THE UNFOLDING OF THE SCRIPTURES
SUNDAY, 3RD JANUARY, 2010
BY THE SHEIHU OF SALAWATIYA, IMAM HUSAIN RASHID SALWAT (QUTUB AZ-ZAMAAN)
1. Air Disaster, Sea Disaster.
2. The world will experience major conflicts developing into regional wars. Some nations might rise against others. The UN should be firm and fair and use good diplomacy to avert wars between nations, otherwise they could lead to a World war.
3. Signs of the End of Time, the Doomsday; (Likelihood of a collision of the Earth with some heavenly bodies). Discovery of new lands.
4. Re-emergence of Dictatorship in some countries.
5. Plagues and outbreak of Epidemics due partly to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
6. Infant mortality especially boys.
7. Rains that could be harmful to the human body and plants; (Chemical rains).
8. Mental disorders would be common.
9. There will be Food sufficiency.
10. Businesses will Flourish in some countries.
SADAQAH (ALMS): THESE ALMS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE NEEDY IN ORDER TO AVOID THE NEGATIVES AND REALISE THE POSITIVES.
NATIONS:
1. The Recitation of the Quran 150 times.
2. 6 white and 6 brown cows to be slaughtered and to feed the poor.
3. The equivalent of $600,000 to be given to the needy as alms.
PARAMOUNT CHIEFS AND KINGS:
1. The Recitation of the Quran 60 times.
2. 3 white cows, 12 (brown) sheep to be slaughtered and to feed the poor.
3. $6,000 should be given to the needy as alms.
FAMILY HEADS OR INDIVIDUALS:
1. The Recitation of the Quran 6 times followed by the slaughtering of a white sheep to the needy by Family heads.
2. 6 bowls of grains for family heads and 2 bowls for individuals for the poor.
3. GH¢ 15 for each family head and GH¢ 2 for each individuals for the poor.
Sheihu Salawatia 
74 comments
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January 5, 2010 at 7:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
QUTUB AZ-ZAMAAN has given us the solution. Lets do the sacrifices now to circumvent the negatives and realize the positives. Lets take action now be before it is too late. We saw it happen last year when there was fire outbreaks almost every week.
January 12, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Mohammed Abdul -Fatawu
Let us all thank almighty Allah for given us imams like QUTUB AZ-ZAMAAN in our society. Imam we the Muslim are very happy for your help may the almighty Allah bless for your effort .To my Muslim brothers let us offer the sacrifices prescribe by imam and if we failed to do and any thing happens we should blame ourselves for that. May almighty Allah bless us all.
January 25, 2010 at 8:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Sheihu, it has happen first thing in the list…Air disaster. According to BBC…
“An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane with 89 people on board has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut airport.
Eyewitnesses say they saw a ball of fire in the sky before Addis Ababa-bound Flight ET409 fell into the sea after taking off in stormy weather.
At least nine bodies have been recovered.
Most of those on board were Lebanese or Ethiopian, and two Britons of Lebanese origin were also on the passenger list.
he other passengers included citizens of Turkey, France, Russia, Canada, Syria and Iraq, Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement on its website.
Among them was the wife of the French ambassador in Beirut, Marla Pietton.
The plane, a Boeing 737-800, was carrying 80 passengers, including small children, and nine crew. This model can seat 189 passengers.
It disappeared from radar screens some five minutes after take-off in stormy weather at about 0200 local time, near the village of Naameh.
‘Flash in the sky’
The BBC’s Natalia Antelava, in Beirut, reports that the Lebanese transport minister and other officials say a rescue operation including helicopters and naval ships is now under way, but it is unclear if there are any survivors.
The United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon has sent two additional ships.
n investigative team has been dispatched to the scene, Ethiopian Airlines said.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but the plane took off in a heavy rainstorm.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said foul play was not suspected.
“As of now, a sabotage act is unlikely. The investigation will uncover the cause,” he said.
A witness , Abdel Mahdi Salaneh, told the BBC he saw the plane fall into the sea in flames.
“We saw a flash in the sky…,” he said. We saw a flash over the sea and it was the plane falling. The weather was really bad, it was all thunder and rain.”
Relatives of the passengers have begun arriving at the airport.
Ethiopia and Lebanon share close business ties, and thousands of Ethiopians are employed as domestic helpers in Lebanon.
Ethiopian Airlines operates a regular flight between Addis Ababa and Beirut. “
January 31, 2010 at 5:35 pm
ALHASSAN NASIRU DEEN
It is hightime we took SHEIKH SWALATIA serious to avert some of these calamities that affect innocent people. Look at item 5 of Sheikh predictions and quite recently what has happened in Haiti. They just needed to take Sheikh a bit serious by doing the sacrifices he prescribed and that could do a lot to curb these calamities. Governments world wide including Ghana should take a lesson, and hasten up to the sacrifices. We thank Allah for the Sheikh
March 4, 2010 at 8:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
Ivory-cost Claiming right of the portions of the oil discovered ? This could to lead to major conflicts developing into regional wars !
March 4, 2010 at 8:12 am
Haruna Mohammed
Ivory-cost Claiming right of the portions (part of the western territorial water ) of the oil discovered in Ghana ? This could to lead to major conflicts developing into regional wars !
March 10, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Another conflict at Nigeria !
March 19, 2010 at 3:53 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Now between Techman Hene and Ashanti Hene……
March 23, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Suleiman chalpan Nimatu
Assalamu-alaikum..Sheihu salawatia is a truthful being, there should be no doubt in whatever he says. I can remember in 2009, he need stated that many of the youth and old state men will loose thier lives, and that was exactly wat happened.
So take him s
March 24, 2010 at 1:12 pm
Haruna Mohammed
hree people, including a local chief and a fetish priest have died at Denkyira in the Greater Accra Region, following a deadly clash between some land guards in the area over a parcel of land believed to be a site for sand winning.
The Denkyira Chief reportedly died on his way to Hospital from serious injuries he sustained during the clashes Tuesday evening.
Details are still sketchy as to the exact cause of the clashes, but reports say fear-stricken residents are fleeing the sleepy Weija suburb.
Riot Police have moved into the area to restore calm, but it is not clear if order has been restored.
Sand winning is a major source of livelihood for residents of the Greater Accra Regional town, and land guards are mostly employed to protect the interests of local entrepreneurs in the business.
The Greater Regional Police Spokesperson, ASP Siprian Zenge confirmed the clashes, saying a number of suspects have been apprehended.
March 24, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Following the gruesome murder of Garishegu Naa Yakubu Andani, Chief of Shigu by an irate youth on the Nyankpala road, security operatives on the ground have arrested 47 suspects for screening.
About 20 short guns, daggers, machets and other deadly weapons have been retrieved from the suspects made up of young men and a few elderly persons.
ACP Awoungwutobge Awuni, northern regional police Commander told Citi News that all the suspects will be remanded pending further investigations.
When Citi News visited the Shigu/Garizegu communities Tuesday morning, there was relative calm in the area and the inhabitants had deserted the place leaving behind their animals.
Teachers in the community had not reported to school and the only primary school there was temporarily closed down.
The murdered Garizegu Naa was in his early 60’s and his mortal remains have been deposited at the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue.
There is a constant military/police patrol team in the Shigu/Garizegu communities to avert any spill over that deadly act
March 24, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Violence confrontation between NDC and NPP at sankore in Brong Ahafo.
April 6, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Haruna Mohammed
The timely intervention by policemen, from the Oda Divisional Police Command, and soldiers from the Jungle Warfare School (JWS) at Akyem Achiase Monday saved the Omanhene of the Akyem Bosome Traditional Area, Okotwareasuo Oworae Agyekum III, from being lynched by an irate mob.
The mob, numbering more than 500, allegedly slaughtered a ram to signify the destoolment of the Omanhene.
A member of the mob allegedly wounded the paramount chief on the left side of his forehead with a stool.
According to the Akyem Swedru District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Stephen Abotsi, around 6.30 a.m. yesterday, the police had information that there was a problem at the Omanhene’s palace at Akyem Swedru so they went to the scene to contain the situation.
He said on reaching the place, the police saw a mob, backed by a brass band, chanting war songs in front of the palace.
ASP Abotsi stated that when the police entered the palace, they saw a number of people loyal to the Omanhene guarding the place.
He said before the police entered the palace, the mob had slaughtered the ram in the presence of Okotwareasuo Agyekum III and attempted to forcibly remove his native sandals to signify his destoolment and when the Omanhene resisted, one of the people hit him on the forehead with a stool.
ASP Abotsi, who sensed danger, called for police reinforcement from the Oda Divisional Police Command and the JWS at Achiase, which responded immediately with 25 policemen and 33 soldiers to restore order.
He said the police/military team dispersed the mob and rescued the Omanhene, who had been locked up in a room by his supporters to prevent his enemies from lynching him.
The district commander said the soldiers whisked Okotwareasuo Agyekum in their vehicle to the JWS Clinic for medical attention and for his own safety.
He said further police investigations revealed that the Krontihene of the Akyem Bosome Traditional Area, Nana Nyantakyi Amponsem II, and the Ahenenapahene, Nana Gyapong Ahenkorah, had been the architects behind the mob action.
ASP Abotsi stated that the two suspects had been arrested to assist the police in their investigations.
April 6, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Haruna Mohammed
NDC Constituency chairman in Bunkprugu shot….
The NDC Constituency Chairman for the Bunkrugu Yooyo in the Northern Region has been shot on his right arm by unknown assailants.
April 7, 2010 at 8:19 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bawku conflict intensifies day-in-day-out….
“Man set ablaze in Bawku”
A man has been lynched and set ablaze just a while ago in Bawku by some people suspected to be Kusasis.
According to Mumuni Yakubu Nambe, a nephew of the deceased, the man popularly known as AA in Bawku was carrying a Kusasi passenger on his motor-bike taxi when the kusasi youth attacked and killed him instantly and then set his body ablaze.
The Local Government Auhtorities and Police Sources in Bawku have confirmed the story to Citi News and are currently meeting to ensure peace in the municiplaity. The feud between Mamprusis and Kusasis has been long standing. It is triggered virtually regularly.
Credit to citiFM
April 7, 2010 at 8:24 am
Haruna Mohammed
Another Chieftaincy dispute brews in Akim Kotoku
Another chieftaincy dispute is brewing in the Akim Kotoku traditional area between the Odikoro of Mamanso Nana Boadi and Abrimhene Nana Ammo Kwektwire in the Eastern region.
Citi News’ Eastern regional Correspondent Kwame Appiah Kubi reports that the dispute has come about due to controversy over allegiance.
Reports say the confusion sprung up among elders of the Mamanso stool who are questioning the arrest of Nana Boadi also known as Kojo Mensah who was to be enstooled as Odikoro of the Mamanso traditional area.
According to Nana Boadi, “there was a case between the chief of Mamanso and the Nana Gyaasehene of Akim Oda and when Nana Gyaasehene called on the Mamanso chief, he refused his call so was distooled somewhere 2006…Upon his disstoolment, some chiefs in the area arranged to settle the case but he disagreed saying he wouldn’t rule the town again. Now the family has endorsed another person, Nana Boadi to be installed as the chief but some soldiers came in to prevent us from swearing the oath of allegiance.”
