BY THE SHEIHU OF SALAWATIA, RASHID HUSSAIN SALWAT
(QUTUB AZ-ZAMAAN)
1. There will be Food sufficiency in most parts of the world. There will be beneficial rains and food production will be high with good yields.
2. Businesses will flourish in some countries. Naturally some economies will overcome their economic difficulties even with the least effort in their economic management.
3. Natural disasters like Land-slides, Storms, Lightening, Thunder and Floods will occur very commonly. This is as a result of the unbalance nature of the world; there is too much weight on one side. This situation can be rectified by constructing huge structures such as pyramids below the equator.
4. Air and Sea Disasters would continue to strike.
5. Extreme Weather conditions that could be harmful to human beings, animals and plants;
6. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions would occur commonly
7. Outbreak of Epidemics;
8. Public unrest in some countries due to political differences and in some cases economic difficulties. World leaders should promote peace and tranquility in their various countries. The greatest challenge that the human race has ever faced and is still facing today is to live in a world free of threat and free of violence. Violence exists everywhere nowadays, in our homes, schools and communities.
9. Death of the Youth. They should take life serious. They would have very serious consequences in alcohol and sex related problems.
10. Death of Prominent Chiefs and Heads; globally.
11. Territorial, tribal and racial disputes developing into wars. The issue of permanent peace in the world should be of great concern to all of us. Peace is not just the absence of war but a state of living without fear and grief and the ability to access basic necessities of life. In order to avoid disputes and wars, politicians and opinion leaders should make concerted efforts to refrain from doing anything that will disturb the existing peace we are currently enjoying. The culture of insult from our political leaders in Ghana is not the best. Our politicians should do all they can to lead exemplary lives by fostering unity amongst the people. The media should also be circumspect in their reportage. The media should not entertain people who would want to use them to bring about public disturbances.
12. New discoveries and inventions. Muslim leaders and scholars should collaborate with world scientists to unearth some useful technologies to make life much more comfortable and easier and to solve some of the worlds’ major problems.
SADAQAH (ALMS): THESE ALMS ARE MEANT TO PREVENT THE CALAMITIES FROM HAPPENING AND TO REALISE THE POSITIVIES. THE ALMS SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE POOR AND THE NEEDY.
HEADS OF STATES FOR THEIR COUNTRIES:
1. Recitation of the Quran 220 times.
2. 7 white and 6 brown cows to be slaughtered and to feed the poor.
3. The equivalent of $490,000 to be given to the needy as alms.
KINGS AND PARAMOUNT CHIEFS:
1. Recitation of the Quran 67 times.
2. 3 white cows, 10 (brown) sheep to be slaughtered and to feed the poor.
3. $4,000 should be given to the needy as alms.
FAMILY HEADS:
1. Recitation of the Quran 4 times to be followed by the slaughtering of a brown sheep to the needy.
2. 6 bowls of rice and 7 bowls of other grains for the poor.
3. GH¢ 49 from the family heads to the poor.
INDIVIDUALS
1. Four (4) bowls of grains in addition to GH¢ 22 to be given to the poor.
I wish all my Christian Brothers and Sisters in Ghana and in the world a Happy Merry Christmas and New Year.
Sheihu Salawatia 
379 comments
Comments feed for this article
December 19, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Haruna mohammed
May the world listen and obey !
December 19, 2010 at 8:59 pm
al-hassan yakubu
we are indeed grateful to the Almighty Allah for honour done to us by giving us a person like sheihu salawatia imam husein rashid kutuub zamaan,may Allah grant him long live,prosperity so that his words will not be taken for granted. nous croiyon en salawatia.
December 19, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Tahiru Alhassan Gawan
My follow muslims out there the truth has come so we should be hurry before it is too late
December 20, 2010 at 8:00 am
Haruna Mohammed
Protesters try to storm government HQ in Belarus…bbcnew..20/12/2010
Thousands of opposition protesters in Belarus have tried to storm the government headquarters, following the country’s presidential election.
The demonstrators smashed windows and doors at the building in Minsk, but were later pushed back by riot police.
Four presidential candidates were arrested. Another was injured in an earlier incident.
Incumbent Alexander Lukashenko has been declared the winner, but the opposition claims the result is rigged.
Official results announced early on Monday gave President Lukashenko 79.7% of the vote. This will the authoritarian leader’s fourth term in office.
During his presidency, the former Soviet republic has never held a poll seen as fair by international monitors.
However, the election campaign itself was much freer than in the past, correspondents say.
December 20, 2010 at 8:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
South Korea holds Yeonpyeong artillery drill……bbcnews…20/12/2010
The South Korean military has held live-firing exercises on Yeonpyeong island – the scene of a deadly attack by the North last month.
Pyongyang had threatened to retaliate, but there was no sign of fire from the North’s side of the border.
