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Obama feared a “one-term presidency” after passing the health care law

Sabir Ansary — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 13:12:39 +0000

By the time his ambitious health care legislation was introduced and chopped up and cursed and left for dead and revived and compromised and passed and finally signed into law, the entire process had taken its toll on President Barack Obama.

Passing the Affordable Care Act would be his signature legislative achievement, but it propelled Republicans to a landslide midterm election victory and control of the House of Representatives. And Mr. Obama thought he might be the next to pay the price at the ballot box. “This will be a one-term presidency,” he told an aide in late 2010.

He turned out to be wrong, but the fatalism Obama expressed privately that day reflected the dire consequences of one of Washington’s most consequential legislative battles in modern times. A new series of oral histories released Fridayon the eve of its 14th anniversary on Saturday, documents the behind-the-scenes struggle to transform the nation’s health care system to cover tens of millions of Americans without insurance.

The interviews with key players in the drama were conducted by Incite, a social science research institute at Columbia University, and were made public as the second phase of a yearslong effort to document the eventful times under the country’s 44th president. The transcripts, posted online Friday, include recollections from 26 members of the White House staff, his Cabinet and Congress, as well as activists, advocacy group figures and a handful of Americans who made their voices heard, but not the former president himself or, for example, what matters, his Republican opponents.

The oral histories chronicle Obama’s journey from an uninformed candidate embarrassed by the banalities he uttered during his campaign to a beleaguered president who gambled his political future on all-or-nothing legislative mismanagement. They also paint a portrait of Mr. Obama as a steadfast, hyper-disciplined but not particularly warm policy man who searched the Brookings Institution website for ideas and had to overcome his own political mistakes.

The story of the Affordable Care Act, in a sense, began at a candidate forum on health care in 2007, when Obama faced off against Senators Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Joseph R. Biden Jr., among others. for the Democratic presidential nomination. “Senator Obama was terrible,” recalls Neera Tanden, who worked for Clinton at the time. ‘He was faint. He had no experience with this issue, so he kept talking about, “This is why we need to come together.”

Obama knew he had done a bad job, and it made him take the issue more seriously, she said. “I honestly think if he hadn’t been kicked in the ass, he wouldn’t have put together such a detailed plan,” Ms. Tanden said.

After Mrs. Clinton lost and Mrs. Tanden joined the Obama campaign in 2008, she said, “A lot of his advisers said, ‘We should just drop this health care thing.’ He said very clearly, “I’ll do health care when I’m president. You have to figure out how we succeed in the campaign to build a mandate, but I will.’”

Upon taking office in January 2009, Obama tackled a challenge that had irked presidents of both parties, most recently Bill Clinton, whose first term nearly collapsed after he himself failed to pass sweeping health care legislation. Mr. Obama’s advisers were determined to learn from the mistakes of the past.

By developing their own plan publicly and involving major players with stakes in the issue, such as insurance companies and congressional leaders, the Obama administration hoped to build support rather than simply adopt a secretly crafted plan to Congress, as the Clintons had done in the 1990s.

“The Clinton administration was focused inward on the perfect policy — and I was part of that, so I don’t want to sound ‘alien’ about it,” says Nancy-Ann DeParle, a Clinton administration veteran turned director of the Clinton administration. Obama’s Office for Health Reform in the White House. “The Obama administration was the opposite. It focused much more on stakeholders and people and made Congress do the work of debating policy and passing a bill.”

But Mr. Obama made his own misjudgments. Ms. Tanden, who became a senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services and admired Mr. Obama’s determination to make sweeping reforms, said his team nevertheless spent “an inordinate amount of time” on smaller issues rather than systemic issues and that she didn’t. initially expected abortion to become a “big problem.”

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a special adviser on health care who also appreciated that Mr. Obama “never wavered,” said the White House should have sent members of Congress home for their summer recess in 2009 with a slide deck to describe the plan components. “We didn’t do our job, and I think that was a big mistake,” recalled Dr. Emanuel himself. “They needed better tools to explain it to people.”

Peter R. Orszag, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, got a taste of the plan’s misunderstandings and distortions while vacationing in Maine that summer, where he saw signs in front of stores falsely warning of “death panels.” that would supposedly arise through the legislation.

“That was probably the first time it really hit me,” he said, “just seeing board after board after board about things that — you can see why people might think that’s where it would go.”

Hopes for Republican support then virtually evaporated, leaving Obama only able to work with the Democrats. He was deeply involved in negotiating. Kathleen Sebelius, then secretary of Health and Human Services, recalled a key meeting in January 2010 to reconcile different versions of the plan. “The president led these negotiations from start to finish,” she said. “He was the chief negotiator.”

It would eventually pass, but not without painful concessions and legislative machinations. Mrs. Sebelius talked about the champagne party on the Truman Balcony in the White House the night it passed. Mr. Biden, then vice president, told her: “This is the most important thing the president will do for the international community.”

She asked what he meant. “The world will now know when this young president says, ‘I will do something,’ he will do it,” Mr. Biden responded.

Yet Mr. Obama did not know how much time he would have to do anything else. Ms. DeParle was the aide who recalled Obama musing about just one term as he tried to persuade her to stay in the White House after health care.

“That’s fine with me,” he said of a possible four-year presidency, “as long as we can do the things that I think are important.” But Ms. DeParle found his comment “very surprising” and thought to herself, “Gosh, this is my fault.”

Mrs. DeParle made some of the most personal observations of the ascetic president. She said, among other things, that he refused to eat in public and only ate at his regular times every day. When he ate with his staff, you “eat with him in silence” while he read or prepared for his next event. And his meal was almost always the same: salmon or dry chicken breast, brown rice and broccoli.

“Trust me,” she said. “That was it.” His only nod to taste? “Add lemon juice, or some lemon.” And never dessert. “To him, eating is like putting a coin in the meter,” she said. He wouldn’t even eat cake even though he said he liked cake. “He has no weaknesses that I can see,” she said.

Ms. DeParle found him a mystery and only came to understand Mr. Obama when she accompanied him to his home state of Hawaii. “The waves come in and go out,” she said. “He has a calm demeanor, which is the same for me. He doesn’t worry about anything. And the fact that he was in a place that was as close to Tokyo as it was to New York – he has an international point of view,” she added. “He sees the world differently than many American presidents.”

It turned out that he obviously had two terms for that. And the Affordable Care Act, for all its birth pangs and flaws and Republican efforts to repeal it, remains the law of the land.