April 7, 2010 at 8:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
Rio de Janeiro floods kill scores
At least 95 people die in Brazil after the most torrential rain for decades causes landslides and major flooding. BBC
April 9, 2010 at 8:20 am
Haruna Mohammed
Terreblanche’s murder has intensified racial tension in South Africa…BBC
The funeral of Eugene Terreblanche, the infamous South African white supremacist leader, is to take place.
Thousands of supporters are expected in the rural town Ventersdorp to commemorate his controversial life.
Terreblanche was killed on his farm on Sunday. Two of his workers have been charged with murder.
Having fought South Africa’s transition to democracy, Terreblanche was hated by many, if not most, of his fellow countrymen.
But thousands of Terreblanche’s supporters are expected to fill the grounds of the Afrikaans Protestant Church for his funeral in Ventersdorp.
Though all the indications are that the murder had more to do with money than politics, it has led to a period of heightened racial tension.
White groups and opposition parties blamed an ANC official, Julius Malema, for singing an apartheid-era song at rallies, that includes the lyrics “shoot the farmer”.
The ANC has rejected that link, but accepts that the song and the debate around it was polarising society.
It has now instructed its members to stop using it. BBC
April 12, 2010 at 7:51 am
Haruna Mohammed
Irate Abudu Youth seize Yendi Market
Following the arrest of Mba Dugu Iddi Alhassan, caretaker of the regent of Abudu gate and forty others, some irate Abudu youth in retaliation on Sunday 11 held traders at the Yendi market hostage, beat them mercilessly and locked up their stores.
Vehicles carrying traders from Tamale to Yendi to do business as a usual practice every Yendi market day were blocked and chased away with a threat to kill whoever attempted to have their way into Yendi.
The rampage preceded a proposed news conference by the Abudu youth at the Bolin-Lana’s palace where they invited a cross section of the media to articulate their grievances regarding the Saturday dawn arrest of their leaders.
In an exclusive interview with Citi News, Abubakari Alhassan alias Nachin-Naa, youth leader of the Abudu gate hinted that the exercise was going to be carried unabated till the Mba Dugu and the other suspects held in police custody were released.
He accused government of taken sides in the age long protracted Dagbon chieftaincy crisis which resulted into the murder of late Yaa-Naa Yakubu Andani and other members of his retinue on March 27, 2002.
But for the timely intervention of security operatives in the region, the rampage could have been replicated in Tamale, Tolon, Guhegu, Diare, Nantong , Gbungbaliga and other satellite communities in the Dagbon State …..CitiNews
April 12, 2010 at 8:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Polish President, 96 Others Killed in Plane Crash on saturday (10th April 2010)…!
April 14, 2010 at 8:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquake in China leaves hundreds dead and thousands injured
Magnitude 7.1 quake hits Yushu county in north-west province of Qinghai, flattening buildings and sparking big rescue
As many as 300 people are dead and many more trapped in rubble after a magnitude 7.1 quake hit north-west China.
Chinese state television said the quake left up to 8,000 injured and was one of six to hit Yushu county, Qinghai province, this morning.
Army trucks have been sent to the remote area, 480 miles away from the provincial capital, Xining, to aid rescue and relief efforts. Witnesses reported the collapse of many brick and wood buildings, with people scrabbling through the debris to free those trapped inside. Power and water supplies have been cut although some early reports suggested larger buildings had stood firm. The population is relatively scattered, making it hard to assess damage.
The China Earthquake Administration said phone lines were down, hindering rescue efforts, while workers were racing to release water from a cracked reservoir.
In Jiegu, a township near the epicentre, more than 85% of houses collapsed, while large cracks appeared on buildings still standing, the official Xinhua News Agency cited Zhuohuaxia, a local publicity official, as saying.
“The streets in Jiegu are thronged with panic and full of injured people, with many of them bleeding from their injuries,” he said. One local official was quoted by the BBC saying: “We have nothing now. The loss is huge.”
Red Cross workers are preparing supplies of tents and warm clothing to send to the remote high altitude region amid fears that thousands have been left without shelter in near-freezing temperatures.
The main quake sent residents fleeing as it toppled houses made of mud and wood, said Karsum Nyima, the Yushu county television station’s deputy head of news, speaking by phone with broadcaster CCTV.
“In a flash the houses went down. It was a terrible earthquake,” he said. “In a small park there is a Buddhist tower and the top of the tower fell off.
“Everybody is out on the streets standing in front of their houses, trying to find their family members,” he said, adding that school buildings had not collapsed but students had been evacuated and were assembled in outdoor playgrounds.
Yushu county is a largely Tibetan area of Qinghai. The province and other parts of China’s north west have suffered repeated tremors in recent years.
A local government website puts the county’s population in 2005 at 89,300 people, mostly herders and farmers. State television showed footage of paramilitary police using shovels to dig around a house with a collapsed wooden roof. A local military official, Shi Huajie, told state broadcaster CCTV that rescuers were working with limited equipment.
“The difficulty we face is that we don’t have any excavators. Many of the people have been buried and our soldiers are trying to pull them out with human labor,” Shi said. “It is very difficult to save people with our bare hands.”
Wu Yong, a local military chief, said medical workers were urgently needed but roads leading to the airport had been badly damaged by the quake, creating difficulties for people and supplies to be flown in.
The epicentre of the first quake was located 235 miles south-south-east of Golmud, a large city in Qinghai, at a depth of six miles, the US Geological Survey said.
Ten minutes later the area was hit by a magnitude 5.3 quake, which was followed after two minutes by another measuring 5.2. Both the subsequent earthquakes were measured at a depth of six miles. Another quake measuring 5.8 was recorded at 9:25am.
April 16, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Iceland’s volcanic ash halts flights in northern Europe
Air traffic has been severely disrupted across northern Europe by volcanic ash drifting south and east from Iceland.
Airspace was closed or flights cancelled in countries including the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and France.
The ash, which could damage plane engines, came from a volcanic eruption in the south-west of Iceland.
The volcano was still emitting ash on Thursday afternoon, and the flight problems could continue for 48 hours.
By Thursday afternoon, the UK had shut its airspace and other countries were in the process of following suit.
We can actually smell sulphur in the air here now from the volcano cloud
Tim Farish, Oslo
Volcanic ash: Your travel stories
“The extent is greater than we’ve ever seen before in the EU,” said Brian Flynn, deputy head of operations at Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control organisation.
“The meteorological situation is such that the volcanic ash is progressing very slowly eastwards but there is not a lot of wind… so it is very slow and very dense.”
‘Wait and see’
UK airspace was shut down to all but emergency flights from midday (1100 GMT) on Thursday, and will not reopen until 0700 BST (0600 GMT) on Friday at the earliest. It was also closed in the Republic of Ireland.
COUNTRIES AFFECTED
Airspace closed:
UK
Republic of Ireland
Norway
Partial or planned closures:
Sweden (total closure by 2000 GMT)
Denmark (total by 1600 GMT)
Finland (northern airspace closed till 1200 GMT Friday)
Belgium (total from 1430 GMT)
Netherlands (being shut progressively)
France (northern airports by 2100 GMT)
“Volcanic ash represents a significant safety threat to aircraft,” said the UK’s Air Traffic Control Service (Nats).
Oslo airport, which is Norway’s largest, was closed on Thursday morning, meaning Norwegian airspace was completely closed.
“Flights will be cancelled probably all day with the current prognosis,” said Jo Kobro, information manager at Oslo Airport. “Then we have to wait and see what the new weather forecasts will say about the wind direction, and if we are lucky the volcano diminishes in strength.”
Tim Farish, who had been planning to fly from Oslo to London on business, said he had been told by the airline SAS to stay at home and not bother calling for updates.
“We can actually smell sulphur in the air here now from the volcano cloud,” he told the BBC from his home in the Norwegian capital. “This could last for a few days apparently, so all I can do, like anyone else, is sit and wait.”
April 19, 2010 at 7:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
Spanish military helicopter crashes in Haiti
A Spanish military helicopter has crashed in rugged terrain in Haiti, the United Nations (UN) has said, killing all four crew members on board.
The Bell AB-212 went down at 1030 local time (1430 GMT) on Friday.
The crew of a helicopter sent to the area saw “enormous damage” at the crash site, a UN spokesman said.
The crash happened in rough terrain 50km (30 miles) southeast of the capital, Port-au-Prince, near the border with the Dominican Republic.
The helicopter was part of an independent Spanish detachment deployed in the country and was one of four based on the a Spanish navy amphibious ship, the Castilla.
“They are here on a bilateral agreement, they are not part of Minustah (the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Haiti),” said UN spokesman George Ola-Davies.
The cause of the crash is not yet known. Spanish forces are now on their way to the scene in the Fond Verrettes area.
Spain has about 450 soldiers in Haiti helping with aid and reconstruction after the devastating earthquake on 12 January, that the Haitian government says killed about 230,000 people.
April 19, 2010 at 10:04 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tension mounts in Kusawgu Town
Tension is swelling in Kusawgu of the Gonjaland traditional area over succession to that area’s chieftaincy supremacy.
Sulemana Ewuntomaah of the Adama gate and his rival Samuel Sulemana Ewuntomaah from the Suale gate and their followers are quarreling over who succeeds the elevated Yagbon-Wura Sulemana Tuntumba Borisa Jakpa.
As part of pragmatic measures to avert any carnage in the area, the northern regional police command picked the two rival chiefs to Tamale and cautioned them against fomenting trouble in Kusawgu and its satellite communities.
ACP Awungwutobge Awuni, northern regional police Commander in an exclusive interview told Citi News that Samuel Sulemana Ewuntomaah from the Adama gate was approved by the Yagbon-Wura as the new Kusawgu-Wura.
His rival chief Sulemana Ewuntomaah from the Suale gate rose against the Yagbon-Wura’s decision and threatened to enskin himself which nearly culminated into another bloodbath yet to be recorded in the northern region.
ACP Awuni said he asked the approved chief Samuel Sulemana Ewuntomaah to hold onto the traditional rights preceeding his outdooration and officially notify the police in accordance with the public order Act for maximum security to be ensured in the area.
When contacted, Hon Sualisu Biawuribe, District Chief Executive for Central Gonja District confirmed the situation to Citi News but was quick to add that calm had returned to the area following the police timely intervention.
Hon. Sualisu Biawuribe however appealed to the aggrieved party to use the right channels in addressing their grievance and refrain from any untoward behavior which could affect the area’s development agenda.
April 26, 2010 at 8:06 am
harunamohammed
Clash on south Sudan boundary with Darfur ‘kills 55’
A Darfuri tribe says 55 of its members have been killed in a clash with soldiers from Southern Sudan’s army.
A Rezeigat tribal spokesmen said the tribe had been looking for new pastures for its cattle when fighting erupted on Friday near the south Sudan boundary.
Southern Sudan accused the northern government of attacking and reported a new assault on Sunday, saying its troops had been forced to retreat.
It is the worst violence reported since Sudan’s historic polls on 11-15 April.
