Latest news with #Ripley
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
What survivors of commercial plane crashes have in common – and only some of it is luck
'Miracle girl' Bahia Bakari, the sole survivor of doomed Yemenia Flight 626, notably survived its 2009 crash into the Indian Ocean by clinging to a piece of aircraft wreckage, something she was able to do because she happened to have been ejected from the Airbus A310 as it crashed. The four survivors of Japan Airlines Flight 123, which killed 520 people after crashing into Mount Osutaka in August 1985, were all seated in the last seven rows of the aircraft. That happened to be the only part that remained intact after impact. Which part of the plane that remains intact in the event of a crash – and if you're in it – may be luck of the draw, but in the case of Japan Airlines Flight 516, a major factor in the survival of all 379 occupants after it collided with a Coast Guard plane at Haneda Airport was its efficient evacuation process. American journalist Amanda Ripley's extensive disaster reporting helped Time win more than one award – and it also formed a strong basis for her book The Unthinkable: Who survives when disaster strikes – and why. What Ripley had discovered over the years was how much understanding behavioural psychology was crucial to the survival of humans when disaster strikes, and how much it's been overlooked. Fight, flight, freeze or fawn – if your body knows instinctively what to do, Ripley argues, then it may be able to cut through in times of extreme distress. 'The brain loves body memory,' writes Ripley, who highlights the efficacy of 'dress rehearsals' of fires in house and workplace survival rates. 'It is much better to stop, drop, and roll than to talk about stopping, dropping, and rolling.' Loading In an unfamiliar and somewhat temporary environment like a commercial plane, conducting a disaster drill as a passenger is easier said than done. But Ripley highlights how making a habit of counting the rows between your seat and the nearest emergency exit on every plane you board – should you need to rely on senses other than sight – is essential. Crew, after all, are given a 90-second time limit to evacuate all passengers before flames, and smoke, become fatal for those inside the plane, some of whom may be trapped by their own paralysing fear, or others who are clogging the aisle trying to retrieve their belongings in shock. Not one of Japan Airlines Flight 516's occupants exited with hand luggage. Which is the safest seat on a commercial flight? There is no magic seat that protects individual passengers; however, there is some data to show that there are safer and less safe seats in the event of a crash. Incomplete data from the American Federal Aviation Administration between 1985 and 2000 was analysed by Time, which found that sitting in the back of a plane was generally safer, fulfilling the urban myth that first-class passengers face the brunt of a crash's impact. Middle seats have also been found to have the lowest fatality rate, though there are questions of situational advantage, as in some crashes having an aisle seat can mean a quicker evacuation. It should be noted, however, that not all crash data reports seat numbers against passenger fatalities, so a complete analysis is difficult to perform. Is there a way to tell if an airline is at higher risk of a crash? Despite 2025 being one of the deadliest years on record for civil aviation, commercial aircraft accidents are still considered extremely rare today. Of course, some airlines and countries have a worse record than others, and there are several resources flyers can use. Qantas, recently voted the world's second-safest airline for 2025 on behind Air New Zealand, has never had a fatal jet airline accident. Air India didn't make top 25 list when it was released earlier this year, and currently has an air safety star rating of just four stars out of seven, factoring Friday's mass fatalities. Loading At the time of writing, Air India also does not feature among the banned carriers on the European Union Air Safety List (ASL) – an internationally recognised and frequently updated list of air carriers from non-EU nations banned from operating to, in and from the EU due to not meeting necessary international safety standards. The list was last updated on June 3, before the crash took place. Both the reviews and the ASL can be used as reference guides for flyers. The ASL is a particularly good resource for anyone considering using a foreign carrier for the first time, according to RMIT University aerospace engineering and aviation expert Chrystal Zhang. 'It's definitely one of the very reliable resources for anyone who wants to check the [carrier's] safety performance and capability of the government [to manage] safety performance,' said Zhang. 'It is one of the purposes they developed that list.' The banned or partially banned airlines are determined based on information gathered by aviation safety experts from all the EU member states and the European Commission, including assessment of both the individual airline and its associated governing authorities. 'They would determine whether the carriers have valid, appropriate safety management systems in place to satisfy the EU's requirements … then they would check the capability of the government agency – in [the Yeti Airlines] case the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal – to establish to what extent they're capable of overseeing the overall management system of their aviation sector,' said Zhang. While Australia doesn't have an equivalent ban list in place, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates who gets an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) to operate safely in Australia. 'This means any Australian airline will be safe,' said University of Sydney aviation expert Professor Rico Merkert. 'Foreign carriers are not permitted to fly into Australian airspace until they receive a Foreign Aircraft Air Operator's Certificate (CASA). As such, I feel in safe hands.' Which airlines are the safest? Air New Zealand is ranked the safest on with Qantas following in an 'extremely close' second place. According to the group, rankings are based on a number of categories, including the number of serious incidents in the last two years, fleet size and age, fatalities, and pilot skills and training. Loading Airlines are balanced in their ranking to ensure that proportionality is considered. 'An airline operating only 100 aircraft experiencing three incidents raises greater concern than an airline with 800 aircraft experiencing six incidents,' said the group. 'Another critical factor is how incidents are managed. While incidents occur daily across the aviation industry, the expertise of pilots and crew often determines whether an event remains an incident or escalates into a tragedy.' The group also said that incidents are sometimes the fault of the plane manufacturer, rather than the airline, and that is taken into consideration. Air India Flight 171 marks the first hull loss for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner since the type of aircraft began operating in 2011.