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Kate and William find themselves in crisis like never before. So how grimly predictable that Meghan would swoop in with this plain, beige relaunch… and, warns MAUREEN CALLAHAN, such a messy royalty sale is exactly what the late Queen always feared

Albert Elence — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 22:30:20 +0000

Just when you think Meghan Markle might exhibit some of that kindness she so loves to praise — well, she can’t. She won’t do that.

On the same night that her husband and his estranged brother Prince William appeared separately at an awards ceremony in honor of their late mother — and as gross speculation about Kate Middleton’s illness, the doctored family photo and even the strength of her marriage reached a fever pitch — Meghan is launching a lifestyle brand on Instagram.

What’s even worse, hours later, she and Harry announced their own $100,000 NAACP Empowerment award through Archewell.

Meghan Markle, like nature, abhors a vacuum.

‘American Riviera Orchard’ is the latest addition to Brand Sussex, and it’s as beige and basic as our Duchess of Despair and her endless grievances.

The urgent text from a friend said it all: “I can’t handle it.”

Who among us can do that? Especially those of us who stayed with them in the United States.

Just when you think Meghan Markle might exhibit some of that kindness she so loves to praise, well, she can’t. She won’t do that

‘American Riviera Orchard’ is the latest addition to Brand Sussex, and it’s as beige and basic as our Duchess of Despair and her endless grievances.

Let’s make one thing clear: we don’t call our coasts in America “river axis.”

They are beaches, lake shores or bays. We love them, we sunbathe with them, we hike and picnic and walk our dogs, but we don’t call them ‘rivieras’.

As for that “orchard,” it’s clearly meant to be reminiscent of her and Harry’s grand $14 million estate in Montecito, replete with fruit trees, a chicken coop and rose gardens.

You know, the things that average American women can relate to as inflation destroys the dream of ever owning a starter home. But buy Meghan’s expensive kitchenware!

Oh, does she stay on-brand as always – and by that I mean a ton of contradictions.

Let’s abort this relaunch while holding the notions of compassion close, lifting up our fellow women (except Kate, of course, because Kate made her cry), holding space, and begging for privacy as we continue the Worldwide Privacy Tour.

We open the promotional video with a woman’s hand arranging pink and white roses against a backdrop of greige, the film is filtered to look old-fashioned, as Nancy Wilson – and I defy anyone under 50 to know who that is – sings: to a dirty big band, swing time sound, ‘I Wish You Love’.

Ha! Meghan Markle, know yourself.

If she had wished love on anyone, especially her estranged, suffering in-laws – including King Charles, who is currently battling cancer – she would have stopped this highly unnecessary brand reveal.

On the other hand, Meghan has always unnecessarily inserted herself into stories, into victimhood – into our lives! – with unrelenting force.

So why not the lifestyle cooking wellness area? God knows it’s not overcrowded, with Goop and Martha Stewart and Oprah and any number of Kardashians.

Our next shot is a blurred, soft look at Meghan, from a distance, preparing something in her kitchen while wearing an expensive-looking white top, as so many of us do.

Because when we think of Meghan, we immediately think of cooking, sweets, treats – the jams and preservatives she will be selling here, along with an upcoming cookbook.

Yes, few public figures of our time evoke heart and warmth, the comfort of home and family unity as she does.

This action shot is, as it were, followed by a long look through an arched stone corridor at a woman in silhouette, dressed in a black ball gown – for daytime. Could this be our Duchess?

If she wanted love from anyone – especially not her estranged, suffering in-laws – she would have stopped this extremely unnecessary brand reveal.

So why not the lifestyle cooking wellness area? God knows it’s not overcrowded, with Goop and Martha Stewart and Oprah and any number of Kardashians.

Against a clear sky, she appears to bend down to pet a dog and then stand back up to… well, it’s unclear why she’s back there at all, or what she’s even doing.

Then we flash to the title card, ‘American Riviera Orchard’ – written in the style of Meghan’s famous calligraphy – with a faint royal insignia above it, all in thin gold embroidery.

Class or trash? I vote for the latter.

This was everything the late Queen Elizabeth feared: the Sussexes trading royalties, using it to buy some copper cookware and starting a knock-off Ina Garten show, while capitalizing on their family, never more in crisis than now.

With the king having retired from his public duties and the downsized monarchy suffering from Kate’s extended absence, Meghan applies for a US trademark for the sale of tablecloths, napkins, glasses, decanters, jams and jellies.

It’s a pedestrian on the edge of the camp.

The more seriously Meghan takes herself, the more her personal brand suffers. The more she exploits her gripping desire for fame and relevance, the further she falls in the public’s appreciation.

That ball gown! The idea that we can’t see her up close! What is this, the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah? Will we all turn to pillars of salt when we see her?

Quick question: will Meghan sell salt? Not just any salt, mind you – like pink salt, sea salt from the world’s rarest, most exotic bodies of water? Rivieras, if you will.

The thrust of every celebrity lifestyle brand is hubris. It is based on the founder’s self-confidence almost every other woman wants to be her.

Who does Meghan Markle want to be?

Incredibly, this new Instagram account has amassed around 200,000 followers in the few hours since its launch, even though the account doesn’t follow anyone else.

Consider the quotes from a source claiming to be close to Harry and Meghan earlier this week, but which have since been denied by the couple.

After Kate took the blame for the botched Photoshop mistake (and I will never believe Kate was responsible for that), we were told that “this is not a mistake Meghan would ever make.”

Of course not! Meghan is too busy making the most insensitive, tone-deaf, poorly timed, harsh launches (and relaunches) on the planet.

In case we didn’t get the message, this alleged source added that Meghan “has a keen eye and a whimsical attention to detail.”

That must have cost her that lucrative Spotify deal. It’s that kind of work ethic that led director Bill Simmons to call both Harry and Meghan “bloody frauds,” who did very little work and had terrible ideas.

It’s that kind of “attention to detail” that kept Meghan from ever Googling the royals, and especially Prince Harry, until she met them. Or thinking that the British royal family, and especially the revered Queen Elizabeth, were characters from the Middle Ages.

It’s Meghan’s keen eye that instructed us on how to bow to the Queen and gave us a sarcastic, deeply contemptuous recreation in that Netflix series — an unmistakable act of mockery that left even Harry looking pained.

So forgive us, Meghan, if we still fail to buy what you’re selling. Even if it’s just some cloth napkins and overpriced jam.