I can’t tell you who attacked who first but they clashed
Mohammed Issa Aliou
a leader of the Rezeigat tribe
The delayed results of the presidential elections being held in both Sudan and Southern Sudan are now due to be announced on Monday, the country’s national elections commission has said.
The first multi-party polls in 24 years – a key part of the peace process for the divided country – were marred by irregularities and alleged fraud.
Those results that have been announced, mainly from the north, suggest President Omar al-Bashir’s party has a strong lead.
He is widely expected to be re-elected while the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) are likely to hold on to power in semi-autonomous Southern Sudan.
Friday’s clash is certain to raise tensions, particularly in the sensitive border area, the BBC’s James Copnall reports from Khartoum.
New attack
Mohammed Issa Aliou, a leader of the Rezeigat tribe of Arab nomads, said tribesmen had been seeking new pastures near the border with Southern Sudan’s Western Bahr al-Ghazal province.
There are often clashes about grazing rights and water points in this area, our correspondent says.
At least 85 tribesmen were wounded, Mr Aliou said, adding that the tribe was sending reinforcements to the scene.
Speaking to Reuters news agency by telephone from southern Darfur, he said: “There was movement from the Rizeigat and from the SPLA.
“I can’t tell you who attacked who first but they clashed.”
SPLA spokesman Malaak Ayuen said late on Saturday that a company of Southern soldiers (about 120 men) had come under attack from northern government (SAF) forces.
“The SAF was using four land cruisers with mounted machine guns,” he told Reuters.
Another SPLM spokesman, Maj Gen Kuol Deim Kuol, said the southern company had been attacked by “armed men wearing uniforms of the northern army”.
Mr Ayuen later reported a new attack on south Sudanese forces in the same area. “They reinforced themselves and launched another attack and occupied the place,” he said.
A northern armed forces spokesman told the BBC his men had not been involved in any fighting. ….bbc
April 29, 2010 at 7:35 am
harunamohammed
Man stabs 28 children in China kindergarten attack
Twenty-eight children and three adults have been injured by a man with a knife at a kindergarten in eastern China, the third such attack in a month.
Officials said five of the injured were in a critical condition in hospital after the incident in Jiangsu province.
It follows a knife attack on Wednesday in the south of the country, in which 16 pupils and one teacher were injured.
Earlier that day, a doctor convicted of stabbing eight children to death last month in Fujian province was executed.
The alleged assailant in Thursday’s attack at the Zhongxin kindergarten, in the city of Taixing, Jiangsu province was detained afterwards.
Police said he was a 47-year-old unemployed local man and had been carrying a 20cm (8 inch) knife, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
“The gate-keeper, teachers, and students were attacked. The injured are receiving treatment in hospital. We don’t have any reports of deaths yet,” an official with the Taixing city government told AFP news agency.
Grudges
The injured were attacked as lessons got underway this morning, reports the BBC’s Shanghai correspondent Chris Hogg.
Most of the children were four year olds from the same class.
ANALYSIS
Chris Hogg
By Chris Hogg, BBC News, Shanghai
The spate of attacks on schools is unsettling for the Chinese. This kind of violent crime is usually quite rare here.
Already there are calls to step up security in and around educational institutions. But that would be expensive.
In reality there is probably little that can be done to prevent this kind of incident taking place.
“The injured have been sent here one after another,” an unnamed official at the Taixing No 1 People’s hospital told the Associated Press news agency.
“The doctors are now trying their best to save them.”
China has witnessed several school attacks in recent years, most blamed on people with personal grudges or suffering from mental illness.
Since a spate of attacks in 2004, many schools have employed professional guards.
Our correspondent says the attacks on schools are unsettling in a country where such violent attack are rare, and have led for calls for increased security at schools……Source BBC
May 12, 2010 at 9:36 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crash in Libya ‘kills more than 100 on board’
A passenger plane has crashed at Tripoli airport, killing more than 100 people on board, Libyan officials say.
The Afriqiyah Airways flight from Johannesburg had been due to land at 0400 GMT. The plane crashed as it attempted to land, the airline said.
Officials say 93 passengers and 11 crew were on board the Airbus 330. They are said to be of various nationalities, including British and South African.
The plane had been due to go on from Tripoli to London’s Gatwick airport.
Unconfirmed reports say that an eight-year-old child was the sole survivor of the crash.
The 11 crew member were all thought to be Libyan nationals, an employee said.
Afriqiyah Airways later said on its website that Flight 8U771 had an accident during landing at Tripoli airport.
“At this moment we have no information concerning possible casualties or survivors,” it said.
Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said said it was “aware of reports that there were British nationals on board the flight, but this has not been confirmed”.
“We are urgently investigating. A consular team from the British Embassy are on their way to the airport. Consular staff in Tripoli are urgently seeking further details,” it said.
The BBC’s Rana Jawad in Tripoli says it was not clear whether the plane was on the runway when it crashed, but she says that people she spoke to at the airport said they could not see the plane.
Our correspondent says that the airport is currently sealed off and ambulances have been going back and forth to the airport.
She adds that the weather has been sunny and clear over the past few days.
Afriqiyah Airways is a Libyan airline that was founded in 2001. BBC….12/05/2010
May 14, 2010 at 7:17 am
Haruna Mohammed
Thai troops clash with protesters ….BBC News
Thai security forces have fired live rounds after moving in to seal off a heavily defended encampment of protesters in the centre of Bangkok.
Protesters set fire to a police bus near foreign embassies as gunshots rang out, following clashes overnight that left one person dead in the capital.
A BBC correspondent says the area is like a warzone, with troops firing into a park at protesters.
The demonstrators want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down.
Many of the red-shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
‘Tightening the noose’
Overnight, security forces shut down the electricity supply to the area around the large protest camp in the city centre.
A renegade general backing the protest remains in a critical condition a day after he was shot by an unknown gunman.
KHATTIYA SAWASDIPOL
Khattiya Sawasdipol 13.5.10
Describes himself as a key military adviser to the red-shirts
Suspended from duty in the Thai army where he has the rank of major-general
Dubbed Seh Daeng (English: Commander Red), enjoys a cult following among the opposition’s radical wing
Aged 58, has likened himself to the Mel Gibson character in the film Braveheart
Profile: ‘Commander Red’
In Pictures: Bangkok violence
Thai protests: Eyewitness accounts
Profile: Thailand’s reds and yellows
On Friday, troops fired tear gas while advancing on dozens of protesters who had set up a checkpoint outside the Suan Lum night market to stop soldiers advancing on their main base.
Residents fled in panic as gunshots rang out and soldiers moved in to the area, which is popular with tourists.
Army spokesman Col Sunsern Kaewkumnerd was quoted by AFP news agency as saying: “They have intimidated authorities with weapons so security officials have asked the commander to disperse them.”
Thousands of protesters, known as red-shirts after the colour they wear, have reinforced their bamboo barricades and vowed to maintain their camp in a commercial district of Bangkok until elections are called.
“They are tightening a noose on us but we will fight to the end, brothers and sisters,” a protest leader, Nattawut Saikua, told a cheering crowd, reports news agency Reuters.
Guards were seen at the sprawling protest site armed with slingshots and arrows.
The authorities have also begun to cut public transport and some mobile phone services to the area occupied by the protesters.
The government has threatened for days to cut off power, water and food supplies to the red-shirt camp.
But the protesters have their own supplies and appear ready for a long siege, says our correspondent.
One protester was shot dead on Thursday night after a group of red-shirts confronted armed security personnel on the outskirts of the encampment.
The clashes followed the wounding of a renegade Thai general who had been organising the red-shirts’ security.
‘Expressionless’
Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), was shot in the head and seriously injured.
Seh Daeng is part of the protesters’ more radical wing and had accused red-shirt leaders – many of whom have distanced themselves from him – of not being hard-line enough.
Circumstances surrounding the shooting, near the Silom business area, are not clear.
A New York Times journalist, Thomas Fuller, was interviewing the general at the moment the shot rang out.
The reporter told the BBC’s World Today: “He immediately dropped to the ground, his eyes were open but he was expressionless and his body wasn’t moving at all.”
A spokesman for the red-shirt movement blamed an army sniper but military officials said troops had orders to fire only in self-defence.
The protesters – who have been occupying parts of Bangkok for more than two months – want Prime Minister Abhisit to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
Their camp stretches from the city’s shopping district south to its business hub.
Thailand’s worst political unrest in nearly two decades has left some 30 people dead and more than 1,400 wounded.
Mr Abhisit is under severe pressure to end the protests, which have paralysed Bangkok since mid-March.
He had offered polls on 14 November – but the two sides failed to agree a deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a deadly crackdown on protests last month.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8681833.stm
May 14, 2010 at 7:31 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tension mounts in Gonjaland traditional area
Mediation efforts at the Yagbon-Wura’s palace to settle the long standing impasse between two rival gates in the Kusawgu traditional area ended in disarray when the Chief of Buipe, Chief Abdulai Jinapor allegedly fired three gun shots in the middle of the meeting.
Citi News gathered that the confusion arose between Chief Abdulai Jinapor and other two chiefs comprising the Kpanshegu-Wura and the Damongo-Wura who are divided over the Kusawgu chieftaincy supremacy.
Available information indicated that the three chiefs exchanged bitter words during the deliberations which incurred the wrath of Chief Abdulai Jinapor and he allegedly fired the said warning shots right in the Yagbon-Wura’s palace.
The incident angered the youth of Yagbon and an eye witness accounted that the angry youth rushed on Chief Abdulai Jinapor and destroyed his chieftaincy regalia and also burnt the stool on which he sat during the deliberations.
He was reported to have been whisked away in an information service van and rushed to the Damongo divisional police command for safety but on the way to the police station the vehicle’s windscreen was destroyed.
Meanwhile, Citi News gathered that supporters of the Yagbon-Wura laid ambush outskirts Damongo and in Buipe waiting for the arrival of Chief Abdulai Jinapor.
At the time of filing this report, the Regional Security Council was holding an emergency meeting to deploy security to Damongo and Buipe to avert any bloodbath.
Two rival chiefs, Chief Samuel Sulemana Ewuntomah of the Suale gate and Chief Sulemana Ewuntomah of the Adama gate and their followers have lately been on each other’s throat over the legitimacy to the Buipe skin ship.
Chief Samuel Sulemana Ewuntomah was recently enskinned by the Yagbon-Wura as the chief of Buipe and that decision has since not gone down well with Chief Sulemana Ewuntomah and his followers and there have been recorded incidents of fighting among members of the two rival groups in the area.
By Abdul Karim Naatogmah/Citifmonline.com | Thu 13th May, 2010 19:30 GMT
May 21, 2010 at 2:31 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Angry youth invade Ga Mantse’s palace as police foils confusion
The Palace of the Ga Mantse King Tackie Tawiah III is currently under the surveillance of police personnel from the Greater Accra Regional Police Command.
This follows the invasion of the palace on the morning of Friday May 21, by some angry youth who were there to perhaps agitate against the Ga King.
Nii Teiko Tackie, a Member of the Ga Gyaase, who witnessed the incident, told Citi News that he could not explain why the angry youth invaded the palace.
According to him, at about 6:30 am, he was informed that some persons had gathered at the palace gate in an attempt to lock up the place.