The Age
12 hours ago
- General
- The Age
What survivors of commercial plane crashes have in common – and only some of it is luck
'Miracle girl' Bahia Bakari, the sole survivor of doomed Yemenia Flight 626, notably survived its 2009 crash into the Indian Ocean by clinging to a piece of aircraft wreckage, something she was able to do because she happened to have been ejected from the Airbus A310 as it crashed. The four survivors of Japan Airlines Flight 123, which killed 520 people after crashing into Mount Osutaka in August 1985, were all seated in the last seven rows of the aircraft. That happened to be the only part that remained intact after impact. Which part of the plane that remains intact in the event of a crash – and if you're in it – may be luck of the draw, but in the case of Japan Airlines Flight 516, a major factor in the survival of all 379 occupants after it collided with a Coast Guard plane at Haneda Airport was its efficient evacuation process. American journalist Amanda Ripley's extensive disaster reporting helped Time win more than one award – and it also formed a strong basis for her book The Unthinkable: Who survives when disaster strikes – and why. What Ripley had discovered over the years was how much understanding behavioural psychology was crucial to the survival of humans when disaster strikes, and how much it's been overlooked. Fight, flight, freeze or fawn – if your body knows instinctively what to do, Ripley argues, then it may be able to cut through in times of extreme distress. 'The brain loves body memory,' writes Ripley, who highlights the efficacy of 'dress rehearsals' of fires in house and workplace survival rates. 'It is much better to stop, drop, and roll than to talk about stopping, dropping, and rolling.' Loading In an unfamiliar and somewhat temporary environment like a commercial plane, conducting a disaster drill as a passenger is easier said than done. But Ripley highlights how making a habit of counting the rows between your seat and the nearest emergency exit on every plane you board – should you need to rely on senses other than sight – is essential. Crew, after all, are given a 90-second time limit to evacuate all passengers before flames, and smoke, become fatal for those inside the plane, some of whom may be trapped by their own paralysing fear, or others who are clogging the aisle trying to retrieve their belongings in shock. Not one of Japan Airlines Flight 516's occupants exited with hand luggage. Which is the safest seat on a commercial flight? There is no magic seat that protects individual passengers; however, there is some data to show that there are safer and less safe seats in the event of a crash. Incomplete data from the American Federal Aviation Administration between 1985 and 2000 was analysed by Time, which found that sitting in the back of a plane was generally safer, fulfilling the urban myth that first-class passengers face the brunt of a crash's impact. Middle seats have also been found to have the lowest fatality rate, though there are questions of situational advantage, as in some crashes having an aisle seat can mean a quicker evacuation. It should be noted, however, that not all crash data reports seat numbers against passenger fatalities, so a complete analysis is difficult to perform. Is there a way to tell if an airline is at higher risk of a crash? Despite 2025 being one of the deadliest years on record for civil aviation, commercial aircraft accidents are still considered extremely rare today. Of course, some airlines and countries have a worse record than others, and there are several resources flyers can use. Qantas, recently voted the world's second-safest airline for 2025 on behind Air New Zealand, has never had a fatal jet airline accident. Air India didn't make top 25 list when it was released earlier this year, and currently has an air safety star rating of just four stars out of seven, factoring Friday's mass fatalities. Loading At the time of writing, Air India also does not feature among the banned carriers on the European Union Air Safety List (ASL) – an internationally recognised and frequently updated list of air carriers from non-EU nations banned from operating to, in and from the EU due to not meeting necessary international safety standards. The list was last updated on June 3, before the crash took place. Both the reviews and the ASL can be used as reference guides for flyers. The ASL is a particularly good resource for anyone considering using a foreign carrier for the first time, according to RMIT University aerospace engineering and aviation expert Chrystal Zhang. 'It's definitely one of the very reliable resources for anyone who wants to check the [carrier's] safety performance and capability of the government [to manage] safety performance,' said Zhang. 'It is one of the purposes they developed that list.' The banned or partially banned airlines are determined based on information gathered by aviation safety experts from all the EU member states and the European Commission, including assessment of both the individual airline and its associated governing authorities. 'They would determine whether the carriers have valid, appropriate safety management systems in place to satisfy the EU's requirements … then they would check the capability of the government agency – in [the Yeti Airlines] case the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal – to establish to what extent they're capable of overseeing the overall management system of their aviation sector,' said Zhang. While Australia doesn't have an equivalent ban list in place, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates who gets an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) to operate safely in Australia. 