The North shelled the island during a drill last month, killing four people.
Earlier, the UN Security Council failed to reach a deal on the issue after eight hours of talks. China and Russia urged Seoul to halt the drill.
The South’s government has been under huge domestic pressure to take a tough stance towards Pyongyang, in the wake of the 23 November shelling by the North.
The issue has divided the permanent members of the Security Council – with China and Russia urging South Korea to put off the exercise, but the US saying its ally is entitled to make sure it is “properly prepared in the face of… ongoing provocations”.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin said the international community had been left without a “game plan” to deal with tensions on the peninsula.
December 20, 2010 at 8:13 am
Haruna Mohammed
‘Hundreds abducted’ in Ivory Coast election unrest – UN” ..bbcnews..20/12/2010
Hundreds of people in Ivory Coast are reported to have been abducted from their homes since last month’s disputed election, the UN says.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says some of the assailants wore military uniforms and there is evidence of “massive” human rights violations.
More than 50 people have died in violence in recent days, she adds.
Incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo says he won the poll, but his rival Alassane Ouattara has international backing.
On Saturday Mr Gbagbo demanded that all 10,000 foreign peacekeepers leave the country, saying UN and French troops were colluding with former rebels.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon rejected the call.
December 20, 2010 at 10:12 am
mohammed mubarik
i sincerely praise almighty Allah for revealing sciptures to sheick Hussein Salawatia Imam Rashid kutubul Zaman.we pray to almighty Allah to give him good health,prospective long life.ASSLAMUAKAYUM WARAHMATULAHI TAATA WABARAKATUHU.
December 21, 2010 at 8:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Quake strikes south-eastern Iran…….bbcnews….21/12/2010
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has struck a sparsely populated area in south-eastern Iran.
The quake’s epicentre is near the small mountain town of Hosseinabad, in Kerman province.
At least five people were killed during the quake which took place not far from the historic city of Bam where 25,000 people died in 2003, Reuters reports.
Iran straddles a major geological fault line, making it prone to tremors. Minor tremors hit the country almost daily.
Telephone contacts to the affected area has been cut off and rescue teams have been sent to the area, according to local television reports.
According to Iranian state television the earthquake’s epicentre was at a depth of 5km (three miles) and some about 100km (60 miles) from Bam.
Residents of the city said that though there was no damage in Bam itself, they felt the earthquake there.
December 21, 2010 at 9:21 am
zakaria abdul-kadiri
Muslims should distinguished between religious and SPIRITUAL LEADERS to enable us appreciate the role Qutubz Zaman is playing to make the world a better living place for humanity.
December 21, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Zakaria Abukari Sadiq
Little by little and with a deep sense of patience the results has become fruitful. The Imam, the captain, the Shehu,and above all the Kutubu zamaan has done it again. This time in a very spectacular way.To avoid doubts it is there ‘fiili fiili’ on the net for everyone to see. He has prooved the unfolding of the scriptures to all and sundry. He has also countlessly prooved what he predicted in 2009 to happen – the air disasters, chemical rains ,earthquakes,volcanoes,floods and above all abundant food.
Please if we heed to his advice and do what is expected of us , the world would become a better place to live in.
Who has the interest in wars,disasters and calamities in all forms which leads to sorrow and grief.
The Kutubu says the solution lies in what he has asked us to do. Just tell your president in your country, the chief in your community, your next door neighbour and above all your family.
I am extremely gracious to Allah for given me the opportunity to be in his Zamaan.
To me all the attributes and qualities that Allah has given to man is inbued in this man Shehu Salawatia Imam Rashid Kutubu Zamaan.
May the Allah continue to guide you and continue to strengthen your “neck” to carry us to Paradise.
Sadiq 0244517557.
December 27, 2011 at 9:24 am
Abdulai Tanko
My dear Sadiq, when and where was there a chemical rain in 2009/2010?
if you provide reference, that ll at least help us better appreciate these prophecies.
December 22, 2010 at 8:26 am
Haruna Mohammed
S.Korea seeks peaceful settlement over Chinese boat sinking
SEOUL, Wednesday 22 December 2010 (AFP) – South Korea will work closely with China to avert a diplomatic row over the sinking of a Chinese boat whose crew are accused of illegal fishing, officials said Wednesday.
One Chinese crewmen died and another is still missing after the boat’s crew clashed with South Korean coastguards in the Yellow Sea on Saturday.
“Both countries share the view that they will have close consultations to settle the case with no feathers ruffled,” a foreign ministry official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“Currently, investigations are under way to determine objective facts (concerning the sinking).”
Another government official was quoted as telling Yonhap news agency that Seoul was willing to carry out a joint investigation with China into the incident.
“We have no intention of letting this case turn into a diplomatic issue. We want to resolve it through close consultations with the Chinese government,” the unidentified official said.