The post Kate and William find themselves in crisis like never before. So how grimly predictable that Meghan would swoop in with this plain, beige relaunch… and, warns MAUREEN CALLAHAN, such a messy royalty sale is exactly what the late Queen always feared appeared first on USMAIL24.COM.

Hundreds of people are feared to be seized in Nigeria as the kidnapping epidemic worsens

Jeffrey Bailey — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 20:05:55 +0000

They were already living under great hardship in camps for displaced people after fleeing their homes in Nigeria’s embattled northeast. Recently, they risked a trip into the countryside to collect firewood — and some officials say about 200 of them were kidnapped.

Just days later, dozens of children – if not more – were abducted on Thursday from a primary school some 500 miles away in central Nigeria.

It was unclear who was responsible and no statements were made by security services. The first incident took place in the region terrorized by Boko Haram, the ruthless Islamist group with a history of mass kidnappings. Residents told local media that bandits carried out the second.

But the two had key elements in common: they involved some of society’s most vulnerable people and showed that Nigeria’s successive governments and armed forces have failed to bring peace and stability to a divided country.

Parts of Nigeria, a West African nation that is the most populous on the continent, are plagued by crime and violence, and the 15-year-old Boko Haram insurgency in the north continues. Boko Haram’s kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from their student houses in the town of Chibok ten years ago led to international outrage, is still an open wound; 98 of the victims are still missing, according to Amnesty International.

More than 3,600 people were kidnapped in Nigeria last year – the highest number in five years, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Projectalthough the actual number is likely much higher as many episodes go unreported.

The details of the two most recent mass kidnappings remain extremely murky.

The first took place in Borno State, which was at the heart of the Boko Haram insurgency. In the northeast, more than two million people have left their homes and livelihoods to take refuge in camps in garrison towns, struggling to eke out a meager existence. The cities are defended by the Nigerian army and surrounded by trenches behind which jihadist groups operate.

According to Mohamed Malick Fall, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Nigeria, the people kidnapped in Borno – many of them women and children – ventured from one such town, Ngala, near the Cameroon border, in search of firewood to sell. He said they were seized by members of an armed group, who released some elderly women and some children under the age of 10.

“The exact number of people kidnapped remains unknown but is estimated at more than 200 people,” he said in a statement.

The member of the House of Representatives representing Ngala, Zainab Gimba, put the number at 300, according to Nigerian media reports, and she and other lawmakers called on security forces to free the abductees.

But Babagana Zulum, the governor of Borno state, warned the numbers could be too high, saying some of those kidnapped could have gone voluntarily, even to join the militants.

“We are yet to determine the exact number of abducted victims,” he said. “Some may have decided to go voluntarily.

The incident “is about recruitment” for militant groups, the governor said. “They have lost their members and their numbers are depleted and they are now looking for new recruits and women.”

The kidnapping took place a week ago, but news of it did not become widespread for several days.

“Those who venture outside the protective trenches surrounding these towns to forage or farm do so at great risk,” Mr. Fall said, “with killings, kidnappings, forced recruitment and sexual and gender-based violence.” He added that authorities must do more to help displaced people earn a living so they do not have to risk their lives collecting firewood.

Governor Zulum said last month that the government could not do more for displaced communities facing economic hardship, and that the money spent on food and other items for them had already “gigantic.”

Mr Zulum has pursued what analysts call a “aggressive program” of closing camps and relocating displaced people, despite a lack of security in the areas to which they are returned.

The kidnapping took place on Thursday in Kuriga, a small town in Kaduna State. Residents told local media that students had just finished their morning meeting when armed men appeared and marched children into a nearby forest. The school had recently moved from the countryside to the city to improve safety.

There was no official statement from authorities on Thursday afternoon, although Senator Shehu Sani said as many as 232 students could have been kidnapped. a message on X that he was ‘optimistic that their freedom would be secured’.

Nigeria, a diverse country of more than 200 million people, faces many complex security challenges, including herder-farmer conflicts, separatist movements, piracy and violence related to oil theft, as well as jihadist insurgencies, including that of Boko Haram. Kidnapping is a hallmark of all, This is reported by the Nigerian analysis agency SBM Intelligenceand the main motivation is to pay the ransom.

Part of this ransom is paid in cash. Others are paid in food or medicine. Many of the Chibok girls were released in exchange for ransoms that could run into the millions of dollars.

Ismail Alpha contributed reporting from Maiduguri, Nigeria.

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Fire in Darling Downs, Queensland: One feared death in massive bakery fire

Albert Elence — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 22:11:11 +0000

By Kylie Stevens for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 4:17 PM EST, March 6, 2024 | Updated: 5:06 PM EST, March 6, 2024

One person has been killed after a popular bakery and adjoining house were destroyed by a massive fire.

Firefighters are at the scene battling the inferno at the Duo Bakery and Cafe in Highfields near Toowoomba in Queensland’s Darling Downs region, which broke out shortly before 6am on Thursday.

Buildings on the New England Highway were “well engulfed” by the time crews arrived, a Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

Police have now confirmed that one person died in the fire.

Firefighters and police remain on the scene (pictured) of a massive fire that destroyed a bakery and an adjacent house

“Initial investigations show that there was one person in the home at the time,” a police statement said.

‘Investigations are ongoing. No further information is available at this time.”

It took the fire brigade half an hour to extinguish the fire.

Crews remain on scene to extinguish hot spots while a fire investigator is en route.

It is currently unclear what the cause of the fire is and whether it started in the bakery or in the adjacent home.

The police have set up a crime scene.

Queensland Ambulance crews are also at the scene

Northbound lanes of the New England Highway are affected.

Firefighters were called to the massive inferno around 5:50 a.m. on Thursday (image)

One person is missing after a fire at the Duo Bakery and Cafe in Highfields

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I was friendly to Steven Gerrard and feared we would need four ambulances

Jeffrey Bailey — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 19:37:57 +0000

LEE BELL has recalled the day he thought Crewe Alexandra would need FOUR ambulances on standby because of an angry Steven Gerrard.

The Railwaymen boss was in the team for a pre-season friendly at Gresty Road against Liverpool, while Gerrard received dog abuse for flirting with a move away from Anfield.

Lee Bell is doing wonders in League Two with Crewe

The talented boss remembers playing against Steven Gerrard on the pitchCredit: AFP

He said: “It was rumored that Gerrard would leave not long after Rafa Benitez came as manager.