'This means any Australian airline will be safe,' said University of Sydney aviation expert Professor Rico Merkert. 'Foreign carriers are not permitted to fly into Australian airspace until they receive a Foreign Aircraft Air Operator's Certificate (CASA). As such, I feel in safe hands.' Which airlines are the safest? Air New Zealand is ranked the safest on with Qantas following in an 'extremely close' second place. According to the group, rankings are based on a number of categories, including the number of serious incidents in the last two years, fleet size and age, fatalities, and pilot skills and training. Loading Airlines are balanced in their ranking to ensure that proportionality is considered. 'An airline operating only 100 aircraft experiencing three incidents raises greater concern than an airline with 800 aircraft experiencing six incidents,' said the group. 'Another critical factor is how incidents are managed. While incidents occur daily across the aviation industry, the expertise of pilots and crew often determines whether an event remains an incident or escalates into a tragedy.' The group also said that incidents are sometimes the fault of the plane manufacturer, rather than the airline, and that is taken into consideration. Air India Flight 171 marks the first hull loss for a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner since the type of aircraft began operating in 2011.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Two award winning Brit actors announced for new Harry Potter TV show as Rivals and Ripley stars join cast
The latest names announced combine new and familiar talent hocus focus Two award winning Brit actors announced for new Harry Potter TV show as Rivals and Ripley stars join cast Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THREE award-winning Brit actors have been announced for the new Harry Potter TV show. From HBO, the upcoming series will adapt JK Rowling's novels for a new generation. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 BAFTA winner Katherine Parkinson will play Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter TV show Credit: Getty 7 Fellow BAFTA winner Daniel Rigby is set as Uncle Vernon Credit: Getty 7 Bel Powley has also joined the show's cast Credit: AP 7 Johnny Fynn has been cast in a major role Credit: AP Several new cast members have now been officially confirmed to join the Wizarding World. Among them is Katherine Parkinson, who will be portraying beloved Weasley matriarch, Molly. The actress, 47, is a BAFTA winner for her role as Jen in hit sitcom The IT Crowd. Viewers may have more recently seen Katherine as Lizzie Vereker in raunchy Disney+ series Rivals. Fellow BAFTA winner Daniel Rigby, 42, is set to play Harry's Muggle uncle Vernon Dursley, He won a BAFTA for playing Eric Morecambe in 2011 BBC film Eric and Ernie. Also joining the cast is Bel Powley in the role of Harry's biological aunt, Petunia Dursley. Her past credits include a main role on The Morning Show, opposite Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. Lox Pratt, star of the BBC's upcoming Lord of the Flies, will be playing Harry's school rival Draco Malfoy. Meanwhile, actor Johnny Flynn, 42, will take on the role of Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) Official Trailer He has played real-life figures such as David Bowie and a young Nicholas Winton. Johnny also worked with predecessor Jason Isaacs in 2021 film Operation Mincemeat. Three of Harry's classmates have also been cast - Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown. Rounding out these announcements is Dalgleish actor Bertie Carvel, 47, in the role of Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. Last month, the three screen newcomers playing Harry, Ron and Hermione were officially unveiled. Dominic McLaughlin is set to star as Harry, with Alastair Stout as Ron and Arabella Stanton as Hermione. Harry Potter author JK, 59 - who will also serve as executive producer of the TV series - had her say on the young trio. Writing on social media after the news broke, she said: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.' Several major adult roles were already confirmed, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore. How to spot a rare Harry Potter book AS JK Rowling's popularity has rocketed, so has the value of the first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. If you think you might have one, then first look to see if Bloomsbury is listed as the publisher on the title page at the bottom. The copy should be a first edition - which will be noted within the first few pages. The latest date listed in the copyright information must by 1997. It should be credited to "Joanne Rowling" and not "J.K Rowling" and carry a print line that reads " 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page. There is a mistake on page 53 where '1 wand' appears twice in the list of school supplies Harry receives from Hogwarts, which was corrected in later print runs. For the other titles in the Harry Potter series, it is only the first hardback editions with the dust jacket that have any collectable value. The show will also feature Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Snape, Luke Thallon as Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Filch. Speaking at the time, showrunner Francesca Gardiner said: "We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch." Mark Mylod, who will executive produce and direct multiple episodes of the series for HBO, added: 'We're delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can't wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.' The series is also executive produced by JK Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts of Brontë Film and TV, and David Heyman of Heyday Films. 7 Bertie Carvel is the new Cornelius Fudge Credit: PA 7 The show's three young leads were confirmed last month Credit: AP