China on Tuesday demanded that South Korea pay compensation for the sinking of the 63-tonne fishing boat and punish the crew of the coastguard ship involved in the incident.
South Korea must “bring the perpetrators to justice, make compensation for the loss of our property and take concrete efforts to prevent such instances from reoccurring”, said foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu.
The boat capsized after colliding with the 3,000-tonne coastguard ship, leaving one of its crew members dead and another missing.
Eight other fishermen were rescued. Five were picked up by nearby Chinese boats while three were detained by South Korean authorities.
A South Korean coastguard spokesman said the Chinese crew brandished iron pipes, clubs and shovels when two small boats from the South Korean coastguard ship approached their trawler, injuring four officers.
South Korean TV showed a video of the clash filmed by the coastguard, which appears to show the fishermen fending off the officers with metal bars.
The trawler then suddenly rammed into the coastguard ship and capsized, causing 10 Chinese sailors to fall into the sea, the South Korean spokesman said.
Illegal fishing by Chinese vessels is common in South Korean waters. The coastguard said 332 Chinese boats were caught last year. On Monday it announced plans for a new crackdown on fish poaching.
In 2008 a South Korean officer drowned while trying to inspect a Chinese boat, and 10 officers have been injured this year.
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/50093
December 22, 2010 at 9:18 am
Haruna Mohammed
Governor declares state of emergency as storms pound California
Los Angeles (CNN) — Half a dozen Southern California counties are under an emergency declaration Wednesday as another powerful storm from the Pacific pummels the region.
The declaration from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger warns of a forecast that calls for “extraordinary and continuing rainfall” that is likely to cause more flooding and landslides in the region and authorizes state assistance for local authorities.
The proclamation covers Kern, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo and Tulare counties in southern California.
Storm-weary Californians on Tuesday slogged through another day of record-breaking snow, rain and flooding from a series of storms that prompted an emergency declaration from Schwarzenegger.
The five-day rain total has topped 10 inches in many areas, with much heavier amounts in some locales. More than 21 inches have fallen on Twin Peaks in San Bernardino county, with Twin Creek receiving nearly 20 inches.
In Los Angeles County, meanwhile, authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 230 homes in two neighborhoods out of fear of debris flows.
But in southwestern Utah, a dam that authorities had feared was in imminent danger of giving way to floodwaters was found to be in stronger condition than previously believed, said Marc Mortensen, a spokesman for Washington County.
iReport: Send us your weather photos
The roughly 800 residents of the towns of Virgin and Rockville were allowed to return to their homes Tuesday night, Mortensen said. Engineers will monitor the dam, located on the Virgin River, and conduct more tests on Wednesday, when high water flows are expected again, he said.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said he was prepared to declare a state of emergency in the south, where floodwaters also washed out at least one bridge. But as of Tuesday afternoon, Utah officials said the required benchmarks for an emergency declaration had not been reached, and Herbert hadn’t received a request from local authorities to issue one.
“We are closely monitoring the activity in southern Utah, and praying for the safety of all of the area’s residents,” Herbert said in a statement.
In Southern California, where the car is king, a record number of motorists called their local AAA to report dead batteries, a need for emergency tows and crashed vehicles, said spokesman Jeffrey Spring of the Automobile Club of Southern California.
More than 25,000 distraught motorists made calls for help on Monday, the largest number ever in a 24-hour period for the AAA’s largest U.S. affiliate, Spring said.
“We’re in Southern California, and we don’t have a lot of experience driving in the rain, and some people drive through high puddles not realizing what kind of effect it can have on a car,” Spring said. “If the engine gets splashed and gets wet, it can stop the car right there.”
Spring said AAA was “able to serve the majority of members in 30 minutes,” although he added, “I’m sure there were a number of people who had to wait longer than that.”
Monday’s call volume surpassed the prior record of about 22,000 on October 9, 2008, when a heat wave and the scorching Santa Ana winds disabled many automobiles, Spring said. Monday’s weather — torrential rains — had opposite conditions, he said.
“Batteries are fickle things if they’re not at full strength,” Spring said. “Hot weather can affect them and weather like this.”
Deborah Craigo, 39, who lives in the Mojave Desert community of Hesperia, California, said monsoon conditions have inundated the arid landscape.
Fire stations are even offering sandbags to residents who want to shore up defenses to their homes, said Craigo, who is a CNN iReporter.
“It’s been raining from two days ago and it just has not stopped. They closed a lot of the roads down,” said Craigo, a mother and college student. “It’s pretty bad now. We have a riverbed in back of our house, and two days ago it was completely bone dry. And then within two days the riverbed is completely full.”
The series of storms originating in the Pacific are known as the “Pineapple Express” because of their origin near the Hawaiian Islands. They have brought heavy snow to the higher elevations, with torrential rainfall in lower spots and high winds. Total rainfall has approached 10 inches in some areas.
