Read of the Week (June 15 to June 21)
At 94 meters long and 9,500 deadweight tonnes, once called the Bibby Resolution, it is an unremarkable hulk, crossing the oceans unnoticed. And yet, the astonishing journey of this boat can tell us the story of the modern world..First built as a Swedish offshore oil rig in the 1970s, it went on to become a barracks for British soldiers in the Falklands War in the 1980s, a jail off New York in the 1990s, a prison in Portland in the 2000s, and accommodation for Nigerian oil workers off the coast of Africa in the 2010s. It has been called Safe Esperia, HMP The Weare, even 'The Love Boat'. In each of its lives, this empty vessel has been commanded by economic forces much larger than itself: private investment, war, mass incarceration, imperial interests, national sovereignty, inflation, booms, busts and greed..Through its encounters with a world of island tax havens, the English court system, exploited labour forces, free banking zones or immigration politics, the ordinary boat at the heart of this story reveals our complex modern economy to us, connecting the dots of a dramatically changing world in the making..Ian Kumekawa is an author and a historian at the Center for History and Economics at Harvard University.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Mayday! Mayday!' Air India pilot's final radio message before deadly Ahmedabad plane crash
Ill-fated Air India aircraft's pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's last radio message to Ahmedabad air traffic control was a 'Mayday' call. As per aviation authorities, flight AI 171 crashed seconds after Sabharwal's message to the ATC in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, SK Sinha, the Aviation Ministry Secretary, said that the pilots made the distress call to ATC when the plane failed to rise above 650 feet after takeoff. Seconds after the distress call, ATC responded but the plane had crashed by then, killing 241 people on board. A British national seated in 11A has been identified as the sole survivor of the incident. "Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!," was the pilot's last message to ATC as reported by TOI. As per aviation authorities, the plane took off at 1:39 PM and a few seconds after, started sinking after reaching a height of 650 feet. "The plane took off at 1.39 pm and, within a few seconds, after reaching a height of about 650 feet, it started sinking, i.e., it started losing height. The pilot informed Ahmedabad ATC that it was a 'mayday', i.e., a full emergency. When ATC tried to contact, it did not receive a response," Sinha said in a press conference. "After exactly a minute, the plane crashed in Meghaninagar, which is two kilometres from the airport. The Captain was Sumeet Sabharwal and the First Officer was Clive Sundar," the aviation secretary added further. Thursday's plane crash in Ahmedabad has killed a total of 270 people. This includes 241 people who were on board the London-bound flight and the 29 people who were killed after the plane crashed into the hostel of B.J. Medical College. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was bound for London's Gatwick when it crashed. Of the 242 people on board, only one passenger survived the crash. The black box of the plane was recovered by officials during the rescue and relief operations. As per Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu, the data from the black box will help identify the exact cause of the deadly plane crash.
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Normal occurrence of diversion by F-35: IAF on fighter jet emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport
As a British F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram International Airport last night, the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Sunday said it is "fully aware" of it and facilitated the aircraft for flight safety reasons . The jet, which is believed to have taken off from an aircraft carrier , made the emergency landing after running low on fuel, sources said on Sunday. The jet landed safely at around 9.30 pm, they said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks An IAF spokesperson in a brief statement said, "A normal occurrence of diversion by F-35. The IAF is fully aware and facilitated the aircraft for flight safety reasons." "All assistance being given and the IAF is in coordination with all agencies," he added. Live Events The aircraft is currently parked at the airport.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Ahmedabad family mourns son lost in Air India plane crash days after father's death
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India] June 15 (ANI): In a heart-wrenching incident, the family of Lawrence Daniel Christian, one of the 241 passengers who died in the Air India plane crash en route to London, mourned yet another loss just days after the death of the family's patriarch. Lawrence, who had been living in London with his wife for the past one and a half years due to work commitments, had recently returned to Ahmedabad on leave following his father's demise. Tragically, his journey back to London ended in disaster, leaving the Christian family shattered once again. While speaking to ANI, his mother, Raveena Daniel Christian, said, '...He was living in London with his wife for the last 1.5 years due to work. He came here on leave after my husband's death 15 days was returning to London and we also went...' She could not finish the sentence as grief overtook her. The Christian family had accompanied Lawrence to the airport to bid farewell, unaware that it would be the last time they would see him alive. Additional Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Dr Rajnish Patel said, '...So far, DNA samples of 15 deceased have been mortal remains of three deceased have been handed over to their families...' Meanwhile, Retired Captain and aviation expert Alok Singh has shared his insights on the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which resulted in the loss of 241 lives. Singh attributed the crash to possible causes such as loss of thrust on both engines, bird strike, pilot error, or technical fault. Alok Singh said, 'This is a very tragic incident. It will be marked as Black Day in world aviation industry. This is the rarest of rare incidents. From the video, it is clear that the aircraft stopped producing lift. The reason for this could be loss of thrust on both engines, which could have happened due to fuel starvation, or the engine could have stopped getting fuel. A bird strike is also a possibility. This can also be a pilot error. It can also be a technical fault.' Singh emphasised the importance of the black box, which records crucial data and cockpit conversations. He explained that the data from the black box would be analysed to determine the exact cause of the crash. On Thursday, the Air India flight AI171 was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 241 died in the crash. The lone survivor, identified as Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, sustained injuries and is undergoing treatment. (ANI)
