Latest news with #MarkBowden
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Dry spring affects Channel Island water supplies
Channel Islanders are being asked to think twice about their water usage after a particularly dry was the warmest spring on record for the island according to the Jersey Met Office, and also the third driest since records began in Guernsey, it was the second warmest but since May was slightly wetter, it was the 11th meant water reserves were below average in both islands. 'Minimise wastage' In Jersey, the water company was "cautious but not concerned" even though it was prepared to use the desalination plant just in case it was needed later in the reservoirs were 89.1% full, 5% below the five-year average and 3% below the 10-year Bowden, Head of Water Resilience for Jersey Water said when the island last experienced drought in 2022, the company was at or around the average capacity of water supply at this time of Bowden said while they were not looking at introducing formal water restrictions at this time they encouraged customers to minimise wastage. But he had not ruled out introducing restrictions later in the summer. 'Think twice' Guernsey Water said the island's water storage levels were 3% below what it was "comfortable with".Recent data from the utility showed levels were sat at around 91.5% which was around 10 day's supply, below its optimal there were no restrictions in place at the moment, Guernsey Water had asked islanders to think twice about if they needed to water their gardens or wash their cars and to practice water saving utility said it would be posting weekly updates on storage levels, each Friday on its Facebook was announced recently that only a limited amount of water could be used from the island's largest raw water storage reservoir due to traces of a pesticide being found. Ashraf Elsergany, the Managing Director of Saints Bay hotel said it can be difficult to manage water usage at a hotel has 35 bedrooms, 12 rooms for staff accommodation, a swimming pool, bar and restaurant, all of which need to use Elsergany said that as a hotel they can not ask customers to not have a shower but they could ask them to "use it sensibly".The swimming pool remained a challenge Elsergany said they "continue to fill up the swimming pool daily" due to evaporation from the sun and a need for more water after the daily chemical Elsergany saids that if any restrictions were to come into place they might have to try "negotiate" how it would work with their hotel. La Mare Wine Estate in Jersey , which grows grapes and apples, was faring well despite the dry weather. Managing Director Tim Crowley said the young vines needed a lot of watering but mature ones had very long roots which searched for water Crowley said there was a "plus and a minus side" as they get a lot less disease in dry weather and were in a "much better than average" place at the 1996 they put in underground tanks which had the capacity to collect 30,000 litres of rain water and this was topped up from a borehole when needed so the business has access to a large amount of free water.
Express Tribune
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Delta Force launches free Black Hawk Down co-op campaign
Listen to article Delta Force, the free-to-play military simulation game developed by Team Jade, has reimagined the classic Black Hawk Down as a co-op campaign for up to four players. The update, now available, is based on the original 2003 game, which was adapted from Mark Bowden's book about the Battle of Mogadishu. The remake retains the core of the original while introducing a modern look and feel. Initially launched as a multiplayer experience, Delta Force has expanded its horizons to feature tactical gameplay in several distinct modes. The Black Hawk Down campaign is a seven-mission-long experience that draws players into the brutal and unforgiving world of the Battle of Mogadishu. As a specialist, you and your squad will need to work together, each fulfilling a unique role like providing ammo or healing teammates, to survive and complete objectives. The game's difficulty is designed to be unforgiving. Players must be tactical and strategic, as enemy AI is challenging, with enemies taking cover, flanking, and hitting hard. With health depleting quickly from even a few shots, players are encouraged to bring friends into the mission for support. Specialists can carry medkits to patch up injuries, but they take time, leaving players vulnerable. Black Hawk Down offers a modernized visual experience powered by Unreal Engine 5. Each mission brings distinct settings, and the attention to detail is evident, whether escorting a convoy or rescuing soldiers. This update, available now for free, comes with various in-game rewards and limited-time events like Flappy Hawk, where players can unlock exclusive cosmetic items, weapon experience tokens, and other rewards.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The True Story Behind ‘Surviving Black Hawk Down'