“Stevie G had a face like thunder on him and he was going around like a chainsaw – cutting people down and in a bad mood. I thought, ‘How can this guy not be in Rafa’s plans?’

“I thought we’d need four ambulances that day!”

But he is finding success at Crewe by placing himself in the PlayStation 5 era.

Even though you have the third LOWEST budget in League Two, the Railwaymen host Morecambe on Saturday and sit third in the table.

And anyone who says you can’t win anything with children should tell it to the Crewe boss, who is challenging his young team for promotion.

The 41-year-old former Crewe, Burton, Mansfield and Macclesfield midfielder says the key to his early managerial success was his ability to put himself into the young man’s world.

He told SunSport: “I still play the Master System and have to ask my 14-year-old son to fix the TV and WiFi when it breaks.

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“Neil Baker, who was an assistant here for many years, once said to me, ‘You have to get into their world, not them into yours.’

‘He said, ‘You had a different upbringing than they did. Look at your son, he doesn’t live in a council house like you and he sees his father all the time.’

Steven Gerrard hits back with X-rated response as Gary Neville says he ‘tapped’ him for Man Utd transfer in time

“So it’s important to do a lot of listening and understanding – finding out how they are doing, what family they have, what needs they have.

“You want to create a good group, so you have to get to know the dynamics of the individuals.

“I sound old-fashioned, but when you look at football boots now you think, ‘Wow, they’re different than I remember.’

“But my son Noah, who is at our academy, plays his music in the car while I drive. So if one of our players puts on a song in the locker room, I can comment on it.

“It’s a small example of how you get into their world, instead of forcing them into yours.”

Bell has quickly built a reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in the EFL.

His love affair with the Railway Men goes back to the time when he started as a youth player at the age of twelve and went on to make 148 appearances in two spells.

Bell was in a Crewe team that included Dean Ashton, Rob Hulse, David Vaughan, Dave Brammer and club legend Kenny Lunt.

The Alex boss laughed: “The day before I made my debut, manager Dario Gradi said to me during shooting training: ‘If you hit the target, you will be in the squad tomorrow.’ So I put a shot straight at the keeper and I was in action for the last twenty minutes against Northampton!”

But while Bell loved life as a pro, he soon realized he had to string his bow for the day he retired.

Bell have taken Crewe to third place despite their modest budget

Bell spoke exclusively to SunSport’s man Justin Allen

And through current England assistant manager Steve Holland, who was part of the Crewe staff, he started working on his coaching badges.

Bell is passionate about teaching young footballers about the importance of a career for life after playing.

He said: “I believe the support network needs to be better for lower league footballers, especially in their mid-20s.

“When we sign a player and give him a tour of the training ground, I show him our classroom. I say, ‘Use this room, think about what you want to do after playing.’

“We have a few players who are graduating now. For example, Conor Thomas, who is now 30, is doing coaching and a master’s degree.

“There is a group of four or five boys who are going to get their UEFA B license at the club.

“Some footballers retire in their early thirties and don’t know what to do with their lives. We must do more to tackle this problem.

“Footballers are largely working class, so the people I played with or against ended up in the construction industry.

‘If I hadn’t become a coach, I would have done bricklaying or something like that.

“But there is so much room for players to continue in football – with the experience they have. It doesn’t necessarily have to be at a club, it could be working for the PFA or another organisation.

It’s a win-win situation for everyone: we get good young talent and top clubs introduce their players to competitive league football.

Lee Bell

“You also have to look at the mental health of footballers who retire because they have families.

“The divorce rate is so high among ex-footballers.

It is the largest of all sectors: about 60 percent of marriages fail after retirement.

“Unless you’ve done it, it’s hard to explain what it’s like to be around a group of people every day and get paid to do something you love, and then suddenly stop, as it did for me because an injury.

“Luckily at the age of 24 I realized you don’t make life-changing money outside the top divisions, you have short-term contracts of one or two years, so I started with my coaching badges.”

Crewe has had an excellent reputation for developing young talent for decades – which is why Premier League and Championship clubs are happy to loan some of their own to learn the trade at the Mornflake Stadium.

Bell’s children include 20-year-old Liverpool goalkeeper Harvey Davies, the fantastically named Brighton defender Ed Turns, 21, and Huddersfield midfielder Josh Austerfield, 22.

And Alex’s boss said: “The minutes that loan players are getting here are excellent.

“At the end of the day, Liverpool, Brighton and Huddersfield have given us players, not because they care about Crewe, but because their players are going to develop. They want to know what we do for them.

“Because we play them, we get that confidence. Brighton gave us James Beadle last season and now they’ve given us Ed. It’s a win-win situation for everyone: we get good young talent and they introduce their players to competitive football.”

Bell has been a coach for nine years now. He worked with under-18s and under-23s before becoming assistant boss and then manager in November 2022.

He said: “I am ambitious and want the club to progress. I want to achieve something and for my career as a manager to be better than my playing career.”

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Four dead, TWENTY more feared killed as inferno tears through cladding on 14-storey Spanish block of flats in horrifying repeat of Grenfell Tower disaster: Heroic firefighters hauled survivors off burning balconies with others forced to JUMP

Albert Elence — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 07:11:32 +0000

The death toll is expected to climb today after a 14-storey tower block in Spain was gutted by an uncontrollable inferno, with experts blaming its flammable cladding in a tragedy reminiscent of London’s Grenfell Tower disaster of 2017.

At least four people were confirmed killed last night and a further 19 were missing, feared dead, despite the heroic efforts of firefighters who braved the raging fire to haul trapped residents from their balconies.

The apartment block in Valencia caught fire at around 5.30pm on Thursday, trapping some of the more than 400 residents in the complex in their homes before it continued to rage on into the early hours of Friday morning.

Dramatic footage shows a man jumping several floors onto an inflatable mat to escape the raging fire, while other homeowners were seen awaiting rescue on their terraces as the flames closed in around them.

One couple, seen in footage being hauled to safety by firefighters, were later pictured being taken for treatment by emergency workers, seemingly not too badly hurt.

Witnesses described how the fire engulfed the entire block ‘like cork’, with the flames spreading ‘in a matter of minutes’ and moving through the main tower and then into an adjoining building,

Spain’s TVE public television said there were more than 130 flats in the building which was rapidly ‘reduced to a skeleton’.

As the sun rose on Friday, firefighters were preparing to enter the building to begin the grim task of going door-to-door in the search for bodies. Crews were still tackling the blaze, but said it was ‘controlled’.

