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Irish Post
2 days ago
- Irish Post
Message in a bottle from missing crew washes up on Irish shores four years later
A MESSAGE in a bottle discovered on the coast of a remote Irish island has captured global attention and revived questions surrounding the unexplained disappearance of a Taiwanese fishing crew more than four years ago. The bottle, found on the shore of Inisheer (Inis Oírr), the smallest of the Aran Islands, contained a handwritten note in a mix of Indonesian, English, and Chinese. It was discovered last week by Matthew Laming and a friend while they were walking along the beach. After breaking open the wax-sealed bottle, they found what appeared to be a desperate SOS message. 'We used Google Translate, and the first part of it translated to an SOS in Indonesian,' Laming said in an interview. 'At first, I thought it was a prank, but now, I'm not so sure.' According to Laming's Reddit post, the note reads, 'Please send help! We are lost since 12/20. There are 3 of us here. We don't know the name of this island. We are injured. HELP. HELLO. SOS.' The note ends with the Chinese character 'Li' (李) and the name 'Yong Yu Sing No. 18,' the designation of a Taiwanese tuna fishing vessel that went missing in late 2020. The Yong Yu Sing No. 18 was last heard from on December 30, 2020. Just days later, the US Coast Guard found the vessel drifting aimlessly over 600 miles northeast of Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The boat's windows were shattered, its lifeboat was missing, and the ten-man crew—including a Taiwanese captain surnamed Li and nine Indonesian fishermen—were gone without a trace. Taiwanese prosecutors later ruled the incident an accident but offered no answers about what happened to the crew. The case remains one of the country's most unsettling maritime mysteries. The note's sudden appearance thousands of miles away in the Atlantic Ocean has sparked an online frenzy, particularly on Reddit, where Laming's post on the subreddit r/beachcombing quickly went viral. Internet users dug into the message's possible origins, some pointing out the similarities to the real-life disappearance of the Yong Yu Sing No. 18, while others speculated on ocean currents, timelines, and whether the note could have plausibly made it from the Pacific to the Irish coast. Some sceptics dismissed it as a hoax, noting the improbability of such a message surviving the ocean's journey for over four years. But others took the note seriously, especially after connecting it to the captain's surname and the ship's exact name. A few commenters even drew comparisons to historical cases, such as the 1992 Friendly Floatees incident, in which thousands of plastic toys released during a shipping accident were found on beaches around the world decades later. In Taiwan, the note is being treated with caution but seriousness. The Su'Ao Fisherman's Association, which represents many of the region's fishermen, issued a statement calling on the government to verify the message and, if confirmed, to cooperate with international authorities on potential rescue or recovery efforts. The Taiwan Yilan District Prosecutors Office, which led the original investigation, has not publicly responded to the discovery. Meanwhile, Laming and his friend handed the message over to local authorities in Galway. Ireland's police service, An Garda Síochána, confirmed receiving a report of the item found on Inisheer but declined to comment on third-party content or ongoing speculation. While the message is yet to be unverified, its emotional impact is undeniable. For the families of the missing crew, the note—whether genuine or not—serves as a painful reminder of unanswered questions and lost loved ones. For internet sleuths, it's a mystery that might yet unravel. 'My gut tells me it's a hoax,' Laming admitted, 'but Reddit has made me think—just maybe.' See More: An Garda Síochána, Aran Islands, Fishing, Reddit, Taiwan
The Spinoff
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Spinoff
‘So many issues' but ‘alright, I guess': What students actually think of NCEA
It turns out young people have opinions about things that affect them. Last week, we shared a Now You Know explainer video on the future of NCEA after prime minister Christopher Luxon announced it was getting a 'fundamental overhaul'. The Education Review Office thinks NCEA Level 1 'needs substantial reform' and parents are pressuring schools to ditch the qualification altogether. But what do the people actually doing NCEA think? They don't seem to be asked very often, so we took it to the comments section. Here's what we learned, in their own words. Comments have been lightly edited for clarity. Language classes are OK, except when people are using Google Translate to complete their internal assessments. Moved from the US 10th grade to year 12, so I have a somewhat wider perspective. In short, teaching and learning was minimal, while memorising and copy-pasting were rewarded. The standards for an Achieved are on the ground, while Excellence requires an insane amount of effort. At my school, English was not required past year 10 (still needed reading/writing credits though), and many kids didn't know how to write, some probably couldn't read, either. Music and languages in particular, I think, were alright. However, language courses could move a LOT faster (although the internal assessments were pointless as most students could Google Translate their work). It's great that NCEA gives students choice about their subjects and assessments but that is about the only good thing I can say about it. / Student who finished NCEA in 2023 A key theme was that not a single human soul in the comments understands what is going on with NCEA Level 1. And also, for the love of God, students want us to stop changing their assessment standards mid-year. I did the new Level 1 NCEA last year and there were so many issues since teachers didn't know what they were teaching. There are many things we didn't learn due to there not being enough time to learn everything in the