He said the police at Kaneshie were called upon to salvage the situation and finally succeeded in driving them away.
He said even though the police are still patrolling the area in order to ensure total calm, some of the irate youth are still hanging around the palace.
Even though Nii Teiko Tackie could not tell Citi News the exact number of the youth who attempted to invade the police, he noted that they were many. citinews
May 24, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Haruna Mohammed
India plane crash in Mangalore leaves nearly 160 dead
Nearly 160 people are feared dead after an airliner crashed while landing near the southern Indian city of Mangalore.
Indian officials said there were eight survivors among 160 passengers and six crew on board the Air India Express flight from Dubai.
The Boeing 737 overshot the hilltop runway as it tried to land and burst into flames in a valley beyond.
Indian Aviation Minister Praful Patel said he felt “morally responsible” for the crash, AFP news agency reports.
Survivors said they thought they heard what sounded like a tyre bursting just before the crash.
Speaking to Indian TV from his hospital bed, survivor Umer Farooq said he heard a loud thud as the plane touched down.
“Then the plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke. I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out,” he said.
Mr Farooq was being treated for burns to his arms, legs, and face.
Difficult access
All the passengers on the flight were Indian nationals, with many returning from jobs in the Gulf to visit their families, says the BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi. There were up to 20 children on board, our correspondent adds.
Mangalore airport lies on top of a hill with steep drops at the end of each of its two runways. One of the runways was extended in 2006 to accommodate larger planes like the Boeing 737.
ANALYSIS
Continue reading the main story BBC New Delhi correspondent Sanjoy Majumder
Sanjoy Majumder BBC News, Delhi
Air India Express is a budget airline and a subsidiary of the national carrier Air India.
This is the first crash in its relatively short history. The plane was no more than three years old.
Air India Express mainly caters to the southern Indian states of Kerala and Karnataka, where this plane crashed, with flights to and from the Gulf, where a large number of Indian nationals work.
India has a relatively good air safety record but in the past decade there has been a rapid growth in the aviation industry.
A number of new airlines have been launched, which has led to a shortage of some experienced crew.
The airline said the plane had overshot the runway as it came into land at about 0600 (0030 GMT) and crashed into a wooded valley.
TV pictures showed rescue workers and local villagers scrambling on steep hillsides to search the smoking wreckage.
A Mangalore police official told the BBC that smoke from the crash site had made it difficult for rescue workers to gain access to the plane.
“As far as the information available with us is concerned, eight persons were rescued and shifted to local hospitals in Mangalore for treatment,” Air India official Anup Shrivasta told reporters.
Mr Patel said one person was unharmed, four had minor injuries and three were being treated for major injuries.
One passenger, described as a seven-year-old boy, died on the way to hospital.
Officials said 146 bodies had so far been recovered, some burned beyond recognition.
Warnings
A light, pre-monsoon rain was reported to be falling at the time but the head of the Indian airport authority, VP Agarwal, said visibility was not a problem.
He said the pilot had given no distress call to the control tower.
India map
Local media named the pilot as Serbian Zlatko Glusica. He was said to have 10,000 hours of flying time, including experience of Mangalore’s airport.
AFP news agency said Mr Glusica also had British citizenship.
The civil aviation minister said an investigation had been ordered into the crash, and that the flight data and voice “black box” recorders had not been found.
After visiting the scene of the crash, Mr Patel observed that Mangalore airport had a short runway and a limited area after that to accommodate planes that overshot the landing strip.
He said the Air India Express flight had missed its landing threshold by about 2,000 feet (600 metres).
“Because the spill-over area was limited, it went off a cliff,” he said.
Mr Patel added that one of the plane’s wings had hit a navigational aid near the end of the runway called a localiser and broke off before the rest of the plane plunged into the valley.
There have been cautions before about the position of Mangalore’s runways, which analysts say poses challenges for pilots.
A former adviser to the Civil Aviation Ministry said he had given warnings in the past about the airport and said it should not be used by bigger aircraft such as the Boeing 737.
“The problems are there, that if you overshoot, if your brakes fail or if you can’t stop the aircraft for any reason, then it will fall and roll over the cliff into the valley with disastrous consequences, and that is what happened today here,” said Air Marshal Denzil Keelor.
‘I just jumped’
One of the survivors, KP Manikutty, said the landing had at first appeared to be smooth and then the plane had crashed with no warning.
Plane crash survivor: “It caught fire and we fell out”
“Immediately on touching the ground, the aircraft jerked and in a few moments hit something,” he said.
“Then it split in the middle and caught fire. I just jumped from the gap,” he added.
Air India Express began operations about five years ago as an offshoot of the state-run Air India.
Its Boeing 737-800 jet that crashed was less than three years old.
India’s air safety record has been good in the past decade, despite a rapid increase in the number of private airlines and air travel in the country.bbcnews
The last major crash happened in the city of Patna in July 2000, killing at least 50 people.
May 24, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Landslide in Jiangxi China derails train killing 19……BBCNEWS
A landslide has caused the derailment of a passenger train in south-east China, with at least 19 people killed and 71 injured.
The train crashed into dirt and debris blocking the tracks in a mountainous area of Jiangxi province at 0210 (1810 GMT), the railway ministry said.
It had been making its way from Shanghai to the tourist area of Guilin.
Jiangxi has been hit by heavy rains in recent days, causing landslides and flooding low-lying farms.
An investigation has been opened into the crash and the provincial governor, Wu Xinxiong, was reportedly at the scene to oversee the rescue operations.
Heavy cutting equipment
The locomotive and eight of the 17 carriages appear to have overturned in the crash near the city of Fuzhou.
Some 2,000 rescuers including fire-fighters, police and soldiers worked through the night to free survivors and extract bodies, using heavy cutting equipment to reach them, China’s state news agency Xinhua reports.
Officials did not know how many passengers were on board at the time of the derailment.
china map
More than 280 passengers were evacuated from the train and 53 had been freed from the wreckage as of 0900 local time on Sunday.
A railway police officer told Xinhua that each carriage had had 118 seats and four of them had been “severely damaged”.
A survivor was quoted by the agency as saying his carriage had been less than half full.
President Hu Jintao urged the railway authorities to re-open the lines as soon as possible, and they are expected to be functioning again early on Monday.
About 8,000 cu m (10,460 cu yds) of mud and rock have been cleared from the tracks.
More than than 40,000 residents in the area have been evacuated as a result of the flooding.
May 24, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Haruna Mohammed
A North Korean submarine’s torpedo sank a South Korean navy ship on 26 March causing the deaths of 46 sailors, an international report has found.
Investigators said they had discovered part of the torpedo on the sea floor and it carried lettering that matched a North Korean design.
Pyongyang rejected the claim as a “fabrication” and threatened war if sanctions were imposed.
Sue Lloyd Roberts had rare access to the secretive North Korean state and found out about attitudes there to the incident, as well as what might have been behind it.
May 24, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Defector: ‘North Korea sank Seoul’s Cheonan warship’
Tensions between North and South Korea have escalated ahead of a report by a multinational team into the causes of the sinking of South Korea’s Cheonan warship.
Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the tragedy. But Sue Lloyd-Roberts has been speaking to a military defector who claims multiple sources in North Korea have told him otherwise.
I met Lieutenant Im Chun-yong in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, where he defected from the North a decade ago.
Lieutenant Im is in no doubt that the sinking of the South Korean Cheonan warship in March was the result of an attack by the armed forces in which he once served.
A section of the Cheonan is lifted on 24 April 2010
The Cheonan navy ship sank after a mysterious explosion ripped it in half
Forty-six sailors were killed or lost in the blast in disputed waters off North Korea.
He heads an organisation in South Korea which represents military defectors to the South, and claims to be in secret contact with former army colleagues in the North.
“I made calls to the North about this incident and actually contacted 11 people – military people, you know, are allowed mobile phones,” he told me.
“Two of them said they were not sure and the other nine said it was done by the North.”
Motives
It is impossible to verify his claims, but Lieutenant Im believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is trying to send a message to both his neighbours in the South and the wider international community.
He also believes the North’s recent belligerence is due to its desperate need for aid.
Lieutenant Im Chun-yong
Lieutenant Im now represents fellow military defectors to the South
Until two years ago, the South Korean government pursued a so-called “Sunshine Policy”, sending thousands of tonnes of food to the North and encouraging joint business enterprises to bring the two countries closer together.
“For about 10 years, whatever the North demanded, the South responded to it,” says Lieutenant Im.
“They received more aid from the South than from China. But now the South don’t give a single grain of fertiliser let alone food, because of the nuclear issues.”
With North Korea exacerbating tensions by testing nuclear weapons, the Sunshine Policy was brought to an end when a new, more conservative government was elected in the South in 2008.
As the aid dried up, North Korea refused to attend peace talks and has been under pressure to return ever since.
Lieutenant Im believes this has provided a second motive for the attack.
“The USA keeps asking the North to come to the six-nation peace talks. So it [the sinking of the Cheonan] was to show to America that the North is powerful and that they would not be bullied. I think this is what they ultimately wanted to express.”
On a war footing
South Koreans have watched the crisis unfold on television, but it is unlikely that there are many in the North – outside the military – who have even heard of the Cheonan.
Captain Choe, Song Il
If the Americans or South Koreans cause any trouble we shall fight back
Captain Choe Song-il
I met Captain Choe Song-il on the northern side of the heavily-fortified, 200-mile-long (322km) demilitarised zone which separates the two countries.
“We have heard about the sunken ship and the rumours connecting it to us, but this is all speculation,” he told me.
The captain insisted that any military retaliation would be met with force: “If the Americans or South Koreans cause any trouble we shall fight back.”
The Cheonan incident has brought the two countries to one of the most dangerous points since the end of the Korean civil war.
Indeed, a peace treaty was never signed by the two sides at the end of the armed conflict in 1953, meaning North and South Korea are technically still at war.
As I discovered during my visit to North Korea, the country has been on a war footing ever since. A country of 23 million people has a standing army of more than one million.
map shows north/south Korea
The few hours of TV every night broadcast a reminder to the people to be on constant alert against a renewed attack from the US or the South, but there was not any mention of the Cheonan incident.
Ironically, it is possible that TV will be the medium through which one of the most immediate reprisals against the North may be felt.
Pyongyang TV filmed the national soccer team’s departure for the World Cup finals.
It had been hoping that South Korean television would provide it with a free feed of pictures of the tournament matches as a goodwill gesture, but negotiations have broken down under the strain of the ongoing crisis.
Of course, the South will be considering far more serious sanctions for the sinking of the Cheonan but, for football fans in the North, the incident could prove to be an own goal for North Korea.
May 26, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Kingston under siege…..BBCNEWS
As I drive through the city, my taxi driver tells me that he is going to have to charge extra: “Everywhere is blocked up, it’s just turn, turn, turn.”
I am just trying to get into the main commercial district of the capital, New Kingston, but the journey provides a snapshot of the situation the country finds itself in.
As we head up one road we spot the few vehicles on the road doing sharp U-turns. Then I hear it, the sound of automatic weapon fire.