Dramatic video shows the moment residents trapped in a tower block inferno in Spain were rescued from their balcony

Firefighters are seen reaching a trapped resident of the building

Firefighters rescue people from the building in Valencia in dramatic footage of the inferno

Flaming debris has come crashing down around firefighters as they have been working to extinguish the inferno

The apartment buildings were entirely gutted by the huge inferno, which broke out on Thursday evening

Residents were trapped on their balconies – just metres from the flames – as they waited for firefighters to rescue them from the inferno

The apartment block in Valencia caught fire at around 5.30pm on Thursday. The fire continued to rage on into the early hours of Friday morning

The fire raged late into Thursday night and left the building as little more than a shell

Firefighters worked through the night to put out the huge inferno, which left the building completely gutted

The tower block before the fire. Construction began on the building in 2005 and it was completed around 2009

The site of the tower block fire in the Campanar area of Valencia on Avenida Maestro Rodrigo, at the junction with General Aviles

In June 2017, a fire ripped through Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey high-rise in west London, killing 72 people

Devastated residents evacuated from the burning apartment building watch on helplessly as the fire continued to rage on

The apartment block, in the Campanar area of the port city, was covered with highly-flammable polyurethane cladding, which experts have blamed for its rapid destruction.

The material is legal but no longer widely used after it was linked to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, with an inquiry into the disaster being told that polyurethane and other combustible materials had been used in the building.

If cladding is to blame in this case, it could be the first fire of its kind in Spain, according to an engineer who previously surveyed the building.

Firefighters said last night that they do not expect any of the missing to have survived the blaze – the cause of which is currently unclear.

Town hall officials had earlier said 19 people were unaccounted for but the number later rose to 20.

The official death toll is not expected to rise until later today when fire crews and other emergency responders are able to access the inside of the apartment block.

Jorge Suarez, sub-director of emergencies for the regional Valencian government, said last night that 14 people including at least six firefighters had been injured in the blaze.

Confirming fears there would be fatalities, he said: ‘We have to confirm the worst of the hypotheses that were on the table.

‘Four people have died. We can now confirm that but we can’t give out any more information at the moment.

‘Firefighters are still working exclusively outside the building on tasks related to extinguishing the blaze.

‘The characteristics of the building make it impossible to carry out any such work inside the structure so the work being done at the moment is focused on cooling down the outside and that’s going to be the focus over the next few hours.

‘I can’t say at the moment when they’re going to be able to go inside the building.’

Confirming earlier reports firefighters had sighted four bodies after they put up a drone, he added: ‘The information on the four fatalities is based on visual information we have.’ Two of the bodies were seen on a terrace, and the others on a floor.

Authorities confirmed that 14 people had been injured, among them nine men aged between 25 and 57, four women aged between 27 and 81, and a seven-year-old boy.

Twelve of them are understood to remain in hospital, as of midnight last night.

More details began to emerge this morning of the miracle rescue of a couple trapped on the seventh-floor in images that went around the world.

The man and woman were trapped on their seventh-floor balcony for almost two hours before being plucked to safety by firefighters in cherry pickers.

They covered their faces with scarves and woolly hats to protect themselves from the flames, smoke and intense heat.

At one point they were even filmed trying to jump over a partition wall separating their balcony from their neighbour’s terrace before being dissuaded by the fire crews trying to reach them who focused on dousing the outside of their flat with water to try to keep the flames away and make reaching them possible.

The couple were heard shouting for help as their rescuers tried to calm them down and darkness descended on the area.

They were plucked to safety around 8pm, with onlookers fearing a fatal outcome cheering as they were brought to the ground.

They received emergency medical attention following their rescue but are not thought to have needed hospital treatment.

Their whereabouts this morning was unknown. Other survivors are being put up in hotels or staying with family and friends.

Firefighters attempt to rescue two stranded residents who fled to the balcony as the building was engulfed

Emergency services work at the scene of a fire of apartment building in Valencia

Multiple fire pumps are at the scene battling the blaze, which reportedly spread from one residential building to another

The building in the Campanar area of the port city has been completely gutted

Devastated residents comfort each other at the scene of the huge fire in the Campanar area

Residents were pictured watching on in horror tonight as their homes were destroyed in front of their eyes

The multistorey building was left completely gutted, with crowds seen gathering to watch the destruction unfold

Black smoke consumed the entire building with small fires seen blazing inside late into the night

Construction began on the building in 2005 and it was completed around 2009, with the construction company boasting at the time that it was built with ‘the highest quality materials’.

More than 20 fire crews were involved in tackling last night’s blaze, with their efforts being hampered by the wind and soaring temperatures of the fire.

Witnesses said that firefighters managed to rescue several people, including a father and daughter, teenage boy and a couple, from their balconies.

Speaking to EFE, Esther Puchades, who is deputy head of Valencia’s Industrial Engineers Association (COGITI), blamed the building’s cladding for the fire’s ferocity and said that the tragedy may mark ‘a turning point’ in Spain.

Images recalled the London disaster in June 2017 when a fire ripped through Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey high-rise in the west of the British capital, killing 72 people.

The blaze spread rapidly due to the highly combustible cladding on the block’s outside walls. A public inquiry into the disaster is still ongoing.

Speaking to Valencian TV on Thursday, Puchades explained that when construction began on the now destroyed building, ‘the bad reputation of polyurethane was not so widespread’ as it is now, in the wake of Grenfell and other disasters around the world.

‘Today it is not used, at least not in that way,’ she added, referring to increased safety measures around its usage in Spain.

Spanish rescue services members take care of a person affected by a fire in a 14-story residential building in Valencia

A general view of the facade during the building fire on February 22, 2024

A black cloud of smoke entirely engulfed the building on Thursday evening and flames

The fire is believed to have broken out at around 5.30pm on one floor before quickly spreading to the rest of the block

Firefighters have been using cranes to help rescue people from the burning building

Engineer David Higuera also told Spanish newspaper El País that the building’s cladding may have been the cause of the rapid spread of the fire.

The material is ‘very good at insulating against heat and cold, but very combustible,’ he said.

Dozens of residents were pictured watching on in horror tonight as their homes were destroyed in front of their eyes.

A resident who lives on the second floor of the building told TV channel La Sexta that ‘the fire spread in a matter of 10 minutes’ after it broke out.

He speculated that material on the facade of the building may have enabled the flames to move through the building so quickly.

A resident who lives in the building opposite told RNE radio what she saw when the fire broke out.

