Houston Faces Catastrophic Flooding As Five people have died in the area

Five people have died in the Houston area

Two days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southern Texas, the city of Houston faced life-threatening, catastrophic flooding that authorities warned could become “historic.”

The National Weather Service reported on Sunday morning that while winds were decreasing and Harvey had been downgraded to a tropical storm, heavy rainfall created life-threatening hazard across much of the state’s southeast region.

Authorities in Houston, the country’s fourth largest city, declared a flood warning overnight Saturday when “a deluge” unfolded as an extremely intense band of rain pivoted through the area.

Thousands of homes in the metropolitan area were threatened by the rising water.

Emergency management officials asked residents to avoid roads and told those escaping the rising waters to not stay in their attics but get on the roof.

Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport canceled all inbound and outbound flights.

The city’s emergency services tweeted around 6.30 a.m. they were at capacity and asked residents to only call if they faced imminent danger.

Source: Houston Faces Catastrophic Flooding As Tropical Storm Harvey Lingers With Pouring Rain

Renowned anti-poaching leader murdered by gunmen in Tanzania

NAIROBI — A leading wildlife conservationist who pioneered new techniques to catch elephant poachers and ivory smugglers was shot and killed in Tanzania on Wednesday.

Wayne Lotter, a 51-year-old South African, was in a taxi in Dar es Salaam when it was stopped by another vehicle. Two men opened the car door and one shot him.

Lotter had for years received threats against his life, according to his organization, the PAMS Foundation, which he founded in 2009. He worked closely with the Tanzanian government during a period in which poaching surged. From 2009 to 2014, the elephant population in Tanzania collapsed from 109,051 to 43,330, according to government data.

Lotter’s killing is being investigated by Tanzanian authorities. It remains unclear whether his death is related to his anti-poaching work. Reuters reported that his laptop was stolen in the attack.

“Through his work with PAMS he helped train thousands of village game scouts in every corner of the country. His ground-breaking work in developing an intelligence-based approach to anti-poaching helped successfully reverse the rampant rates of poaching facing Tanzania,” the organization posted on its Facebook page.

Source: Renowned anti-poaching leader murdered by gunmen in Tanzania – The Washington Post

UK 6 high-speed theme park rides closed after people flung from similar ride in the US

High-speed pendulum rides have been closed in England and Wales after the death of a US teenager.

Six high-speed theme park rides have been shut across the UK after a death on a similar attraction in the US.

An 18-year-old man died and three others were critically injured after being flung from the ride at the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday.

The ride, known as the KMG Afterburner, swings at high speed from side-to-side while also spinning passengers.

The Health and Safety Executive ordered the re-inspection and temporary closure of similar rides in the UK.

Three of the rides closed are in theme parks, Pleasurewood Hills in Suffolk, Coney Beach in South Wales and Brean Theme Park in Somerset.

The other two rides are owned by Ryan Crow Amusements in the North East of England and by Joseph Manning in Hertfordshire.

Lightwater Valley in North Yorkshire has voluntarily closed its pendulum-style ride until the HSE has deemed the KMG Afterburner safe.

Source: UK theme park rides closed after Ohio death – BBC News

Donald Trump is ‘greatest threat to international security’, says former MI6 head

America led by Donald Trump is the greatest menace facing the world today, Sir John Sawers, a former head of MI6, has declared, warning the policies being pursued by the divisive US President are “going to have a major disruptive effect” globally.

Sir John was speaking at the annual Herzliya security conference in Israel where senior public figures from the field of politics, military, and intelligence were asked who, in their view, presented the greatest threat to international security.

Some said it was Isis, others Islamist terrorists and North Korea with its nuclear capabilities. Others, perhaps mindful of where they were, talked of Iran and the Lebanese Shia militia, Hezbollah, both considered mortal enemies by the Jewish state.

But Sir John, who was the last chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, stated: “I have got serious reservations about Donald Trump as President of the United States.”

He continued: “The biggest threat the world faces is how we all adjust to the progressive withdrawal of responsible American leadership and the network of alliances that America maintained with Europe, with Asian countries and the partnerships they had across the region.”

Source: Donald Trump is ‘greatest threat to international security’, says former MI6 head | The Independent

London Marathon Mary Keitany wins her third London Marathon and it’s in world record time!

Mary Keitany wins her third London Marathon and it’s in world record time!

This is a seriously impressive run by Mary Keitany.

Ruthless from the start and managed to get over the wall she looked like she hit in the middle.

She’s going to win this race – it’s just a case as to whether this will be a world record time…

Source: London Marathon 2017 live results and best pictures as thousands of runners hit the streets of the capital – Mirror Online

SPOILER! Emmerdale’s Ashley collapses and starts coughing up blood

Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter dies aged 86

Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse series, died at his home in Oxford this morning, his publisher Macmillan has said.

The crime writer, 86, was known for his novels, which were written between 1975 and 1999 and later became an ITV series from 1987 to 2000.

Source: Inspector Morse author Colin Dexter dies aged 86 | Daily Mail Online

Judge exempts Syrian family from Trump’s travel ban