Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Ash cloud from Indonesia's Mt Rinjani grounds Bali-bound flights


A view of Mount Rinjani, also known as Gunung Rinjani, is seen on May 19, 2009 in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara Province, IndonesiaImage copyrightGetty Images
Image captionMount Rinjani is east of Bali on the nearby island of Lombok. The 3,726m active volcano is the third highest in Indonesia
Some flights to and from Bali have been cancelled for a second day due to a drifting ash cloud from Mt Rinjani, east of the Indonesian holiday island.
Denpasar Airport was closed on Tuesday, grounding all flights as officials reassessed the risk posed by the plume.
All Virgin Australia and Jetstar flights were cancelled on Wednesday, whilst Air Asia said at least 13 of its flights had been affected.
Travellers are urged to check their flights online.
The Bali hashtag continues to trend in Australia.
A Virgin Australia plane is seen at a gate at Gold Coast Airport on July 9, 2015 in Gold Coast, AustraliaImage copyrightGetty Images
Image captionPersistent eruptions from Indonesia's Mount Raung to the west of Bali brought bad news for travellers earlier this year
Thousands of people were stranded on Bali for several days during the peak July holiday period due to ash from a different active volcano, east of Denpasar.
At the time, Chris Davies from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin in Australia's north told the BBC it does not take much ash to interfere with flights.
"The most dangerous aspect for aviation is that modern jet engines pull in so much air and the ash concentrates in engines and turns into a kind of molten glass," Mr Davies said.
"The ash melts, coats inside of the engine and affects fuel flow, so in the worst case scenario it can cause engines to shut off."

Australian jockey Tim Bell falls to death in Singapore


Tim Bell on a racecourse in Brisbane, AustraliaImage copyrightAP
Image captionTim Bell tripped and fell from his apartment on Tuesday night
Australia's racing community is mourning the death of young jockey Tim Bell who fell to his death from his high-rise apartment block in Singapore.
Bell, 22, was a rising star, having won the 2013-14 Brisbane Jockey's Premiership in his first senior season.
How he fell is unclear. One report says he was locked out and was trying to climb up to his 12th-floor property.
Racing Queensland's Acting CEO Ian Hall said Bell would be remembered as a "brilliant rider".
"It is tragic when someone so young and with so much talent is taken away from us," Mr Hall said.
"Racing Queensland joins with the entire racing community in offering our sincerest condolences to Tim's family and his partner Heidi."
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the jockey tripped and fell from his apartment on Tuesday night.
A woman walks past the exterior of a private condominium where Australian jockey Tim Bell lived on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015 in Singapore.Image copyrightWong Maye-E
Image captionTim Bell had an apartment on the 12th floor of the building
The exterior of the apartment block where Tim Bell livedImage copyrightAP
Image captionHe was rushed from the apartment block to hospital on Tuesday evening
A Singapore Turf Club statement said: "From unconfirmed reports it appears [Bell] locked himself out from his unit, and fell to his death after attempting to climb up to the 12th-storey apartment to get his house keys."
Police say they were called to the property on Tuesday evening and found a man lying motionless at the foot of the building.
"He was conveyed unconscious to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries."
The jockey had only recently moved to Singapore to further his career.
Queensland Jockeys' Association president Glen Prentice told ABC that Mr Bell "wanted to reach the top" and took up a three-month contract in Singapore.
"He felt like he'd achieved a lot in Brisbane and wanted to expand his horizons, get some international experience, to achieve goals and win Melbourne Cups and be regarded in the top bracket of riders - not only in the country but all around the world."