We head back down the road to go around the trouble, and we are suddenly surrounded by police. A shot-up Toyota is parked up by a petrol station.
We continue. Towards the centre of town the streets are quiet – it is a national holiday, Labour Day, a time when communities get together to do work in their areas.
But everywhere is empty until we pass the main army camp as truckloads of soldiers in convoy head out, sandbags loaded on their vehicles, to a city under siege.
Steve the driver, like many Jamaicans, has a nickname. His comes from his time in the Jamaican defence force: Sojey, the patois for “soldier”.
After seven years in the army, he recognises the sound of the M16s fired in our direction.
Tight control
The old police station at Darling Street had stood in West Kingston for over a century. Now it is a ruin, firebombed and looted in an brazen daytime attack. Parts of the capital are under a state of emergency with two police officers killed overnight.
Jamaica had been gearing up for trouble from the moment the country’s Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, announced he would address the nation a week ago.
He promised to explain his handling of an extradition request from the US for Christopher Coke, better known as Dudus.
He also goes by the other aliases of Shortman and President, the last one an indicator of how he is viewed in his community of Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston.
Before the violence which came to a head on Sunday, I had spent time in the community of Denham Town, and I was surprised by the reaction from many residents.
The area had been called the “mother of all garrisons” by a former head of the Jamaica Constabulary Force yet when I spoke to people, I was struck by the loyalty and support people had for the Dudus.
“Nobody can steal round here without his say-so, nobody carries out rape round here, they’d be dead.”
I was worried for my safety but was told that nobody would touch me and in the early hours of the morning I walked out of the community, something that would be unheard-of in other more volatile communities on the island.
He was seen as the boss who cared for his community, providing what the state had not: safety.
Fast-foward to nine months ago and the US put in an extradition request for Christopher Coke, a man Washington claims is the head of the Shower Posse, an infamous gang that made and earned its name in the 1980s by spraying bullets like water when they attacked rivals.
It is believed they are responsible for more than 1,400 murders in the US.
His extradition would see him facing charges of drug-smuggling and gun-running but, as a prominent supporter of the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, he holds a large amount of political sway.
Jamaica’s ‘dons’
He keeps the area, which is also Prime Minister Bruce Golding’s constituency, loyal to the party.
The government initially turned down the request, saying the evidence for the extradition had been gathered illegally.
But following calls for Mr Golding’s resignation, after it became clear he had sanctioned a US law firm to lobby against the extradition, he announced the order would be signed the following day.
The warrant for the arrest saw fortifications being put round West Kingston.
The tough inner city communities of Kingston are not called garrisons for nothing.
Controlled by an “area leader” – the island’s euphemism for the criminal bosses who are better known as “dons” – local strongmen can control a few blocks to whole swathes of the city.
The power they have stretches from the gully to the Gordon House, the seat of government.
The prime minister says the security forces will be swift and decisive in re-establishing law and order but, as the violence spreads, many wonder if they can handle the criminals who are taking on the state.
May 31, 2010 at 7:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
A powerful tropical storm in Central America has claimed at least 73 lives in floods and mudslides, officials say.
The worst-hit country was Guatemala, where officials say at least 63 people died. Nine were killed in El Salvador and at least one in Honduras.
Storm Agatha swept in from the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, bringing torrential rains that added to disruption caused by a volcano erupting in Guatemala.
Heavy rains have continued, sparking fears of further destruction.
Man carries bottles through flood in Guatemala A state of emergency has been declared across all three countries
Rescue workers have been clearing debris from roads to reach cut-off communities.
Many areas have not been reached and the death toll is expected to rise.
Parts of Guatemala have received their highest rainfall in more than 60 years, according to the country’s President Alvaro Colom, who said more than 3 feet (1m) of rain fell in some areas.
“Many places are cut off but it appears the weather will improve a bit today and we will be able to airlift supplies to those places. The road network is badly damaged,” President Colom said at a news conference.
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from their homes across Guatemala, according to Reuters news agency.
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have all declared emergencies in an attempt to increase immediate aid and resources.
Agatha – the first named storm of the Pacific hurricane season – also hit southern Mexico.
It is dissipating over the mountains of western Guatemala – but emergency workers have warned residents to expect heavy rain for several more days.
Devastation
A mudslide devastated an entire neighbourhood in the Guatemalan town of San Antonio Palopa, 90 miles (150km) southeast of the capital.
“There was a mudslide that wiped out homes, trees and everything in its path,” an eyewiness told local radio.
In Quetzaltenango, 125 miles (200km) west of Guatemala city, a boulder became loose and crushed a house, killing four people, including two children.
In El Salvador, rains triggered at least 140 landslides in which President Maruricio Funes said nine people had died.
One man in the Honduran town of Santa Ana, near the capital Tegucigalpa, was crushed to death after a wall collapsed, officials said.
The storm has also complicated efforts to clear up ash from the Pacaya volcano in southern Guatemala, which began erupting on Thursday.
Guatemala’s main airport has been closed while workers clear the runways.
A state of emergency declared because of the volcanic eruption has been extended across the country.
May 31, 2010 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
Hundreds flee Guatemala volcano
Hundreds of Guatemalans have been forced to flee their homes, amid an eruption by one of the country’s most active volcanoes.
Pacaya began spewing lava, rocks and debris on Thursday, leaving one person dead and three children missing.
At least 1,600 people have fled the eruption, some 30km (19 miles) south of the capital city.
The volcano covered parts of Guatemala City in ash, forcing the closure of the country’s main international airport.
Planes at Guatemala City’s airport Planes and runways were covered in the ash from Pacaya
Officials said La Aurora airport would remain closed into Saturday, and flights were being diverted to other parts of the country.
One resident of the village of Calderas, next to the volcano, told the Associated Press news agency how she and her family had hidden under beds and tables as stones fell on her home.
“We thought we wouldn’t survive. Our houses crumbled and we’ve lost everything,” said Brenda Castaneda.
Residents of Guatemala City were concentrating on clearing up a film of ash said to be up to 7cm thick in some areas.
One man was killed when he fell from the fourth floor of a building while sweeping up the ash.
Reporter killed
President Alvaro Colom declared a state of emergency in Escuintla region, Guatemala City and areas surrounding the capital.
“The emergency system has been activated and is working as planned,” he told reporters.
Evacuees in the rain near Pacaya volcano About 1,600 people have been evacuated from their homes
Officials said TV reporter Anibal Archila had been killed by falling rocks from the volcano; three children were said to be missing.
At least 1,600 people from villages near to the volcano were evacuated – with officials saying 600 had been housed in temporary shelters.
Officials estimated that 800 homes had been damaged and 100 homes had been completely destroyed.
Experts said the volcano’s activity decreased on Friday, but warned that another major eruption was possible in the coming days.
The government is advising people in the capital not to leave their homes unless there is an urgent need.
Pacaya has erupted intermittently for decades – the last major eruption was in January 2000.
May 31, 2010 at 8:04 am
Haruna Mohammed
Gulf of Mexico oil leak ‘worst US environment disaster’…..Sea Disaster
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the worst environmental disaster the US has faced, a senior official has said.
White House energy adviser Carol Browner also said the US was “prepared for the worst scenario” that the leak might not be stopped before August.
BP is to try a new tactic after its latest failure to halt the leak, but says there is no guarantee of success.
BP chief operating officer Doug Suttles said even if it worked it would only halt a majority of the spill.
At least 20 million gallons have now spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting more than 70 miles (110km) of Louisiana’s coastline.
Eleven rig workers died when the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank nearly six weeks ago.
Slice and cap
Ms Browner, talking on NBC’s Meet The Press, said: “More oil is leaking in the Gulf of Mexico than at any other time in our history. It means there is more oil than the Exxon Valdez (in Alaska in 1989).”
Carol Browner on ‘the biggest eco-disaster ever’, on NBC’s Meet the Press
She said she hoped the latest plan would work but admitted it would be a temporary measure and that a relief well currently being drilled might turn out to be the permanent solution.
However, that will not be ready for at least two months.
Ms Browner said BP had been told to drill another relief well in case the first did not work.
In the meantime, BP is setting up its Lower Marine Riser Package (LMRP) to stem the flow.
It will use undersea robots to slice through the damaged pipe to make a clean cut that can be connected to another pipe, capturing the leaking oil.
The plan will take four days to set up.
However, BP said the operation had never been carried out at a depth of 5,000ft and “the successful deployment of the containment system cannot be assured”.
The White House said the president had been informed that the flow rate could increase by as much as 20% until the containment device was applied over the leak.
University of Alabama engineering professor Philip W Johnson told Associated Press news agency that although he was hopeful the plan would succeed, if the new cap could not be placed on the fresh cut, “things will get much worse”.
The system is similar to a previous containment dome plan that failed.
‘Unjustly victimised’
Speaking on US television on Sunday, BP managing director Robert Dudley vowed the company would learn from its failed attempts and continue trying.
PAST ATTEMPTS TO STEM OIL LEAK
Continue reading the main story
* Oil booms – partly successful
* Controlled burning – causes serious air pollution
* Dispersant used – scientists warn it may kill marine life
* Huge dome placed over leak – became blocked by ice crystals
* Mile-long tube – fails to suck up large amount of oil
* “Top-kill” method to pump heavy mud – abandoned
US fishing villages ‘on the edge’
He said the company would know by the end of the week if the latest attempt had succeeded.
Mr Suttles earlier admitted its “top kill” operation to blast waste material and heavy mud into the ruptured well had failed.
“We have been unable to overcome the flow from the well, so we now believe it’s time to move on to the next of our options,” he said.
Mr Suttles said he “did not know for certain” why it had failed.
Meanwhile at least 12,000 barrels (504,000 gallons) are leaking into the Gulf every day.
BP has spent more than $940m (£645m) so far in trying to contain the disaster.
President Obama earlier expressed anger at the latest failure.
“It is as enraging as it is heartbreaking, and we will not relent until this leak is contained, until the waters and shores are cleaned up, and until the people unjustly victimised by this man-made disaster are made whole,” he said.
Mr Obama toured the oil-hit areas on Friday and said he would triple the manpower to contain and clean up the spill.
June 4, 2010 at 7:29 am
Haruna Mohammed
Data shows US economic growth continuing
Data released on Thursday has shown that the US economy is continuing to grow, with both factory output and the services sector still expanding.
US factory orders increased 1.2% in April, said the Commerce Department, led by a big rise in orders for commercial aircraft.
The Institute of Supply Management said service industries grew in May for the fifth month in a row.
US economists are now awaiting Friday’s release of May’s unemployment data.
This is expected to show that while the US economy added about 500,000 jobs last month, unemployment remained at just under 10%.
The reason for this apparent contradiction is that more people are starting to look for work as the economy continues to recover, thereby boosting the size of the overall labour force.
“While we will see a period of job growth, it is going to take a long time to get back the jobs we lost [in the recession],” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics.
He estimates that it will take until 2013 for the US economy to create enough jobs to replace the eight million lost during the downturn.
June 4, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Nigeria – lead poisoning kills 100 children in north
More than 100 children have died of lead poisoning in Nigeria in recent weeks, health officials say.
The number has been rising since March, when residents started digging illegally for gold in areas with high concentrations of lead.