curriculum, so going into Level 2 we have missed out on many things. With the new Level 1 system it was still changing throughout the year, and the way assignments were supposed to be marked was changing whilst doing them. It was not planned out well, and they had not finished the new system halfway through the year and were still altering it, making it even harder to manage. / NCEA Level 2 student Found last year was alright with credits but NO TEACHER KNEW WHAT THEY WERE TEACHING BECAUSE OF THE SYSTEM CHANGE AND THE LACK OF RESOURCES GIVEN TO THEM! This year was alright, I guess. A lot of overload in a way: one class with three assessments for one thing I'm doing, and I'm finding it hard to get credits but I've passed (for now) all my assessments. / NCEA Level 2 student I think that lots of the new standards are repetitive and aren't actually clear on what is needed to achieve highly. For example, 1.2 English is basically a repeat of the CAAs [Common Assessment Activities] we have to sit, and it seems to me teachers haven't actually been able to give their own feedback on the course. It is also apparent there's a lack of communication from NZQA to teachers. I think there's also a bit of a disconnect between Level 1 and Level 2 which is going to stitch up my year group. / NCEA Level 1 student A lot of students told us that once you've passed NCEA Level 1, you are totally unprepared for Level 2, so good luck with that. Level 1 was fine, very easy and I only had three exams. But now the jump to Level 2 is huge, and I have 11 exams this year / NCEA Level 2 student I HATE level 2 😭✌️ / NCEA Level 2 student I took L1 [Level 1] last year and my chem teacher said the new Level 1 Labour introduced doesn't even align with Level 2 chem. She said once you hit Level 2, it's like restarting. / NCEA Level 2 student Some students think that NCEA has some redeeming qualities. It's going great right now in the first year of NCEA but if there were anything I would have to change, most likely the wording of the standards. Even one of my teachers said that it was 'pretty vague' / NCEA Level 1 student As someone currently doing Level 2, I don't have any major issues with NCEA. My main issue is that it doesn't necessarily feel like we want to do the assessments (whether because we're forced to write about specific subjects or are only assessed on subjects the teachers know well). Admittedly, getting students to be passionate about learning isn't easy. In conclusion, I think that the current use of NCEA is fine; however, in the future, we should find a way to move into a qualification system that is better suited to doing what the students want rather than what the teachers want. / NCEA Level 2 student Some people were just happy we showed an interest in what they had to say. I personally find it alright, but I know a lot of my friends are struggling. The system definitely needs change, and it's great to have someone actually care about our opinions for once. / NCEA Level 2 student
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
ICE releases deaf Mongolian immigrant after holding him for months without interpreter
A deaf Mongolian man who uses sign language to communicate has been released from immigration custody in Southern California after spending months in detention without access to an interpreter, a family member confirmed Saturday. CalMatters reported earlier this month on the man's detention. His family requested he be identified only by the name Avirmed because of their fear that he could be harmed by the Mongolian government if he is eventually returned to his home country. U.S. Southern District of California Judge Dana Sabraw on July 9 ordered officials at the Otay Mesa Detention Center to provide Avirmed with a Mongolian Sign Language interpreter. So far, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not provided him access to anyone who spoke his language, which his attorney equated to holding him in solitary confinement. Immigration agents tried using Google Translate to ask Avirmed if he feared returning to Mongolia, according to court records. They badly misunderstood him, identifying his sponsor as a daughter named Virginia Washington, but he does not have a daughter, according to a legal complaint filed on his behalf. His sponsor is his sister, who lives in Virginia. She confirmed, 'He is home with me.' Avirmed's attorneys with the Disability Rights Legal Center and Disability Law United argued that holding immigration court proceedings without allowing him access to an interpreter violated Avirmed's legal civil rights. They drew on federal disability laws prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities by any federal program, including the immigration court system. Sabraw agreed. 'He has a right, doesn't he? To be able to fully participate in any significant proceeding?' the federal judge asked the attorney for the federal government. The U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of California would not comment on the man's release. Sabraw also ordered the federal government to redo two assessments that could have affected the 48-year-old man's request for asylum. The government did the assessments in a language Avirmed did not understand, the judge ruled. One examined his mental health, and the other evaluated whether he has a credible fear for his safety if he returns to his country. Avirmed was held in the Otay Mesa Detention Center since he entered the U.S. in February seeking asylum from persecution because of his disability. A 2020 assault in Mongolia left him with a traumatic brain injury that causes seizures and memory loss. He was attacked because of his disability, according to court records. His family declined to say how he reached the U.S. It remains unclear why Avirmed was released after being detained since February. He did not have any additional bond hearings, according to an immigration court docket. His attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment. ICE did not return a request for comment. Wendy Fry writes for CalMatters, where this article originally appeared.
Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Niagara couple's Caribbean vacation from hell
A dream holiday for a St. Catharines couple celebrating their second anniversary together and her birthday turned into a 100-day Dominican nightmare that flipped their life upside down, forced them to remortgage their home and left them rattled and unnerved. It's an ordeal that Zach Crawford and Cassandra DiPietro — falsely accused of drug smuggling — can't forget, though they wish they could. They still aren't sleeping well as they try to process the trauma of Dominican jail cells, court proceedings in a language they didn't understand and anxiety over how long their financial resources would hold out. Crawford, 31, had never travelled outside Canada before the March trip to Punta Cana. 'I didn't know if I would like a long stay, so five days was perfect for us,' he said. 'I am more of a camping and outdoors guy, so we did excursions for dune buggies and ATVs and stayed on the beach a lot. We went to some shows and enjoyed the buffets.' Their lives started unravelling at the airport in the Dominican Republic while waiting for their WestJet flight to take them home. They had passed every checkpoint, including a drug-sniffing dog, and boarded the plane, but noticed their suitcases on the tarmac, separate from everybody else's. 'I asked a flight attendant to please make sure the suitcases get on the plane, and she said they would check for us,' Crawford said. 'Ten minutes went by, and I asked the flight attendant again. This time I didn't get an answer. 'Then we saw somebody boarding the plane with a high-vis vest, and he told us to come with him.' Things went downhill fast. A half-dozen drug control officers who didn't speak English escorted them to a secure area in the terminal. One of the officers used Google Translate to tell them there were warrants out for their arrest. 'At his point, I'm thinking, 'What the hell?'' Crawford said. No one had tampered with DiPietro's suitcases. There were no drugs in them. However, someone had copied the routing sticker attached to her suitcase. The sticker was printed with a shortened version of her name and attached to a third suitcase they had never seen before. That suitcase was packed with marijuana. They requested a translator but had to rely on Google Translate. Crawford was presented with five documents in Spanish to sign. 'I signed one because they indicated that it would get my suitcase back,' Crawford said. DiPietro, 30, is a registered practical nurse at the Marotta Family Hospital in St. Catharines. She said she was having a panic attack and started to cry. One of the officers pointed her iPhone at her face to unlock it. 'They were sitting there laughing at us, not telling us what's going on, not giving us a translator,' DiPietro said. 'They seemed to enjoy our discomfort. The agents took pictures and videos of us on the way out of the airport in handcuffs like we were animals on parade.' The officers used a pickup truck without seatbelts to transfer them to a Dirección Nacional de Control de Drogas compound in Punta Cana. The agency, known by the acronym DNC, focuses on drug-related crime. High brick walls topped with barbed wire surrounded the detention centre. The agents were armed with assault rifles and handguns. They were having a barbecue in the courtyard as DiPietro and Crawford were led to separate holding cells. 'I keep a low profile in life,' Crawford said. 'I restarted my social media accounts for the first time in years to spread information around the GoFundMe. It was so strange. I try to be kind and respectful to everyone. I was speechless. It was so random.' DiPietro said their friends at home were shocked. Zach had never smoked marijuana. She had never smoked a cigarette. 'When I was in jail, the inmates told me the Dominican makes money off tourism, tourism crime, and drugs,' Crawford said. 'They got us for all three, and then made a profit holding us and dragging out this case.' Their story is similar to that of a Burlington resident, David Bennett, who Dominican authorities arrested in Punta Cana over accusations of smuggling drugs. Bennett endured a 71-day ordeal in the Caribbean country until the charges were withdrawn in April. David Bennett arrived at Pearson airport Friday night. Crawford and DiPietro were detained on a Friday evening. Crawford was released on Saturday on a $10,000 cash bond. He was free to return to Canada but wasn't going anywhere without DiPietro, who had a hearing scheduled Monday, where the court would charge her and issue a travel ban. 'The cells were at the end of a corridor, and it was pitch black,' Crawford said. 