‘At first the fire came out of the balconies and parts of the facade fell down,’ she said, adding that wind had blown parts of the cladding off in recent years and that it had needed to be repaired.

Spain’s TVE public television said there were more than 130 flats in the building.

Television images showed the entire facade of the building ablaze as burning segments fell to the pavement below and small explosions were heard inside.

A woman who runs a nearby flower shop told public television the building was no more than 14 years old and had more than 100 flats, all of which were occupied.

‘What caused the fire to spread was mostly the wind,’ she said, describing scenes of ‘chaos’ as the blaze took hold, snarling traffic and sending clouds of smoke everywhere.

A field hospital was set up near the scene in case possible victims required treatment.

Experts have blamed the Valencian building’s flammable cladding in a tragedy reminiscent of the Grenfell Tower disaster in London in 2017 (pictured)

The 14-storey flat has reportedly been ‘reduced to a skeleton’ while a nearby building has also been consumed by the flames

A firefighter works at the scene during the building fire on February 22 in Valencia, Spain

Dramatic footage shows two residents desperately trying to shelter from the fire. A number of people have been rescued from their balconies by firefighters

Building manager and resident Adriana holds back tears as she watches the block go up in flames

Firefighters work to extinguish the flames as they continue to rip through the residential block

The cause of the fire is unknown and it is not known if there are any victims

Images showed flames and vast clouds of black smoke engulfing the building

Firefighters have been battling the blaze as it rages through the residential block in the eastern port city

Local media reported several residents calling for help from the balconies of their apartments.

Ana Mari Gonzalez, who works in a nearby clinic, told TVE she could see firefighters working to rescue a teenage boy trapped on the building’s first floor.

‘Please stay away from the area of the fire to let the emergency services do their work,’ Valencia’s mayor Maria Jose Catala wrote on X.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was ‘shocked by the terrible fire’ and was in contact with the mayor and the region’s leader ‘to offer whatever help they needed’ and extending his condolences to everyone affected by the blaze.

The Spanish Royal family sent their support to emergency services and added: ‘Our hearts are with the Valencians.’

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During Chaotic Retreat, hundreds of Ukrainian troops feared being captured or missing

Sabir Ansary — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:03:24 +0000

According to senior Western officials and soldiers who fought for Ukraine, hundreds of Ukrainian troops may have been captured by advancing Russian units or disappeared during Ukraine's chaotic retreat from the eastern city of Avdiivka, a devastating loss that could deal a blow to already weakening morale .

The Russian capture of Avdiivka has emerged as a significant symbolic loss for Ukrainian forces, a sign of the battlefield impact of the US Congress' inability so far to approve more military aid as dwindling supplies of artillery shells making it even more difficult to maintain them. the line.

Estimates of how many Ukrainians have been captured or are missing vary, and an accurate count may not be possible until Ukraine has fortified new defense lines outside the city. But two soldiers with knowledge of Ukraine's withdrawal estimate that 850 to 1,000 soldiers appear to have been captured or are missing. Western officials said this range appeared accurate.

U.S. officials say the loss of Avdiivka is not a significant strategic setback, arguing that Russian gains in eastern Ukraine will not necessarily lead to a collapse of Ukrainian lines and that Moscow is unlikely to be able to follow up on another major offensive.

But the capture of hundreds of soldiers could change that calculus. U.S. officials have said in recent days that morale among Ukrainian troops is already eroding after a failed counteroffensive last year and the ousting of a top commander. Because of these problems, officials said, the Ukrainian military is having difficulty recruiting.

Ukrainian military officials have said they want to mobilize another 500,000 people, but the request has faced political resistance and stalled in parliament. The capture of hundreds of soldiers, especially those with battlefield experience, would make the need for more troops more acute and complicate efforts to recruit more troops.

As a result, the fall of Avdiivka may be more important than it initially seemed.

The Ukrainian military command has acknowledged that some soldiers were captured during the retreat from Avdiivka, but has tried to play down the numbers and significance.

On Saturday, General Oleksandr Tarnavsky, the commander of Ukrainian military fighting in the area, said: on the Telegram messaging application that the retreat had gone according to plan, but that “in the final phase of the operation, under pressure from the superior forces of the enemy, some Ukrainian soldiers were captured.” He did not reveal how many troops were captured.

Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesman for General Tarnavsky, disputed reports that hundreds of soldiers had been captured, calling it misinformation. But he acknowledged that Russia had captured some soldiers and that a “certain number” of soldiers were missing.

But some soldiers and Western officials said the inability to carry out an orderly withdrawal, and the chaos that unfolded Friday and Saturday as defenses collapsed, were directly responsible for what appears to be a significant number of soldiers captured.

They said the Ukrainian withdrawal was poorly planned and started too late. The soldiers and Western officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence assessments that contradict the Ukrainian government's statements.

Withdrawing under withering artillery fire, drones and airstrikes is one of the most difficult military maneuvers, challenging commanders to minimize loss of life and allow units to fall back without ceding more land than intended.

Based on interviews with soldiers, Ukrainian forces were unprepared for how quickly the Russian advance in Avdiivka gained strength last week.

Ukraine tried to buy time for its regular infantry forces to withdraw from the city, using their special operations forces and the elite 3rd Separate Assault Brigade to cover the retreat. But the units could not slow the Russian advance or get every Ukrainian soldier out.

Senior Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have also suffered heavy losses in the battle. Russia captured Avdiivka en masse, sending troops and armored vehicles until the Ukrainian defenses collapsed. Thousands of Russian soldiers were killed and wounded, officials said.

A chaotic retreat is not inevitable. Withdrawing troops without suffering heavy losses is difficult, according to American strategists, but possible if done in a deliberate, undisturbed operation.

In Avdiivka, Ukraine seemed to have waited too long to withdraw and the frantic retreat quickly became costly.

For the Ukrainians, the challenge of withdrawing from Avdiivka was compounded by the fact that Russia had surrounded the city on almost three sides. A single paved road was the most feasible way to get in and out of the city. That route, which Ukrainian forces called the Road of Life, came under direct threat earlier this month, making the withdrawal much more dangerous.

As Ukrainian forces began to withdraw, unverified open source videos and photos showed units retreating under artillery fire and bodies strewn along roads and in tree lines. Ukrainian military units have long had difficulty communicating with each other because they often have different radio equipment. Soldiers with knowledge of the retreat said communications problems were a factor in the withdrawal, which led to soldiers being captured, killed and injured.

