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☆ Hot air balloon pilot had high level of ketamine in his system during crash that killed 4, toxicology report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Eric Levenson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in Arizona in January, leaving four people dead, had high levels of the psychedelic drug ketamine in his blood system, according to a forensic examination report from the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office. Cornelius van der Walt, the 37-year-old pilot of the balloon, had ketamine levels of between 1.1 to 1.2 mg/L in his system, according to toxicology testing from the FAA and from NMS Labs. For comparison, the United Kingdom considers ketamine levels over .02 mg/L to be indicative of impaired driving ability, the report says. Van der Walt had no reported prescription for ketamine, and the drug was not used during resuscitation attempts, the report states. The medical examiner’s report stems from the hot air balloon crash in Eloy, Arizona, on January 14 in which the pilot and three other people were killed.

Persons: Cornelius van der Walt, Van der Walt, van der Walt, Chayton Wiescholek, Kaitlynn Bartrom, Atahan Kiliccote, Valerie Stutterheim, Cameron Balloons Organizations: CNN, FAA, NMS Labs, US Drug Enforcement Administration, US Food and Drug Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, ” Police, NTSB Locations: Arizona, Pinal County, United Kingdom, Eloy , Arizona, Eloy, Union City , Michigan, Andrews , Indiana, Cupertino , California, Scottsdale , Arizona

☆ South Africa crime wave: This cash van guard is just one of the victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( David Mckenzie | Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Johannesburg, South Africa CNN —For South Africans, normality is a sliding scale. In October, a heavily armed gang blocked off one of the busiest highways near Johannesburg as it blew up a cash-in-transit vehicle – a security van carrying cash. Cash-in-transit, or CIT, heists are one of the most dramatic illustrations of a crime wave that has shocked even the most hardened South Africans. His argument is not entirely factual: crime affects South Africans from all walks of life, not just those earning a comfortable living. The South African police minister, Bheki Cele, recently highlighted what he called the successes of the Crime Intelligence division in tackling organized crime and rooting out corruption within the ranks of the force.

Persons: Nelson Mandela, ”, Byron Blunt, Ngwenya, —, “, Petrus Mthembu, SAPS, Athlenda Mathe, Bheki Cele, Joe van der Walt, Esa Alexander, Gareth Newham, What’s Organizations: South Africa CNN, heists, CIT heists, National Congress, ANC, CNN, “, CIT, Motor Transport Workers Union, South African Police Service, Reuters, Hawks, AK, South, Crime Intelligence, Focus Group, ” Police, Town, Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, Institute for Security Studies Locations: Johannesburg, South Africa, Africa, R350,000, Makhado, Limpopo, Cape Town , South Africa

☆ That ‘Unimaginable’ Smell in Cape Town? A Docked Ship With 19,000 Cows.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Lynsey Chutel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When a smell so foul that locals called it “unimaginable” wafted over Cape Town this week, a search for the source of the stench choking the scenic South African tourist destination led to the city’s harbor. Nearly a mile from the dock on Monday morning, Terence van der Walt, a local wine distributor, was stuck in traffic when the odor, made worse by the hot summer weather, began to drift into his car. With a smell so enveloping, rolling up his windows felt pointless. “It was so putrid,” Mr. van der Walt said on Tuesday, describing his experience. “It would have been green if this were a cartoon.”After the smell hovered over Cape Town for several hours, a team from the local environmental health department discovered the source: a 623-foot-long livestock carrier registered in Kuwait — with 19,000 cows onboard.

Persons: Terence van der, van der Walt Organizations: Terence van der Walt, Town Locations: Cape, Kuwait

☆ Four Dead in Arizona Hot Air Balloon Crash
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Daniel Trotta(Reuters) - Four people including the pilot died and another person was critically injured when their hot air balloon crashed into the Arizona desert on Sunday after eight skydivers had successfully jumped out of the basket, investigators said. "The balloon impacted desert terrain following an unspecified problem with its envelope," the NTSB said, referring to the outer bag of the balloon. "It is important to clarify that the skydiving was intentional and was successfully completed by all skydivers before any issues with the hot air balloon were evident," the Eloy Police Department said in a statement. Survivor Valerie Stutterheim, 23, of Scottsdale, Arizona, was in critical condition, police said. The company operating the flight, Droplyne Hot Air Balloon Rides, had a perfect safety record, according to its website.

Persons: Daniel Trotta, skydivers, Wiescholek, Kaitlynn Bartrom, Atahan Kiliccote, Cornelius Van Der Walt, Valerie Stutterheim, Droplyne, Eloy, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S . National Transportation Safety, NTSB, Eloy Police Department, Police, South, Company Locations: Arizona, Eloy, Phoenix, Washington, Union City , Michigan, Andrews , Indiana, Cupertino , California, South African, Scottsdale , Arizona, Moab , Utah, Carlsbad , California

☆ Mexico Pacific to sell LNG from Sonora export plant to Exxon Mobil
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Mexico Pacific said on Tuesday that a unit of Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) had agreed to buy liquefied natural gas from the Mexican company's proposed Saguaro Energia LNG export plant in Sonora state. Mexico Pacific also said ExxonMobil has an option for 1 MTPA from Train 3 at the plant. One MTPA of LNG is about the same as 0.13 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. The proposed three-train Saguaro Energia LNG facility is designed to produce about 14.1 MTPA of LNG from natural gas sourced from the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. "We look forward to working with Mexico Pacific to continue growing ExxonMobil's LNG portfolio and deliver Permian natural gas to global markets," said Peter Clarke, senior vice president of LNG for ExxonMobil Upstream Co.

Whether Mozambique and its allies can stamp out the insurgency altogether is a question that has global repercussions as countries hunt for new sources of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Mozambique has huge natural gas reserves which, if managed effectively, could transform its fortunes. With already more than 100 trillion cubic feet of proven offshore natural gas reserves, one industry insider likened its future potential equal to Russia – a natural gas giant. The Mozambican forces, as had happened multiple times in smaller towns, were unable to stop them. Fighting between the terrorist group and the Mozambican army and Rwandan Security forces has left its mark on the town.

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