The victims were from several remote villages in the northern state of Zamfara.
A total of 163 out of 355 cases of poisoning have proved fatal, a Nigerian health ministry official told Reuters.
Dr Henry Akpan, the health ministry’s chief epidemiologist, said: “[The victims] were digging for gold, but the areas also have large concentrations of lead.”
Health authorities have set up two camps in the area to treat people who are suffering symptoms of lead poisoning.
Contaminated water?
The deaths were discovered during the country’s annual immunisation programme, when officials realised there were virtually no children in several remote villages in the northern state, says the BBC’s Abdullai Kaura Abubakar in Kaduna.
Villagers said the children had died of malaria and it was only when a team from international aid agency Medecins Sans Frontiers took blood tests from local people that the high concentrations of lead were discovered.
Zamfara State had recently employed a Chinese company to mine gold in the area, adds our correspondent.
But villagers had also attempted to capitalise by digging for the precious metal themselves – an illegal activity in Nigeria.
It is likely locals became sick after lead removed during the process of refining gold ore contaminated local water systems, our correspondent says. BBC
June 7, 2010 at 8:20 am
Haruna Mohammed
Deadly tornadoes rip through US Midwest, killing seven..BBC NEWS
Tornadoes and thunderstorms have killed at least seven people in the US state of Ohio, officials say.
At least 50 houses were destroyed and many more damaged in north-western Ohio, local firefighter chief Todd Walters told AP news agency.
Several people were taken to hospitals as the storm left an eight-mile (13km) path of destruction, hitting Lake Township particularly hard.
The extreme weather also affected parts of Illinois and Michigan.
‘War zone’
The high school in Lake Township was among the hardest-hit buildings.
Some buses were thrown across the school car park, Superintendent Jim Witt said.
Lake Township Police Chief Mark Hummer described the affected area as “like a war zone”.
He said a child was among the victims.
Mr Hummer said later that the authorities had finished searching damaged buildings and he was not aware of anyone being reported missing, but fields and woods were still being searched.
Nuclear plant
In Michigan, the Fermi nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Erie was shut down after high winds tore a side from one of the buildings.
Dan Smith, public information officer for Monroe County, said investigators were inspecting the plant and it was expected to go back into operation soon.
An eyewitness in Illinois said the city of Streator had been badly damaged.
“I saw people coming out of their homes right after the tornado hit; a second story of a house was taken off,” Eddie Lavallie told the Chicago Tribune.
Streator Mayor Jimmie Lansford told a news conference that 17 people had been taken to a local hospital for treatment – and 30 buildings had “major structural damage”.
June 11, 2010 at 8:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Deadly clashes in Kyrgyzstan’s southern city of Osh
At least 14 people have been killed in clashes in Kyrgyzstan’s second-largest city of Osh, health ministry officials say.
More than 140 people were also injured when hundreds of youths fought in the streets of the southern city.
Officials say a state of emergency has been declared and armoured vehicles have been sent to the city.
The interim government has been struggling to restore order after a violent uprising in April.
Since then, there have been fears of an upsurge in violence between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the south.
Osh is home to a large ethnic Uzbek community, and is the power-base of the ousted president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Appeal for calm
According to local reports, fighting broke out between rival gangs and developed into gun battles.
Reports from Osh said that a number of buildings, including cafes, a local TV channel and a theatre were ablaze.
It appears that the majority of the properties belonged to ethnic Uzbeks.
Firefighters tried to put out the fires, but angry youths reportedly threw rocks to prevent them doing their job.
A building burns in Osh in Kyrgyzstan on 11 June, 2010 Several buildings in Osh were set on fire
Residents say the shooting continued into Friday morning and that helicopters were flying low overhead.
However, an Interior Ministry spokesman said the shooting had stopped and that the city was now under the control of the security forces.
It is not clear who is behind the violence, but in an address to the nation, interim President Roza Otunbayeva said mass disorder had been triggered by some small-scale skirmishes, and she called on people to remain calm.
In recent weeks, several incidents have prompted fears of inter-ethnic violence between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz.
The country’s interior and defence ministers are reportedly travelling to the region.
Mr Bakiyev fled with his family to Belarus after clashes between government forces and protesters on 7 April, which left at least 85 people dead in the Central Asian state.
The violence was the culmination of months of discontent over rising prices and allegations of corruption in Kyrgyzstan, which had been regarded as one of the more progressive states in the region.
The violence has also raised fears of a civil war in the country, where both Russia and the US have military bases.
The interim government has promised to hold elections in October, after a constitutional referendum on reducing presidential powers.
Are you in Osh? Have you witnessed anything? What is the situation now? Send us your accounts using the form below.
June 16, 2010 at 8:13 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indonesia is struck by three powerful earthquakes….bbcnews
Three powerful earthquakes have struck Indonesia within half an hour of each other.
The two strongest occurred in quick succession near the coast of Indonesia’s Papua province, causing people to flee their homes.
A tsunami warning was issued but it has since been lifted.
Another earthquake, of lesser magnitude, struck close to the Solomon Islands. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
A 6.4 magnitude quake was followed 10 minutes later by a 7.0 magnitude quake 18 miles (29km) beneath the ocean floor off the northern coast of Papua province, the US Geological Survey said on its website.
Hundreds of people ran out of their homes, Yan Pieter Yarangga, a resident from the town of Biak, told the Associated Press news agency.
Fearing a tsunami, people fled beaches and some raced for higher ground, he said.
“I ran too, I was afraid there would be a second quake,” said Mr Yarangga.
Indonesia has recently been struck by many quakes. More than 1,000 people were killed off Sumatra in September 2009.
The country sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world’s most active areas for earthquakes and volcanoes.
In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed quarter of a million people in 13 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
June 22, 2010 at 7:04 am
Haruna Mohammed
Mining executives’ Africa plane wreckage found
The wreckage of a plane carrying a group of Australian mining executives in West Africa has been found, Cameroon’s information minister said.
Nine or 10 bodies had been found, he said, as hopes faded for survivors.
The plane, carrying 11 passengers, disappeared on Saturday while flying from Cameroon to Republic of Congo.
One of Australia’s richest men, Ken Talbot, was on board, with five other Australians, and one US, two British and two French nationals.
The group left the Cameroonian capital Yaounde to visit iron ore projects in Yangadou, a remote area of Congo.
Aviation officials say they lost contact with the aircraft one hour after it left Yaounde.
The plane was chartered by Australian mining company Sundance Resources.
“For the moment, between nine and 10 corpses have been retrieved,” Information Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary told a news conference in Yaounde on Monday.
The area they were visiting includes the Mbalam project which straddles Cameroon and Congo – where Sundance Resources is hoping to extract 35m tonnes of iron ore a year.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had promised to leave “no stone unturned” to help with the search.
Mr Talbot is a non-executive director of Sundance, with an estimated wealth of $840m (£567m), according to BRW business magazine’s latest rich list.
June 22, 2010 at 7:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Three Australians and US soldier killed in Afghan crash…bbc news
Three Australian commandos and a US soldier have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan, Nato officials say.
The crash happened at 0339 local time in Kandahar province. There was no indication of enemy involvement.
Australia’s armed forces chief, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said the three men killed were from the Special Operations Task Group.
It is the country’s deadliest single incident in the nearly nine-year war.
Two other Nato soldiers were killed on Monday in separate bombings in the south, the alliance announced. It did not give their nationalities.
‘Tragic day’
Seven Australians were also injured in Monday’s crash. Two were said to be in a serious condition.
Air Chief Marshal Houston described the area where the helicopter came down as ”very rugged”.
He said: ”It’s demanding terrain for the helicopter, particularly if the weather wasn’t 100%.”
The latest incident takes Australia’s military death toll in Afghanistan to 16.
It comes just two weeks after two Australian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said it was “a very heavy price to pay”, as he paid tribute to the three men who died early on Monday.
”This is a tragic day for Australia and the Australian Defence Force,” Mr Rudd told parliament.
He said the commandos had been involved in a recent operation that dealt a major blow to Taliban insurgents in northern Kandahar.
They had done previous tours of Afghanistan.
It comes as Nato is preparing for a major operation in Kandahar – the heart of the Taliban-led insurgency – this summer.
Australia has some 1,550 troops serving in Afghanistan.
At least 59 international soldiers, including more than 35 Americans, have been killed this month, making it one of the deadliest periods for international troops.
Meanwhile, the number of UK service personnel killed as a result of the Afghanistan conflict since 2001 has hit 300, after a wounded marine died in hospital.
Some 9,500 British military personnel are in Afghanistan as part of a Nato-led force.
July 19, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Another sea disaster ……….bbc
China has launched an operation to clean up a large oil spill in the Yellow Sea after two oil pipelines exploded in the port city of Dalian.
The slick is reported to spread for 50 sq km (19 sq miles).
Fires started by the blasts late on Friday burned throughout the weekend. No deaths or injuries were reported.
The explosions and fire occurred when a pipe carrying oil from a tanker to a storage tank blew up, causing another nearby pipeline to explode.
The oil port has been closed since the explosion, and an official told Reuters news agency that a contingency plan for a week’s closure was in place.
The pipelines belong to the China National Petroleum Corporation, Asia’s largest oil and gas producer by volume.
Some 1,500 tonnes of crude oil had spilled into the Yellow Sea, state media said.
Oil-skimming vessels and other ships have been deployed to remove the slick from the ocean, the Beijing News reported.
The authorities said the clean-up would take 10 days.
Small pockets of flames were reported to be still burning on Monday as firefighters used cooling foam to try to fully extinguish the fire, reports said.
July 28, 2010 at 7:24 am
Haruna Mohammed
Lufthansa cargo plane crashes at Riyadh airport…..27/07/2010—bbc news
A Lufthansa cargo plane has crashed at King Khaled International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Saudi state television reports.
There were no casualties on the German-owned plane, the kingdom’s civil aviation authority said.
But the plane’s two pilots were being treated in hospital, Lufthansa said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
The Saudi civil aviation authority has been trying to put out a fire on the plane, reports said.
“The firefighters are containing the fire,” said a spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
July 29, 2010 at 8:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
28/07/2010….bbc news
An airliner has crashed near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The plane, a domestic flight from Karachi operated by the private company Airblue, came down in hills just north of the city as it was about to land.
August 17, 2010 at 8:23 am
Haruna Mohammed
Colombia plane breaks into pieces after crash…BBC NEWS (17/08/2010)
A Colombian passenger plane crashed and broke up as it came into land on an island in the Caribbean, injuring at least 119 people, officials have said.
One person died, apparently from a heart attack – officials said others were “scattered” over the runway.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 131 passengers and crew when it tried to land on the island of San Andres.
The passenger jet, operated by local airline Aires, was reportedly hit by lightning before it crashed.
It had flown from the Colombian capital, Bogota.
Col David Barrero from the Colombian Air Force said reports suggested the plane had crashed at 0149 (0649 GMT) on Monday and that “the skill of the pilot kept the plane from colliding with the airport”.
At least 16 non-Colombian nationals were reported to have been on the plane, from countries including the US, Brazil, Costa Rica and France.
