22 Teens Dead From Night Club Poisoning?, Russia/Ukraine War Forcing Return of Coal Power?, Apple Leaving China Signaling Major Change for American Companies? (The Five for 06/28/22)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
Just one note before we dive into the news.
Obviously, The Supreme Court has handed down a trio of incredibly consequential decisions over the past few days.
Rather than offer more knee-jerk reactions, this issue focuses on the important events that are being ignored due to the Court’s decisions taking up the majority of headline space on nearly every major outlet.
[one]
This should probably be the biggest story in the world right now…and is mostly being ignored.
A horrific tragedy hit South Africa over the weekend.
South African authorities were still seeking answers Tuesday, two days after 21 underage teenagers partying after the end of school exams died in a mysterious incident at a nightclub. But new details emerged as survivors spoke of a strong and suffocating smell in the jam-packed double-story building.
The bodies of many of the victims, the youngest a 13-year-old girl, were discovered by police lying on tables, slumped in chairs and couches, and sprawled on the dancefloor of the club in the early hours of Sunday morning.
"They died as they danced," Police Minister Bheki Cele said. "They dance, fall, and die. Literally."
"Others would just feel dizzy, sleep on the sofa, (and) die. It tells you the story that they were all kids because somebody should have taken note."
Speculation has swirled over the cause of the tragedy, starting with a stampede - that has now been ruled out - to a possible gas leak. Police have sent forensic samples from the victims to a toxicology laboratory to investigate if the teens ingested poison or a toxin at the party.
I’m no toxicology expert, but I can tell you that as a journalist who’s covered a mix of local, national and global stories…I’ve never seen anything like this.
Given what we know, a terrorist attack of some kind seems most likely.
It also seems possible that there’s some kind of new poison or toxin that we may not yet know about.
UPDATE: At the time of this publication, the death toll has increased to 22.
[two]
This is certainly a grim issue of The Five…but the news is the news.
Dozens of would-be migrants area dead after being abandoned in a tractor trailer by an unnamed party who was smuggling the group into the U.S.
ABC San Antonio reports:
Fifty people died after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer in the sweltering Texas heat, one of the worst tragedies to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to the U.S.
Sixteen people were initially hospitalized, including four children.
A city worker heard a cry for help from the truck on a lonely San Antonio back road shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene, Police Chief William McManus said. Hours later, body bags lay spread on the ground near the trailer and bodies remained inside as authorities responded to the calamity.
Forty-six people were found dead near the scene, authorities said. Four more later died after being taken to hospitals, said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, the county's top elected official.
Among the dead were 39 males and 11 females, he said.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said those who died had "families who were likely trying to find a better life."
"This is nothing short of a horrific human tragedy," Nirenberg said.
[three]
Apparently the biggest enemy in the war for green energy is…actual war.
The Russia/Ukraine conflict is pushing Europe back towards coal to keep the lights on.
The French government could restart a coal-fired power plant in the Lorraine region in north eastern France this winter, France's energy ministry said in a written statement Sunday, confirming a report from broadcaster RTL.
"As a precautionary measure, given the situation in Ukraine, we are reserving the option to reactivate the Saint Avold plant ...if needed this winter," the ministry said.
The plans will not affect the phasing out of coal plants in France, the ministry added, noting the operator would offset the emissions through measures like reforestation.
Mainland Europe is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas, a system of trade disrupted by the war in Ukraine.
[four]
American WNBA star Brittney Griner has been held in a Russian prison without trail since February 17th, but will finally get her day in court.
CNN reports:
A Russian court on Monday scheduled Brittney Griner's trial to start Friday, according to her lawyer, and ruled the WNBA star's detention be extended six months pending its outcome.
Griner -- who has been held in Russia since her arrest at a Moscow airport on allegations of attempted drug smuggling -- attended the preliminary hearing in person Monday, arriving at court handcuffed and flanked by guards in black vests, according to a photo by AFP photographer Kirill Kudryavstev.
Her lawyer, Alexander Boykov, previously told CNN the hearing would occur behind closed doors at the Khimki court, just outside Moscow.
Griner, 31, a Phoenix Mercury player who plays in Russia during the WNBA's offseason, was arrested February 17. Russian authorities claimed she had cannabis oil in her luggage and accused her of smuggling significant amounts of a narcotic substance, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The US State Department, however, has classified Griner as "wrongfully detained," a department official told CNN in May.
Accordijng to Forbes, Russia is attempting to trade Griner for convicted arms dealer Victor “Merchent of Death” Bout, who was the inspiration for the 2005 Nicholas Cage film Lord of War, about an arms smuggler who sold illegal weapons to terrorists and dictators all over the world.
[five]
While Apple is a distinctly American company, the tech giant’s manufacturing has been deeply intwined with China for decades, despite a bevy of reports that Chinese Muslims are forced into slave labor to produce the iPhone, and that factory workers commit suicide at an alarming rate.
Whether it’s due to pressure from supply chain shortages or the outcry against human rights violations, Apple is considering Vietnam as a future manufacturing destination.
South China Morning Post also mentions how supply chain disruptions in mainland China have caused Apple to consider relocating manufacturing to India or Vietnam. Recently, the prime minister of Vietnam met with CEO Tim Cook to discuss bringing Apple’s manufacturing to the country. While there’s nothing official, Cook has said Apple is considering extending its supply chain to Vietnam.
This could be nothing…or it could be a bellwether that conditions in China are so bad American companies are being forced to divest from partnerships with the Chinese Communist Party.
Until the next one,
-sth