The soldiers interviewed by The New York Times suggested that some units withdrew before others were aware of the retreat. This put the remaining units at risk of being surrounded by the Russians.

Since the start of the war almost two years ago, Russian forces have attempted to encircle and capture Ukrainian forces. Although well-prepared defenses and drones have prevented many of these maneuvers from succeeding, the Russian encirclement in Avdiivka appears to have worked. Western officials suggest the maneuver was one reason soldiers were captured during the retreat.

Unverified videos posted on social media also showed Russian forces executing Ukrainian forces in and around Avdiivka. The prosecutor's office in the eastern Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine announced this on Sunday said on Telegram it launched an investigation “into the shootings of unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war in Avdiivka and Vesele.”

The Kremlin itself appears unprepared for the speed of the Ukrainian collapse in Avdiivka. Often, Kremlin propaganda pushed through state-controlled news media drives the themes on Russian social media, said Jonathan Teubner, the CEO of FilterLabs AI, which studies Russian reporting and public opinion. But as Ukrainian defenses collapsed in Avdiivka, discussions on Russian social media began to shift before the Kremlin came up with new messages.

“Russia wasn't really prepared for this either in terms of a prepared propaganda blitz,” Mr. Teubner said. “They have now responded, but have not yet been able to launch a successful coordinated messaging campaign.”

Prisoners of war pose one of the greatest challenges to morale in any war. Ukraine has repeatedly pressured Russia to agree to the prisoner exchange.

From November the That's what the Ukrainian government said that Russia had 3,574 Ukrainian soldiers in captivity.

In January, Ukraine used a Western-supplied Patriot missile to shoot down a Russian cargo plane that officials believed was carrying missiles and ammunition. Russian officials said it was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war. U.S. officials have said it appeared likely that some Ukrainian prisoners were on the plane.

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American ballerina Ksenia Karelina is being held in Russia for 'high treason' by Putin's feared FSB security service, accused of raising $51 for the Ukrainian military and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty

Albert Elence — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 15:06:26 +0000

Vladimir Putin's secret Federal Security Service has arrested a dual Russian-American ballerina on charges of treason, officials confirmed Tuesday.

Videos from a Russian news agency show 32-year-old Ksenia Karelina being led into a courtroom in handcuffs and with her eyes blindfolded. It is not clear when the video was recorded.

Karelina is from Los Angeles and became an American citizen in 2021. Her social media pages are littered with photos of her smiling, loving life in the US. Last summer she married her husband, a previously unknown American.

She was arrested in January on the same day Putin sat down for his highly publicized interview with Tucker Carlson. The arrest took place outside a cinema in Yekaterinburg. The first charges related to swearing.

Ekaterinburg, the largest city in the Urals, is also where Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was arrested nearly 12 months ago on espionage charges.

Karelina, who danced her on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, previously studied at the University of Maryland

Karelina moved to the US after graduating from college in her home country in 2013

A statement from Russian officials refers to Karelina as a resident of Los Angeles

Lawyers have said Karelina was originally arrested on charges of 'petty hooliganism' after being accused of swearing outside a cinema.

Karelina graduated from the Ural Federal University in 2013. Numerous posts on her Facebook page show her in Baltimore, Maryland, beginning in 2014

She is specifically accused of transferring $51.80 from a US bank account to the Ukrainian charity Razom

In a subsequent investigation, Karelina was accused of fundraising for a Ukrainian military cause. She is specifically accused of transferring $51.80 from a US bank account to the Ukrainian charity Razom.

Treason charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Since 2023, 63 people have been charged with treason in Russia, of which 37 have been found guilty.

On her Facebook page, Karelina says she is from Yekaterinburg and studied ballet at the SP Diaghilev School.

The dancer is accused of “proactively raising funds in the interest of a Ukrainian organization since February 2022, which was then used to purchase tactical medicines, equipment, weapons and ammunition for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the FSB alleges.

“In addition, during his stay in the United States, the citizen in question repeatedly participated in public actions in support of the Kiev regime,” the agency said. The Moscow Times.

On her Facebook page, Karelina says she is from Yekaterinburg and that she studied ballet at the SP Diaghilev School

The Russian-language medium Mediazona reports that Karelina has been a US citizen since 2021

Treason charges carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years

Russian-language outlet Mediazona reports that Karelina has been a US citizen since 2021 and that she married an American man in 2023.

Karelina graduated from the Ural Federal University in 2013. Numerous posts on her Facebook page show her in Baltimore, Maryland as of 2014.

Mediazona reports that Karelina was first arrested on charges of 'petty hooliganism', for swearing. While in custody, these charges were upgraded to 'high treason'.

The outlet further reports that Karelina stopped posting on Russian social media site VK on November 3, 2021 after posting a series of photos showing her gaining citizenship.

On that profile, Karelina said she attended the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Razom, the New York-based Ukrainian charity she is said to be supporting, describes itself as “contributing to the creation of a secure, prosperous and democratic Ukraine.”

On her LinkedIn page, Karelina says she works as a manager at Ciel Spa Beverly Hills, a role she has held since 2019.

Karelina shared the above post on social media after obtaining her US citizenship in 2021

Karelina also said that she attended the University of Maryland in Baltimore

Karelina was first arrested on charges of 'petty hooliganism', for swearing

Karelina pictured with friends in a 2017 Facebook post

On her LinkedIn page, Karelina says she works as a manager at Ciel Spa Beverly Hills, a role she has held since 2019.

Mediazona reports that Karelina was first arrested on charges of 'petty hooliganism', for swearing. While in custody, these charges were upgraded to 'high treason'

Karelina is the latest American behind bars in Russia, joining Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan and Texan father David Barnes, 65, who was sentenced last week in Moscow to 21 years in prison on child abuse charges.

On the same day that Karelina's arrest was announced, Gershkovich appeared in court in Moscow, where his pre-trial detention was extended.

Earlier this month, Putin told former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview that he was open to the idea of releasing Americans held in Russian prisons, but he did not discuss details.

'I do not rule out that the person you are referring to, Mr Gershkovich, will return to his motherland. We want the US special services to think about how they can contribute to achieving the goals that our special services pursue,” Putin told Carlson.

Numerous reports have suggested that Putin is interested in discussing an exchange involving Vadim Krasikov, the assassin responsible for the shooting of Chechen rebel Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin in 2019.