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Rhea Ripley reunites with Damian Priest after WWE SmackDown, photos viral
WWE Superstar Rhea Ripley made a rare appearance on this week's episode of Friday Night SmackDown. With Money in the Bank just around the corner, the show served as the final build-up before the big event—where Ripley is set to compete in the high-stakes ladder match. Her appearance on SmackDown also gave her a chance to reconnect with a close friend. Backstage, she reunited with Damian Priest. Their friendship is well known among fans, as the two have a long history together—not just as allies in the ring, but as former tag team partners and stablemates. Also Read: WWE pulls off R-Truth shocker at Money in the Bank 2025 PPV, leaving John Cena shocked. Check full results After the show, Ripley shared a few photos of their backstage reunion on Instagram, calling the post heartfelt. This came shortly after Priest had posted a story of the two of them as well. Ripley mentioned how much she misses her 'Terror Twin,' hinting that their time together is rare these days, likely because they're now on different brands. The post received lots of love from the fans, one of them wrote, 'I can't stop giggling at the last photo. Yall are the cutest. So happy you guys got to be together tonight.' Another user chimed, MY FAVSSSS GREAT TO SEE Y'ALL TWO TOGETHER AGAIN." A different user wrote, This is cute but last pic is nightmare fuel." A post shared by Rhea Ripley (@rhearipley_wwe) Though Priest didn't appear in front of the live crowd in Bakersfield, he still played a role in the episode. 'The Punisher' had a backstage confrontation with Jacob Fatu, making it clear that he still has his sights set on the United States Championship. Meanwhile, Ripley competed in a six-woman tag team match featuring all the participants in the upcoming Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Teaming up with Alexa Bliss and Stephanie Vaquer, Ripley scored the win for her team by pinning Roxanne Perez. Time will tell if Ripley's momentum continues into Money in the Bank tomorrow night.
Business Wire
03-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Introducing Kraken Prime: A Full-Service Prime Brokerage for Institutional Crypto Clients
CHEYENNE, Wyo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kraken, one of the longest-standing, most liquid and secure cryptocurrency platforms, today announced the launch of Kraken Prime, a full-service prime brokerage solution purpose-built to offer institutional investors seamless access to trading, custody and financing through a unified platform. With Kraken Prime, institutional clients gain access to deep, multi-venue liquidity, sophisticated trading tools and high-touch client service, consolidated into a single, streamlined interface. The launch marks a strategic milestone as Kraken strengthens its position to meet growing institutional demand with the performance, reliability and compliance standards expected of a traditional prime broker. 'Kraken Prime is built to meet the execution quality and service expectations of today's institutional investors,' said David Ripley, co-CEO of Kraken. 'Our infrastructure has been battle-tested across several market cycles, and with Kraken Prime, we're channeling that robustness and unmatched expertise into a premium experience tailor-made for institutions.' Kraken Prime launches at a pivotal moment. A broader range of institutions, including asset managers, hedge funds and corporates is coming to crypto as regulatory clarity improves and market infrastructure matures. These entities require partners that offer both technical sophistication, institutional-grade compliance and dedicated 24/7 support in order to engage more deeply in the digital asset space. Kraken Prime has been built from the ground up to meet those needs. Clients gain access to liquidity representing over 90% of the digital asset market across more than 20 global venues, with round-the-clock support from an experienced account management team. Trades can be executed directly from qualified custody managed by Kraken Financial, a US state-charted bank. The platform also supports asset-backed lending, T+1 credit facilities and a seamless integration with both on- and off-platform liquidity through an in-house smart order routing system. 'Kraken Prime enters the market with a clear mandate: deliver execution quality, service depth and institutional rigor that not only meet but exceed what traditional finance expects,' continued Ripley. 'Kraken Prime's edge lies in prioritizing quality, reliability and consistency, which are especially critical in volatile markets. We may not be the first to market but we're setting the bar for institutional crypto.' Kraken Prime is now available to eligible institutional clients. The platform is SOC 2 Type I and ISO/IEC 27001 certified, underscoring Kraken's commitment to security, compliance, and operational excellence. To learn more or request access, please visit About Kraken Kraken is a technology platform built on crypto that unlocks access and reduces inefficiencies to drive financial freedom — for the crypto economy and beyond. Millions of individuals, professional traders, and institutions around the world use Kraken to trade digital and traditional assets, including cryptocurrencies, national currencies, U.S. futures, and U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs. Kraken markets can be monitored and traded via the web or through the Kraken and Kraken Pro iOS and Android apps. Futures platforms by NinjaTrader, a Kraken company, are available on desktop, web, and mobile via For more information about Kraken, please visit
