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world news Diabierna 11 Februari 2022

Musk helping restore Tongan internet; virus outbreak growing

(AP) — Entrepreneur Elon With many displaced people nearly 2,000 low-orbit satel-
Musk is helping reconnect in the aftermath of the erup- lites called Starlink, which
Tonga to the internet after tion, an already fragile health provides internet service to
a volcanic eruption and care system and the isolation remote places around the
tsunami cut off the South of the islands, the outbreak world.
Pacific nation more than is a particular cause for con-
three weeks ago, accord- cern, said Katie Greenwood, Fiji Attorney-General Ai-
ing to officials, while re- the head of delegation in the yaz Sayed-Khaiyum tweeted
pairs on an undersea cable Pacific for the International about the SpaceX work, say-
are proving more difficult Red Cross. ing the volcano’s shockwave
than first thought. had “shattered Tonga’s inter-
“Resourcing community net connection, adding days
The tsunami severed the sole health and primary health fa- of gut-wrenching uncertain-
fiber-optic cable that con- cilities, especially in remote ty to disaster assessments.”
nects Tonga to the rest of locations, is extremely chal-
the world and most people lenging,” she told The Asso- A spokeswoman for Sayed- the chairperson at Tonga
remain without reliable con- ciated Press. “COVID most Khaiyum said Wednesday Cable Ltd., the state-owned A U.N. team has provided
nections. certainly presents a threat she was waiting for more in- company that owns the cru- small satellites and other tele-
to these systems and to vul- formation about the Starlink cial undersea cable, told the communications support to
Three people were con- nerable people who may not project before providing fur- AP that repairs to the cable boost connectivity and com-
firmed killed in the Jan. 15 access the level of care re- ther details. SpaceX did not might not be completed until munications, said spokesper-
eruption of the massive un- quired.” respond to requests for com- the end of next week. son Stephane Dujarric, and
dersea volcano and the re- ment. more equipment was on the
sulting tsunami, and several Many Tongans are now in Fonua said the good news way.
small settlements in outly- lockdown with their com- Musk had earlier shown in- was that the crew aboard the
ing islands were wiped out munications severely re- terest in Tonga’s plight. Less repair ship CS Reliance had Dujarric said that UNICEF
and a thick layer of volcanic stricted due to the severed than a week after the erup- managed to locate both ends had sent 15,000 rapid test kits
ash that blanketed the main undersea cable. tion, he asked on Twitter: of the damaged cable. The and that the World Health
island tainted much of the “Could people from Tonga bad news, he said, was the Organization was sending
drinking water. But with Musk’s involve- let us know if it is important damage was extensive and his 5,000 PCR tests to help with
ment, there was hope that for SpaceX to send over Star- company didn’t have enough the outbreak.
Tonga had avoided the CO- better connectivity would be link terminals?” cable aboard the ship to re-
VID-19 pandemic for more restored soon. place a mangled section of The outbreak started after
than two years, but it is now New Zealand politician Dr. more than 80 kilometers (50 two Tongan dockworkers
in the midst of an outbreak A top official in neighboring Shane Reti wrote to Musk miles). tested positive for the virus
with new infections grow- Fiji tweeted that a team from asking him to help provide a last week. Despite efforts to
ing rapidly after the virus Musk’s SpaceX company was Starlink connection. After the Fonua said there was extra stop the virus from spreading,
was apparently brought in by in Fiji establishing a station reports from Fiji emerged, cable aboard the Reliance the number of cases has been
foreign military crews aboard that would help reconnect Reti tweeted: “Very pleased. that was owned by other growing and Prime Minister
ships and planes delivering Tonga through SpaceX satel- Elon Musk providing satel- companies, and Tonga Cable Siaosi Sovaleni said Wednes-
critical aid after the volcanic lites. lite to Tonga.” was hoping to secure agree- day that infections more than
eruption. ments with those companies doubled overnight, with 19
SpaceX runs a network of Meanwhile Samiuela Fonua, to use it. new cases.

Truckers’ bridge blockade forces shutdowns at auto plants

authorities in Paris and Bel- The ban on road blockades Wednesday and the first shift
gium banned road blockades in Europe and the threat of on Thursday at its SUV fac-
to head off disruptions there, prison and heavy fines were tory outside Lansing, Michi-
too. likewise prompted by online gan.
chat groups that have been
The U.S. Department of calling on drivers to converge Toyota said it will not be able
Homeland Security said in a on Paris starting Friday night to manufacture anything at
bulletin to local and state law and to continue on to Brus- three Canadian plants for
enforcement agencies that sels on Monday. the rest of the week because
it has received reports that of parts shortages. Honda
truckers are planning to “po- The Ambassador Bridge is reported that its plant in Al-
tentially block roads in major the busiest U.S.-Canadian liston, Ontario, north of To-
metropolitan cities” in a pro- border crossing, carrying ronto, had to suspend pro-
test against vaccine mandates 25% of all trade between the duction on one assembly line
and other issues. two countries, and the effects on Wednesday, but that it was
of the blockade there were back in operation Thursday.
The agency said the con- felt rapidly.
(AP) — The truck block- demonstration by the self- voy could begin in South- Stellantis, formerly Fiat
ade by Canadians pro- proclaimed Freedom Con- ern California as early as this Ford said its Windsor, On- Chrysler, said it was forced
testing the country’s voy entered its fourth day weekend, possibly disrupt- tario, engine plant reopened it to shorten shifts at several
COVID-19 restrictions is Thursday at the Ambassador ing traffic around the Super Thursday after being shut plants.
tightening the screws on Bridge connecting Windsor, Bowl, and reach Washington down on Wednesday because
the auto industry, forcing Ontario, to Detroit, disrupt- in March in time for the State of a lack of parts. But the Michigan Gov. Gretchen
Ford, General Motors and ing the flow of auto parts and of the Union, according to a factory and the company’s Whitmer urged Canadian
other car companies to other products between the copy of Tuesday’s bulletin assembly plant in Oakville, authorities to quickly resolve
shut down plants or oth- two countries. obtained by The Associated Ontario, near Toronto, were the standoff at the bridge.
erwise scale back produc- Press. It said that the protest operating at reduced capacity,
tion on both sides of the Meanwhile, the U.S. braced could be disruptive and tie the automaker said. “It’s hitting paychecks and
U.S. border. for the possibility of simi- up traffic but that there have production lines. That is
lar truck-borne protests in- been no calls for violence. On the U.S. side, GM can- unacceptable,” she said in a
The bumper-to-bumper spired by the Canadians, and celed the second shift on statement.