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Scientists solve case of 'virgin stingray' who got pregnant despite not sharing tank with her own species – and it was NOT 'shark scandal' as feared

Albert Elence — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:21:06 +0000

It's the aquarium mystery that has gripped the world: How did a 'virgin stingray' become pregnant while living alone in an aquarium?

But after months of investigation – and a male shark falsely accused of sexual assault – it appears the mystery has finally been solved.

Charlotte the stingray at a North Carolina aquarium has been revealed to have parthenogenesis – a rare form of asexual reproduction in which offspring develop from unfertilized eggs.

Experts at the aquarium have now admitted it would have been 'impossible' for her to mate with any of the five small sharks that share her tank.

Now questions will inevitably be asked of the zoo, which has enjoyed wall-to-wall publicity since the story first broke.

Charlotte, who has spent much of her life at the Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, is expected to give birth to up to four pups in the next two weeks

One scientist said: 'We need to make it clear that there are no shark ray scandals happening here'

What is parthenogenesis?

Parthenogenesis (PG) is an asexual reproduction in which a female can produce an embryo without fertilizing an egg with sperm.

In Greek the name means 'virgin creation'.

Parthenogenesis can occur in some insects, fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles, but not in mammals.

This is despite claims that an interspecies encounter between Charlotte and a shark could have taken place earlier this month.

Questions will inevitably be asked about the aquarium, which has enjoyed wall-to-wall publicity since the story first broke.

Parthenogenesis can occur in some insects, fish, amphibians, birds and reptiles, but not in mammals.

Documented examples include California condors, Komodo dragons, and yellow-bellied water snakes.

Kady Lyons, a research scientist at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, said Charlotte's pregnancy is the only documented example she knows of of round stingrays, although other species of sharks, rays and rays have had these types of pregnancies under human care.

“I'm not surprised because nature finds a way to make this happen,” she said.

'We don't know why it's happening. Just that it's a really fun phenomenon that they seem to be capable of.

“We need to make it clear that there are no shark ray scandals happening here.”

Lab staff first thought Charlotte had a tumor when they noticed a lump on her back that was 'puffing up like a cookie' before an ultrasound revealed the pregnancy

The aquarium staff had been ultrasounding our ray, Charlotte, since September when she started swelling

Charlotte the stingray hasn't shared a water tank with a male of her species for at least eight years.

She lives in a tank at Aquarium and Shark Lab in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which is about 5,000 gallons, about the size of a construction dumpster.

But staff are hoping to get a tank almost twice as big to house Charlotte's offspring.

Brenda Ramer, executive director of the lab that encourages children to take an interest in science, said they can also install live cameras for an online livestream.

She said lab staff first thought Charlotte had a tumor in September when they noticed a lump on her back that “blowed up like a cookie” before an ultrasound revealed the pregnancy.

Ms Ramer said: 'We were all like, 'Close the back door. There is no way'.

'We thought we were feeding her too much. But we gave her too much food because she has more mouths to feed.

'It's very rare. But it's happening in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains in rural North Carolina, hundreds of miles from the ocean.”

Parthenogenesis is when eggs develop independently without fertilization and form a clone of the mother. Pictured: Aquarium and Shark Lab staff in Hendersonville, North Carolina

Round stingrays such as Charlotte are abundant on the Pacific coasts of Southern California and Mexico, often resting on the sandy bottom of the ocean near the coastline.

In the wild, they are usually the size of a small dinner plate and come in all shades of brown.

They eat small worms, crabs and mollusks, and are preyed upon by certain species of sharks, seals and giant sea bass.

Like other species of stingrays, the round stingray is aptly named for the venomous serrated spine on the tail.

Although stingrays do not attack humans, the tail spines can cause painful wounds if stepped on or handled without care.

Monstrous stingrays up to 3 meters long are tagged in the wild for the first time: National Geographic researchers now follow the wonderful world of the critically endangered species

About 11 monstrous stingrays measuring up to 3 meters in length were tagged in the wild by divers, allowing them to see the wonderful world of the critically endangered species.

The mission revealed that these elusive small-eyed rays can dive more than 200 meters below the surface and swim hundreds of kilometers per day – facts not previously known to the scientific community.

Small-eyed rays have previously only been studied via images, but the labeling is expected to provide new information that could lead to better protection of the species.

The program will take years to collect and analyze enough data to understand these creatures, but the National Geographic explorers who tagged the rays told NatGeo that it “promises a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of a mysterious species.”

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Dozens feared dead as informal gold mine collapses in Mali

Jeffrey Bailey — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 22:33:43 +0000

Dozens of people have died in the West African country of Mali after an informal gold mine collapsed last week, the country's Ministry of Mines said on Wednesday, highlighting the risks faced by scores of artisanal miners in one of Africa's biggest gold-producing countries.

It was not immediately clear what caused the collapse last Friday or how many people had died at the site about 90 kilometers southwest of the capital Bamako, according to a ministry statement. The death toll was more than 70 people, according to The Associated Press, and as of Wednesday, rescuers were still searching for bodies, the ministry said.

Several West African countries have gone through a new experience tree in informal mining, also called artisanal mining, over the past twenty years. It has provided livelihoods for thousands of people, fueled smuggling routes and attracted armed groups. In northern Mali, for example, Tuareg rebels and insurgents linked to Al Qaeda control mining sites.

In 2022, Mali produced more than 72 tons of gold, which represented a quarter of the national budget and 75 percent of export revenues, former Mining Minister Lamine Seydou Traoré said last March. About six tons came from artisanal mining.

Gold has been an important part of the Malian economy for centuries, ever since Mansa Musa, the ruler of the ancient empire of Mali, traveled to Egypt with a caravan of tens of thousands of people in the 14th century and flooded the local markets with so much gold that its value crumbled for more than a decade, historical records show show.

In recent years, the country has become a major hub for smuggling artisanal West African gold into the United Arab Emirates.

In an attempt to gain control over the profits from the mines, Mali's military government ruled adopted a mining code last summer that gave the state and local investors a 35 percent stake in mining projects — up from 20 percent. Mali is home to industrial mines operated by mining multinationals such as Barrick Gold Corporation and B2Gold Corporation, among others.

In November, Mali signed an agreement with Russia to build a gold refinery in Bamako, another sign of the growing ties between the two countries. Russia has supplied helicopters and weapons to the Malian army and sent Wagner mercenaries to crush Islamist insurgents and rebel groups.

Although Wagner agents have attempted to obtain mining concessions in exchange for their presence in Mali, no deal has yet been publicly announced.

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