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." THERE'S A GOOD chance you don't know the Battle of Mogadishu outside of a not-so-little movie called Black Hawk Down. Directed by Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator), the 2001 action film offered a fly-on-the-wall, scarily jittery portrayal of the very-real fight between U.S. soldiers and militia members in Mogadishu, Somalia, which took place from October 3 to October 4, 1993. It was itself adapted from Mark Bowden's seminal 1999 nonfiction book Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War, albeit retold through a fictionalized lens, and featured a still-starry cast including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, and Tom Hardy (in his first film role!). It also went on to win two Academy Awards, for Best Film Editing and Best Sound at 2002's Oscars ceremony. But if the history of the shocking true war story has escaped you, Netflix's new documentary, Surviving Black Hawk Down, fills in the gaps. In a full-circle moment, the three-part series, from Ridley Scott himself (through his Ridley Scott Associates company) and directed by Jack MacInnes, debuted on the streamer on February 10. It trains its eye on both soldiers and Somali individuals who survived the skirmish and whose lives were irrevocably changed as a result. In addition to interviews with those involved, the docuseries uses reenactments and contemporaneous on-the-ground footage to provide a comprehensive, multi-pronged perspective on the devastating bloodshed. It's a different-but-crucial take on a lesser-known battle in American and global war history, but what are the key facts you need to know? And what is the broader legacy of this moment, as seen in Surviving Black Hawk Down? We break it all down here. Stream Surviving Black Hawk Down Here Shop Now While the battle happened over a two-day period, it was actually the culmination of a U.S.-led intervention in Somalia that started in 1992. American military entered Somalia with the purpose of protecting food aid to civilians. Local warlords had overtaken any kind of functional government after the dictator Mohammed Siad Barre had been pushed out the year prior, according to Brittanica. At the same time, the United Nations had stepped in, attempting to form a coalition government. Work on the ground was overseen by the U.S. Army in an effort known as Operation Restore Hope, backed by President George H.W. Bush and successor Bill Clinton. While the battle crisis became the focus, especially in the U.S., the U.N. did estimate that 250,000 lives were ultimately saved by the overall effort, per Smithsonian. American forces decided that their main objective would be to neutralize the warlord Muhammad Farah Aydid and his Habr Gidr militia. This meant Major General William Garrison coordinating a raid using special forces on a hotel in Mogadishu, where Aydid was believed to be hiding out. And so Operation Gothic Serpent commenced on October 3, with forces who landed in helicopters securing the hotel and taking prisoners—though notably not Aydid, who was nowhere to be found. The operation only got worse from there. Vehicles trying to extract the prisoners faced roadblocks and ammunition on the streets. Worse, two Black Hawk helicopters (among the most-equipped military helicopters) were shot down by rocket-propelled grenades, giving both the Black Hawk Down book and film their menacing names. As a result, surviving crew members from the air had to fight through combatants—and in some cases, wait out gunfire in nearby homes until morning. Two American soldiers who fought off Somalis were killed, and a helicopter pilot was captured. In the morning of October 4, 1993, following what was clearly a disaster, 100 vehicles sent by the U.S. and U.N. barreled through the gunfighting and wreckage to retrieve survivors, with more threatening skirmishes underway. Not surprisingly, given how it was seen as an utter failure, the operation marked the end of America's mission in Somalia. Clinton quickly pulled troops out of the region. More than 30 years after the events that would inspire Scott's Black Hawk Down, Netflix's Surviving Black Hawk Down—with Scott's own production company orchestrating the renewed action—is detailed in its reporting and retrospective look at what happened. The three episodes include interviews with members of the Army Rangers and Delta Force, who acted as special operation units during the Battle of Mogadishu. Additionally, Somalians appear throughout, among them militiamen who went against American forces, women exposed to the violence and mayhem, and a war photographer. What they all share is a sense of the importance of remembering such a harrowing event, long after it has receded in many people's minds. You Might Also Like The Best Hair Growth Shampoos for Men to Buy Now 25 Vegetables That Are Surprising Sources of Protein