'The cop used the flashlight on his phone to look through a ring with dozens of keys to find the right one. I couldn't see anybody's faces in the jail cell. I didn't know what I was going into.' On his release, Crawford had contacted family and friends at home. DiPietro's mother found them a lawyer and jetted to the Dominican Republic with her boyfriend. Crawford said when they met the prosecutor, he told them the DNC had 'nothing on them and charges didn't make sense,' but since the investigation had started, there was no way to avoid the process. The court released DiPietro on a $6,000 cash bond after her Dominican lawyer 'fought like hell all day' to get the charges withdrawn. They initially stayed in a hotel room before her mother and boyfriend had to return home. Burlington's David Bennett is finally home months after he was detained in Dominican Republic on Crawford and DiPietro then moved from resort to resort, based on which was offering the lowest rate for the week. They also had concerns at home. Their German shepherd puppy, Ranger, was boarding with its breeder/trainer. 'She was happy to take him — for a week — but was wondering when we were going to pick him up,' DiPietro said. 'We didn't have anybody else who we could leave him with. Our friends and family all work full time, and some don't have the space for a dog either.' Their struggle for freedom cost them dearly, starting with lost wages. They drained their line of credit and maxed out credit cards to pay for lawyer fees, bail, accommodations and utilities back home. They had to board Ranger for three months. DiPietro lived with a gnawing fear that she could lose her nursing license. To add insult to injury, they had to pay an extra $60 daily fee at the airport for having stayed in the country for more than 30 days. 'All we wanted was our first vacation together and enjoy the time together and return home to our normal life,' DiPietro said. 'We can't do that because we're still picking up pieces and dealing with the mental-health struggles and everything else that we've had to do to try to rebuild our life.' They have set up a GoFundMe campaign: 'Wrongfully Detained Abroad: Help us Rebuild.' So far, they have raised more than $20,000 of their $80,000 goal. The GoFundMe page says any donation — no matter how small — will make an incredible difference. And if someone is unable to donate, simply sharing their story will help more than they realize. 'It's going to take us a long time to recover from this,' Crawford said. 'I want to marry her, and it's going to take years before we can even think about it financially.' Crawford went to see her in jail on the day after his release and hugged her like he never wanted to let her go. 'The whole time I was in jail, I was just trying to keep my head down,' DiPietro said. 'You don't want to stand out, but you don't want to appear weak. When he was hugging me, I started crying, and then I completely broke down, and I couldn't stop. I was trying my best just to hold it all together.' There were 10 other women in the jail cell. She was the only foreigner. No one spoke English. One woman was in charge. The lawyer brought her food daily and toilet paper. She told DiPietro to slip the prisoner in charge of the cell $10 a day. 'There were one or two girls who kind of looked after me,' DiPietro said. 'You don't have a toothbrush. You don't have soap. The toilet is out in the open. If they are cleaning, you are expected to join in.' They were in contact with the Canadian Embassy almost daily but said the staff couldn't do much to help as the weeks and months went by, though it felt good to speak to someone in English. 'There was no financial assistance, no shelter, the asylum, no help with food,' DiPietro said. 'We gave them our story, and that was it. We had to survive on our own.' 'We were taking it one week at a time,' Crawford said. 'We were under suspicion. We were led to believe it would be a quick turnaround, but it seemed like everyone in government in the Dominican (was) laid back. Their priority is not paperwork. They go at their own pace.' They provided the authorities with proof they owned their own house, copies of their bills. They supplied character witness letters, their records with WestJet showing they have only checked two bags. They also had video footage showing two suitcases at both airports in Canada and Pearson. 'It was an uphill battle just to find all the documents back home, just to get that notarized, and then apostle to just in court,' DiPietro said. 