‘Miracle’
A police statement said the plane’s fuselage had broken up into three pieces and that passengers were “literally scattered over the end of the runway”.
The island’s police chief, Col Hector Paez, said an 11-year-old girl who had been trapped beneath seats on the aircraft was among those severely injured.
The pilot reported that the plane was struck by lightning, Donald Tascon, deputy director of Colombia’s aeronautics authority, said.
“We are inspecting the remains of the plane to try to establish what the damages were and what caused the accident,” he told Reuters news agency.
Of 99 passengers taken to the Amor de Patria Hospital on San Andres, only four suffered major injuries according to the hospital director, Dr Robert Sanchez.
The woman who died is thought to have died from a heart attack, Dr Sanchez told Reuters.
Passengers said the plane had appeared to be landing normally before suddenly losing control.
“I felt an impact. My seat was knocked loose but I was able to unbuckle myself and get two of my daughters out,” Heriberto Rua was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“We all felt the plane was arriving very, very quickly on the tarmac,” 28-year-old French passenger Virginie Giroux told the AFP news agency.
“We did not feel the contact with the ground. We just saw everything flying, everything bursting in the plane.”
Another passenger, Ricardo Ramirez, said the accident had “appeared out of nowhere”.
“We tried to get out of the plane because it was starting to shoot flames. In a few minutes, a police patrol arrived and helped us,” he told the Associated Press.
San Andres Governor Pedro Gallardo described it as a “miracle” that so many survived.
“We have to give thanks to God,” he said, and praised rescue workers for their “fantastic” response.
San Andres Island, about 190km (120 miles) east of the Nicaraguan coast, is a popular tourist destination.
August 18, 2010 at 7:36 am
Haruna Mohammed
North Korean plane ‘crashes in China’ ….BBC NEWS (18/08/2010)
A North Korea aircraft, which may be a fighter jet, has crashed in China close to the country’s shared border, according to South Korean reports.
It is believed the pilot, who was killed, may have been trying to defect to Russia, according to unnamed intelligence sources cited by Yonhap.
The crash happened on Tuesday afternoon in Liaoning province.
Photogaphs of the wreckage reportedly taken by a local resident showed a North Korean flag on the plane’s tail.
August 19, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Haruna Mohammed
China Mobile sees profits rise 4%
The world’s biggest mobile operator, China Mobile, has reported a 4% rise in first-half profits.
Net profit for the first six months of the year rose to 57.64bn yuan ($8.5bn; £5.45bn) from 55.33bn yuan a year ago.
But China Mobile boss Wang Jianzhou warned of challenges including “high and increasing mobile penetration rates and intensifying industry competition”.
Separately, the company said that vice-president Li Yue would replace Mr Wang as chief executive from Thursday.
Mr Wang will keep his executive director and chairman titles.
The first-half results were slightly ahead of analysts’ expectations of a 56.29bn yuan profit.
Revenue rose 8% to 229.8bn yuan.
Shares in China Mobile, which is listed in Hong Kong, have risen about 16% so far this year, compared with a 3% decline in the Hang Seng index.
The company has more than 500 million users.
August 24, 2010 at 7:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
Passenger plane crashes in Nepal with 14 on board..BBC NEWS(24/08/2010)
A passenger plane has crashed into the hills outside Nepal’s capital in heavy rain, officials say. Initial reports suggest there are no survivors.
The Dornier plane, carrying 14 people, crashed near Shikharpur village, 80km (50 miles) south of Kathmandu.
Officials said there were at least four Americans and one Japanese among six foreigners on board. Witnesses said the plane had broken into small pieces.
Rescuers are yet to reach the site where the Agni Air plane came down.
The US embassy in Kathmandu said it was still trying to confirm the nationality of the passengers.
Hampered
The plane had been flying to Lukla, a popular trekking spot in the Mount Everest region of eastern Nepal.
It was returning to Kathmandu after failing to land in Lukla because of bad weather, officials said.
An airport official said an army helicopter was being sent in the search-and-rescue operation, which was being hampered by the bad weather.
A witness said the plane broke into pieces upon impact.
“There are small pieces of the plane all over the field and you can see body parts. We are all so shocked,” villager Pratap Lama told the Kantipur radio station.
Eighteen people, including 12 Germans, were killed when a small plane crashed in 2008 in Lukla.
The 550m-long (1,800ft) sloping airstrip at Lukla perched on a hillside some 2,800m above sea level, with a steep 700m drop at one end, is considered one of the most difficult landings in the world.
August 25, 2010 at 7:30 am
Haruna Mohammed
China plane crash flight recorder found after 42 killed..BBC News(24/08/2010)
The flight recorder from a plane that crashed in China has been found, the state news agency Xinhua said.
At least 42 people were killed after the passenger plane crash-landed in the northern province of Heilongjiang.
Rescuers searched through the wreckage of the plane which had broken in two, as Chinese state television began broadcasting the stories of survivors
These described the panic and terror as the plane tried, but failed, to land safely near the city of Yichun.
“The plane really started to jolt in a scary way – the plane jolted five or six times very strongly,” one male survivor told China Central Television from his hospital bed.
A second male survivor told CCTV that he felt a “big jolt” as the plane was coming in to land and heard “big crashes – bam bam bam”.
Uncertainties
“After we stopped, the people in the back were panicking and rushed to the front,” another man told CCTV.
“We were trying to open the (emergency exits) but they wouldn’t open. Then the smoke came in … within two or three minutes or even a minute, we couldn’t breathe. I knew something bad was going to happen,” he said.
The vice mayor of Yichun, Wang Xuemei, told CCTV that of the 54 injured, three were in critical condition.
The pilot was one of the survivors of the crash but has not been able to talk yet due to heavy facial injuries.
Xinhua reported that families of the victims waited anxiously at Yichun’s Lindu airport. Five of those on board were children but their fate remains unclear.
The Henan Airlines aircraft, with 91 passengers on board and five crew, burst into flames after overshooting the runway at Yichun City’s airport.
Causes of the crash remain uncertain, but officials at the scene have noted the heavy fog; others have suggested problems with the Brazilian-made Embraer E-190 jet.
A 20-strong team of CAAC officials and technicians have reportedly already left for Yichun City to begin an investigation.
Lindu airport is a small domestic facility that opened only last year.
Henan Airlines is a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines of China and Mesa Air Group of the US, and is based in Henan province. It was previously known as Kunpeng Airlines.
The BBC’s Chris Hogg in Beijing says China has seen a rapid expansion in its domestic airlines in recent years – more than three times as many passengers are flying now as were 10 years ago.
Generally, safety standards have improved, with the last serious accident happening six years ago.
A passenger plane crashed in 2004 into a frozen lake near the northern city of Baotou, killing all 53 people on board. Two people on the ground also died.
October 5, 2010 at 8:09 am
Haruna Mohammed
Citi News……..4/10/2010
Two airlines on Monday evening October 4, collided at the Kotoka International Airport causing a delay to incoming and outbound flights at the airport.
The collision occurred between a German airline, Lufthansa and Turkish airlines.
According to Citi News reporter Richard Mensah, the wings of the two airlines tipped each other after the Turkish airline attempted to take off.
The Deputy Transport Minister, Dzifa Attivor and some aviation engineers arrived at the scene moments after the accident to ascertain what actually occurred.
According to reports some parts of the two airlines are damaged due to the severity of the collision.
In an interview with Citi News, the Deputy Transport Minister said no fatalities were recorded and added that engineers were working assiduously to ensure that normalcy returns to the airport.
She told Citi News that investigations would commence immediately to find out the cause of the accident.
“What we saw here was that the Turkish airline was pushing back to fly off and the wing hit the wing of the Lufthansa airline…no casualties have been recorded but there is some bend at the tail wing of the Turkish airline as well as the Lufthansa…we have a safety section under civil aviation and they will be conducting their investigations to find what really happened”.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company, George Amedio has told Citi News that the Turkish Airline was cleared to fly out of the country an hour after the incident.
Mr Amedio said the accident would not have occurred if standard procedures were followed. He however added that until investigations are completed he will not be able to tell what exactly led to the cause of the collision.
October 7, 2010 at 3:13 pm
muhammed yakubu yussif
It is time for us to put our problems in the hands of almighty Allah.
you and i can not do that, but all things are not equal: they are men of God,those closer to the perfect Prophet of hope, the most honored Prophet of Allah, Muhammed (the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him). The men of Allah will present our problems to the prophet who will then present it to Almighty Allah on our behave and our problems are solved.Without this process of communication, our problems will remain unsolved.The reason behind this is that, we are sinners and much us our sins remain with us our prayers will can not be answered.
October 18, 2010 at 11:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Super Typhoon Megi hits northern Philippines……..bbc news..18/10/2o10
An intense “super typhoon” has made landfall in the northern Philippines, lashing the area with heavy rain and winds of up to 225km/h (140mph).
At least one person has been reported killed, and thousands have fled their homes. Emergency services are on alert, and many schools are closed.
Typhoon Megi is the strongest storm the Philippines has faced for four years.
In 2006, a storm with winds of 155km/h triggered mudslides, burying villages and killing about 1,000 people.
Tropical cyclones formed in the Pacific Ocean are called typhoons, but are classified on a scale of one to five in the same way as Atlantic Ocean hurricanes.
Strong typhoons with sustained winds of at least 130 knots (150mph; 240km/h), are referred to as super typhoons, according to the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
Forecasters said Megi was a super typhoon as it made landfall, but weakened slightly as it made its way across the northern Philippines.
October 25, 2010 at 8:26 am
Haruna Mohammed
Cholera outbreak in Haiti ‘stabilising’ ………..bbc news 25/10/2010
October 25, 2010 at 8:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Prince Charles’ friend dies in helicopter crash
One of three people killed in a helicopter crash in County Down was a personal friend of the Prince of Wales, Clarence House has confirmed.
Charles Stisted, 47, and Ian Wooldridge died when the aircraft came down in the Mourne Mountains on Saturday.
Mr Stisted was chief executive of the Guards Polo Club at Windsor.
Clarence House said Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the princes William and Harry were “shocked and deeply saddened” by news of the crash.
Those who died were from south-east England and included the pilot and two passengers. The men were in Northern Ireland for a day of shooting in County Fermanagh.
‘Thoughts and prayers’
Air accident investigators will catalogue and remove evidence. A police spokesman said significant resources were dedicated to the recovery.
The helicopter is believed to have taken off from Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, and crashed at about 1600 BST in an area known locally as Leitrim Lodge, between Hilltown and Rostrevor.
Mr Stisted was appointed secretary of the Guards Polo Club, located in Windsor Great Park, in 1995, and oversaw its change from a military to a civilian-run organisation a decade ago.
A Clarence House spokesman said: “The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry are all shocked and deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy.
“Their Royal Highnesses’ thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed at this dreadful time.”
Mr Wooldridge, who was also a Guards Polo Club member is a prominent figure in Harcourt Developments, the Dublin based company involved in the development of the Titanic Quarter in Belfast.
The medium-sized Agusta helicopter, capable of carrying up to eight people, was based at Redhill in Surrey, with a US registration and so is likely to be privately owned and run.
