya dari
Mpu Sedah kemudian dilanjutkan oleh Mpu Panuluh. Kitab
Bharatayudha berkisah peperangan antara Penjalu dan Jenggala.
Merupakan gubahan dari Kitab Mahabaratha karangan Mpu Wiyasa.
3. Kitab Lubdaka berasal dari Kerajaan Kediri karangan Mpu Tanukung
yang berisi tentang seorang pemburu yang bernama Lubdaka. Kemudia
dia bertobat memuja dewa Siwa, seharusnya dia masuk neraka akan tetapi
kemudian masuk surga karena kesungguhannya. Kitab Lubdaka berisi
tentang kehidupan sosial masyarakat pada masa itu. Tinggi rendahnya
derajad manusia tidak didasarkan pada tingginya pangkat dan hartanya,
melainkan berdasarkan perilaku dan moralnya.
4. Kitab Negarakertagama. Berasal dari kerajaan Majapahit. Kitab
Negarakertagama merupakan karya Empu Prapanca pada masa
pemerintahan Raja Hayam Wuruk. Kitab Negarakertagama menceritakan
kebesaran wilayah Kerajaan Majapahit yang meliputi wilayah nusantara
sekarang ini dan beberapa wilayah sekitarnya.
5. Kitab Smaradahana. Kitab Smaradahana ditulis pada zaman Raja
Kameswari oleh Empu Darmaja. Isinya menceritakan tentang sepasang
suami istri Smara dan Rati yang menggoda Dewa Syiwa yang sedang
bertapa. Smara dan Rail kena kutuk dan mati terbakar oleh api (dahana)
karena kesaktian Dewa Syiwa. Akan tetapi, kedua suami istri itu
dihidupkan lagi dan menjelma sebagai Kameswara dan permaisurinya.
6. Kitab Pararaton, menceritakan mengenai pendiri kerajaan Singosari
hingga kerajaan Majapahit.
7. Kitab Sutasoma. Kitab ini disusun oleh Empu Tantular. Kitab Sutasoma
memuat kata-kata yang sekarang menjadi semboyan negara Indonesia,
yakni Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Kalimat lengkapnya adalah “Hyan Buddha
tan pabi lawan siwarajadewa rwanekadhatu winuwus wara
Buddhawisma bhineki rakwa rinapankenapanarwanosen manka n
jiwatwa kalawan siwatatwa tunggal bhineka ika tan hanna dharma
Mangruwa”.
8. Kitab Sang Hyang Kamahayanikan Mantranaya, pada abad ke-10,
Mpu Sindok dari Dinasti Isana menyebarkan ajaran dari India, yaitu
agama Buddha. Ajaran itu disebarkan di Jawa dan disesuaikan dengan
pengetahuan penduduk pada saat itu.
9. Kitab Sundayana yang menjelaskan terjadinya perang Bubat. Yakni
peristiwa terbunuhnya rombongan pengantin dari Kerajaan Pajajaran
yang hendak ke Majapahit
1. Kitab Cilpa Sastra, merupakan peninggalan Kerajaan Syailendra yang
berisi dasar-dasar pokok membuat candi.
2. Kitab Arjuna Wiwaha, ditulis oleh Mpu Kanwa pada tahun 1030. Kitab
ini merupakan peninggalan dari Kerajaan Kediri yang berisi tentang
perjuangan Airlangga dalam mempertahankan Kerajaan Kediri.
3. Kitab Smaradahana dikarang oleh Mpu Darmaja, pada masa
pemerintahan Raja Kameswara I, Kediri.
4. Kitab Bharatayuda dikarang oleh Mpu Sedah dan Mpu Panuluh, pada
masa pemerintahan Raja Jayabaya, Kediri.
5. Kitab Krisnayana ditulis oleh Mpu Triyana.
6. Kitab Hariwangsa ditulis oleh Mpu Panuluh.
7. Kitab Negara Kertagama, ditulis oleh Mpu Prapanca pada tahun 1365.
Kitab ini merupakan sumber sejarah Kerajaan Singasari dan Majapahit.
Di dalam kitab ini muncul istilah Pancasila.
8. Kitab Sutasoma, ditulis oleh Mpu Tantular. Kitab ini berisi tentang
hukum dan dijadikan dasar hukum di Kerajaan Majapahit. Dalam kitab
ini menekankan prinsip keadilan dan tidak membedakan rakyat biasa
dengan bangsawan. Jadi siapapun yang melanggar aturan atau undang-
undang harus mendapat hukuman yang sesuai