'Everything also had to be translated to Spanish by an official court translator.' A couple of days after their release, they were watching the news in Spanish when they saw the storyline, 'Canadienses arrestados en el aeropuerto por cargos de drogas.' The newscast paired the voice-over with the video of them in handcuffs at the airport. Crawford said they spent their time glued to their phones. The day would start with texts and emails, as well as contacting the embassy and checking with their lawyer. They would leave the room for a 20-minute lunch, followed by more texting and emailing until their 20-minute supper. 'Then we were back in the room again, and before bed, we would watch Spanish TV and try to unwind a little bit,' Crawford said. 'About the only thing we did was go to the beach on the weekend.' By the third month, they had both started to feel numb. 'We started anticipating that things were going to go wrong,' Crawford said. 'We would get a little piece of hope, and it would always come crashing down. You get to the point where you don't want to be too hopeful.' DiPietro said the good news finally came out of the blue on a June day. 'It was like someone finally decided to do paperwork, and then our lawyer was on it immediately and told us all we needed were some signatures,' DiPietro said. Once everything was confirmed, the last couple of hours were excruciating. The lawyer drove them to the airport. They went through the checkpoints and security, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 'I was just relieved when we're in the air,' DiPietro said. 'We were actually going home.' They sailed through customs in Toronto and were on their way home soon after landing. 'I don't mind talking about it, but it's overwhelming at the same time,' DiPietro said. 'You start thinking about specific details about things that happened, and they are still in your head. Zach Crawford and Cassandra DiPietro are back in St. Catharines after they were detained in the Dominican Republic for almost three months. 'We know we're cleared of everything, but there's always that thought about flying. What if it's in a record somewhere? What if we get questioned about the Dominican? We don't want to go through that again.' So, is there any international travel in their future? 'We're just going to go camping in Ontario from here on out, take Ranger with us and find a nice spot somewhere,' Crawford said. 'That's the safest thing for us.' Crawford said spending months in 'fight-or-flight mode' left them exhausted. They took a month-long break and are decompressing by living a quiet life. Crawford and DiPietro said they are sharing their story not just to ask for help but also to raise awareness because it could happen to anyone, anywhere. 'If there's one thing we've learned, it's how critical it is to know your rights and how important it is to understand the risks and be aware of what little protections exist when you're abroad,' DiPietro said. 'We hope that by sharing our story, others will be better prepared than we were.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. 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Miami Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Miami Herald
‘Golden' creature of Thai mythology appears on trail camera at national park
In a forest in southern Thailand, a 'golden' predator emerged from the trees and walked across a sunlit trail. Unbeknownst to it, a nearby trail camera captured its brief appearance. It turned out to be a rare creature rooted in local folklore. Wildlife patrols trekked into Khao Luang National Park to check trail cameras and review the latest footage as part of routine monitoring efforts, park officials said in a July 7 Facebook post. One camera's 10-second clip caught their attention. The video, filmed June 20, showed an Asian golden cat calmly passing near the camera. The cat pauses at the edge of the woods before vanishing into the forest, officials said. The Asian golden cat, scientifically known as Catopuma temminckii, is a 'medium-sized wild cat' found across Southeast Asia with distinctive tan coloring, according to Thai National Parks. 'Rather elusive,' these felines are 'territorial and solitary' predators 'capable of bringing down prey much larger than themselves.' Asian golden cats are figures of mythology in 'some regions of Thailand' and referred to as 'Seua fai,' or 'fire tiger,' officials said. 'According to a regional legend, the burning of an Asian golden cat's fur drives tigers away.' Park officials described the latest Asian golden cat sighting as rare. Due to hunting and habitat loss, Asian golden cats are considered vulnerable and at risk of extinction, officials said. Khao Luang National Park is in southern Thailand and a roughly 480-mile drive south from Bangkok. Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook post from Khao Luang National Park.