October 26, 2010 at 10:34 am
Haruna Mohammed
Death toll rises after Indonesia tsunami…….bbc news 26/10/2010
At least 23 people have been killed and 167 are missing in Indonesia after a localised tsunami triggered by Monday’s earthquake off the coast of Sumatra.
Scores of houses were destroyed by waves after the 7.5 magnitude quake, which struck 13 miles (20km) under the ocean floor near the Mentawai islands.
A local police officer told the BBC that bad weather had delayed a search and rescue operation.
Australian officials are trying to contact a group of missing surfers.
The group of between eight and 10 missing Australians was on a surfing charter boat in the area.
Poor telephone coverage was hampering efforts to contact them, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs said.
November 4, 2010 at 8:01 am
Haruna Mohammed
Qantas A380 makes emergency landing in Singapore…bbc new 4/11/2010
An Australian Airbus A380 superjumbo has made an emergency landing in Singapore after experiencing engine trouble following take-off.
Qantas flight QF32 was travelling from Singapore to Sydney with 459 people on board. It had originated in London.
Pieces of debris believed to be from an aircraft were found on the nearby Indonesian island of Batam.
It is unclear why one of the plane’s four engines failed. Qantas has grounded its six-strong A380 fleet.
Qantas said the plane, with 433 passengers and 26 crew on board, experienced an “engine issue” over western Indonesia shortly after taking off from Singapore time at about 1000 (0200 GMT).
“It’s a significant engine failure,” the chief executive of Qantas, Alan Joyce, said at a news conference.
“We do take our safety reputation and our safety standards unbelievably seriously. And we’re not going to take any risks with passenger safety – and as a precaution, we’re suspending the flights of the A380 aircraft until we’re comfortable that we understand the reasons for this.”
No-one was injured. Correspondents at Singapore’s Changi airport said smoke billowed from the aircraft, which was surrounded by fire engines.
November 5, 2010 at 8:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
Passenger plane crashes in Cuba……bbc news 05/11/2010
A Cuban passenger plane has crashed in the centre of the country with 68 people on board.
The aircraft, belonging to the state-run Aerocaribbean airline, was flying from the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba to the capital Havana when it went down, state media report.
The passengers reportedly included 28 foreigners – including people from Latin American, Europe and Japan.
There is no word on the cause of the crash or on any survivors.
The French-built ATR twin turboprop crashed late on Thursday near the town of Guasimal in Santi Spiritus province, with 61 passengers and seven crew on board.
Media reports say foreign passengers included 17 Latin Americans, 10 Europeans and one Japanese person.
The twice-weekly flight had originated in Port-au-Prince in Haiti and stopped over in Santiago.
The pilot reported an emergency before contact was lost.
Emergency crews had to use bulldozers to cut through thick vegetation to reach the crash scene, Cuban media say.
Several bodies have been pulled from the wreckage, which an eyewitness described as “a ball of flame in the middle of the mountain”.
Rescuers say they are searching the area for any survivors.
November 5, 2010 at 8:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
Dozens die in new Mount Merapi eruption in Indonesia.bbc news 05/11/2010
At least 54 people have been killed in the latest eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano – more than doubling the death toll since it became active again last week.
Dozens are being treated for burns and respiratory problems after a gas cloud hit villages with even greater force than the previous eruptions.
Almost 100 people are now said to have been killed.
An estimated 75,000 residents have been evacuated from the area.
Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, is located in a densely populated area in central Java.
The latest eruption began late on Thursday, sending residents streaming down the mountain with ash-covered faces.
November 5, 2010 at 8:12 am
Haruna Mohammed
Rain hits Haiti as Tropical Storm Tomas approaches …..bbc news 05/11/2010
Heavy rain has started to fall in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince as a powerful storm approaches, threatening earthquake survivors living in camps.
The government has urged the 1.3 million people living in tented homes to find sturdier shelter, but most have stayed, saying they have nowhere to go.
Forecasters say Tropical Storm Tomas is gaining strength and warn of the danger of flooding and mudslides.
Health workers fear heavy rain will exacerbate Haiti’s cholera epidemic.
The outbreak of the water-borne disease – which has so far killed more than 400 people and infected more than 6,700 in Haiti – has not seriously affected the capital, but aid agencies say flooding could change that.
Haitian President Rene Preval went on national radio on Thursday to urge people to take precautions and evacuate the camps.
“Protect your lives,” he said, before acknowledging that the authorities did not “have enough places [on buses] to move everyone”.
The BBC’s Laura Trevelyan in Port-au-Prince says few refugees have heeded the government warning, although mothers and babies have been evacuated from an exposed camp near the mountains.
Stefano Zannini, Medecins Sans Frontieres’ head of mission in Haiti, described the situation as “precarious” and said destruction of tents would cause a new wave of homelessness.
He told the BBC that the atmosphere in the camps was “a mixture of fear and desperation – or resignation”.
“It is the third big problem people here have had to deal with this year,” he said.
Fear and confusion
Tomas, which has winds of up to 110km (65mph), appears to be strengthening as it approaches Haiti, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center says.
In the early hours of Friday the strom was located about 325 km (200 miles) south-west of Port-au-Prince, and expected to make landfall later in the day.
The NHC warned of hurricane conditions – winds of 119km/h (74mph) or greater – for Haiti, the south-eastern Bahamas, the Caicos Islands and the Cuban province of Guantanamo.
It also issued a tropical storm warning for Jamaica and the Cuban provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Holguin.
Staff at the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba were clearing away debris that could fly around in strong winds, officials said.
In Jamaica, schools were closed in eastern areas and traffic was gridlocked in the capital, Kingston, as businesses closed early.
“On the forecast track, the centre will pass near Haiti or extreme eastern Cuba (late Thursday) and early Friday,” the NHC said.
Tomas left at least five people dead in St Lucia over the weekend after hitting the eastern Caribbean as a hurricane.
The storm is expected to dump as much as 38cm (15in) of rain over Haiti and the neighbouring Dominican Republic, with more heavy rain over Jamaica and Cuba.
The UN said more emergency supplies and equipment were urgently needed.
“Even with the existing pre-positioned stocks, the potential magnitude of this disaster urgently calls for additional emergency supplies and equipment,” said Nigel Fisher, UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Haiti.
Miloudy Vincent, a senior aide in Haiti’s education ministry, said schools would close temporarily to be used as shelters.
At the Corail-Cesselesse relocation camp, fighting broke out on Wednesday when officials tried to explain a planned voluntary evacuation of nearly 8,000 people.
Many earthquake survivors worried that the authorities were trying to permanently move them out.
Worsening epidemic
The Salvation Army is concerned for the 15,000 people living in one of its camps near Port-au-Prince which is close to the sea.
“There is no place for these people to go,” Bob Poff, director of disaster services for the Salvation Army in Haiti, told the BBC.
“We are providing them with additional materials and will receive the most vulnerable ones at the compound – but there is no way we can shelter that number of people.”
Aid agencies have been stockpiling supplies ready for the storm and the US has deployed the USS Iwo Jima to help with any humanitarian emergency.
Doctors have warned that torrential rain could flood sanitary installations and contaminate drinking water, worsening a cholera epidemic in the country.
On Wednesday health officials said there had been a 40% jump in the number of new cholera cases and the death toll was 442, with 105 more deaths since Saturday.
November 5, 2010 at 8:26 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crashes after take-off from Karachi ‘killing 22’
A charter plane has crashed shortly after take-off from Karachi airport and reports say all 22 people on board have been killed.
Pervez George, a spokesman for the country’s Civil Aviation Authority, told Geo TV there had been a “problem in one of the engines”.
Rescue leader Lt Col Noor Alam said there were no survivors.
The aircraft is thought to have been carrying oil company employees to an oil field in Sindh province.
“The plane has been destroyed,” Lt Col Alam, was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying.
“The dead bodies are burned beyond recognition. It could not be recognised whether they are men or women. We don’t know nationalities.”
The incident comes four months after an airliner crashed in stormy weather into the hills around the Pakistani capital Islamabad, killing 152 people.
Karachi is the capital of Sindh province. The city, with a population of about 18 million, is Pakistan’s largest and the nation’s financial centre.
December 7, 2010 at 4:37 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Colombia landslide: Dozens feared buried near Medellin….7/12/2010
Rescuers say they have recovered 24 bodies following a landslide near the Colombian city of Medellin.
More than 100 people are still missing and feared dead after a hillside collapsed on Sunday, following the heaviest rains in the country for decades.
Local residents initially used their bare hands to dig into tonnes of mud that engulfed some 30 houses. Seven people have been saved so far.
Thousands of people have fled the area.
The BBC’s Jeremy McDermott in Medellin says many of the bodies being pulled from the mud are those of children who were playing in the streets when the landslide hit.
The scar of the collapsed hillside can be seen from miles away, he adds.
The landslide hit the La Gabriela district of Bello, Antioquia province, at about 1900 GMT on Sunday.
December 7, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Haruna Mohammed
On December 4, 2010 a Tupolev Tu-154 airliner belonging to Dagestan Airlines made an emergency landing at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. After taking off from nearby Vnukovo airport, the airplane’s three engines, generators and navigation systems all suddenly shut down. The plane overshot the runway and crashed into airport facilities. The impact broke the airplane into several pieces, killing two passengers and injuring dozens more. This accident raises two recurring questions in Russian history: “Who’s to blame?” and “What’s to be done?”
December 15, 2010 at 7:44 am
Haruna Mohammed
Australia asylum shipwreck ‘drowns dozens’……bbc 15/12/2010
Dozens of people are feared to have drowned after a boat carrying suspected asylum seekers crashed into rocks on Australia’s Christmas Island.
January 13, 2011 at 7:41 am
Haruna Mohammed
German economy grew by 3.6% in 2010
The German economy rebounded strongly in 2010, growing by 3.6%, according to provisional figures from the national statistics office.
This is stark contrast to many European economies that are stagnating or growing much more slowly.
German GDP grew at its fastest pace since reunification in 1990, as an export recovery was matched by increased domestic demand.
Europe’s biggest economy had contracted by 4.7% in 2009.That had been its worst performance since World War II.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12170223
January 13, 2011 at 7:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
US economy growing ‘moderately’, says Federal Reserve
The US economy continued to grow moderately in December, but the weak housing market was still acting as a brake, says the Federal Reserve.
In its latest Beige Book report, the US central bank said the manufacturing sector continued to enjoy the biggest upturn, while retailers saw a rise in sales over Christmas.
The Fed said the housing sector remained subdued across the US.
The data showed the US economy grew by 2.6% between July and September.
source :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12176899
January 20, 2011 at 9:35 am
Haruna Mohammed
China’s economy grew 10.3% in 2010
Beijing (CNN) — The Chinese economy continued its breakneck growth in 2010, expanding by 10.3%, according to government figures released Thursday.
Last year China’s economic output eclipsed Japan to become the world’s second largest economy with just over $6 trillion, completing a decade long gallop that saw it jump the economies of France, the UK and Germany. China’s growth in 2009 was 9.2%.
The U.S. is the world’s largest economy with an estimated $14.6 trillion GDP for 2010.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/01/19/china.gdp.growth/index.html?hpt=T2
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