Numerous roads were closed because of mudslides or flooding.
High winds also whipped much of the state, particularly at high elevations. Peak wind gusts reached 152 mph in Alpine Meadows summit in northern California, the weather service reported.
Mudslides forced officials to close a portion of State Route 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, in Ventura County, according to the California Department of Transportation. The Pacific Coast Highway was also closed north of Santa Barbara due to flooding.
A mudslide also closed a portion of State Route 41 in San Luis Obispo County. A stretch of State Route 34 in the Oxnard area was closed because of flooding.
The danger of mudslides will probably intensify, CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/12/22/winter.weather/index.html
December 22, 2010 at 2:31 pm
ALHASSAN NASIRU DEEN
We thank Allah for this selfless Sheikh. My only appeal to our Presidet and other opinion leaders is, to fear God and take these sacrifices serious to save innocent lives and property. Prevention is always better than cure. A stitch in time saves nine.
December 24, 2010 at 10:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Los Angeles Rain Causes Mudslides, Flooding, Evacuations
Heavy rain hammered Southern California relentlessly this week, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwartzenegger to declare a state of emergency for six counties in the Los Angeles area.
Police evacuated several thousand residents in areas near Los Angeles in danger of mudslides, UPI reported.
A rain-swollen hillside collapsed onto a busy highway road east of Los Angeles, AP said.
In San Diego and southern Orange County, about 13,000 lost power, San Diego Gas & Electric said.
Wednesday’s storm followed nearly a week’s worth of heavy rain in the region.
According to UPI, the severe flooding caused sewage and petroleum leaks in San Diego, Fresno, and La Mesa.
SOURCE [http://www.ecoworld.com/atmosphere/atmospheric-science/los-angeles-rain-causes-mudslides-flooding-evacuations.html]
The torrential downpour caused major flooding in the Orange County coastal community of Laguna Beach, forcing officials to close the downtown area, which was several feet underwater.
Mudslides engulf neighborhoods, cars updated 15 hours, 41 minutes ago CNN iReporters document the devastating rainstorms that spawned flash floods and mudslides across southern California.
sOURCE [http://edition.cnn.com/search/?query=california%20mudslides&intl=true&sortBy=date]
December 24, 2010 at 10:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
New solar fuel machine ‘mimics plant life’
A prototype solar device has been unveiled which mimics plant life, turning the Sun’s energy into fuel.
The machine uses the Sun’s rays and a metal oxide called ceria to break down carbon dioxide or water into fuels which can be stored and transported.
Conventional photovoltaic panels must use the electricity they generate in situ, and cannot deliver power at night.
Details are published in the journal Science.
The prototype, which was devised by researchers in the US and Switzerland, uses a quartz window and cavity to concentrate sunlight into a cylinder lined with cerium oxide, also known as ceria.
Ceria has a natural propensity to exhale oxygen as it heats up and inhale it as it cools down.
If as in the prototype, carbon dioxide and/or water are pumped into the vessel, the ceria will rapidly strip the oxygen from them as it cools, creating hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide.
Hydrogen produced could be used to fuel hydrogen fuel cells in cars, for example, while a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be used to create “syngas” for fuel.
It is this harnessing of ceria’s properties in the solar reactor which represents the major breakthrough, say the inventors of the device. They also say the metal is readily available, being the most abundant of the “rare-earth” metals.
Methane can be produced using the same machine, they say.
SOURCE [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12051167]
December 24, 2010 at 10:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Snow paralyses transport in parts of Western Europe….
Two thousand travellers have been left stranded at the main Paris airport, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, as further snow is hitting France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
Half the flights at Charles de Gaulle have been cancelled, largely because of a shortage of de-icing fluid.
In Belgium, police advised drivers to stay at home. Hundreds of accidents were reported across Germany.
While in northern Italy, heavy rain has caused flooding in parts of Venice.
Unusually high water levels were reported in the Venice lagoon and in the town of Vicenza, west of Venice, people were moved from their homes because of high river levels.
sOURCE [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12073501]
December 24, 2010 at 11:15 am
Haruna Mohammed
At Least 50 Buried in Colombian Mudslide
At least 50 people may have been buried by a mudslide that swept over homes in northern Colombia following weeks of heavy rains.
Residents raced to search for the missing in Bello, a suburb of Colombia’s second-largest city Medellin.
Floods have ravaged the country during the rainy season. The Colombian Red Cross says at least 170 have died and another 1.5 million have been rendered homeless.
SOURCE : http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2010/12/05/at-least-50-buried-in-colombian-mudslide/
December 26, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Ex-Venezuelan president Perez dies at 88
(CNN) — Former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez died Saturday in Miami, Florida, state-run media and CNN affiliate Globovision reported.
Perez, 88, served two terms as president of the South American country, the first from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. During his final term, he survived a coup attempt led by Hugo Chavez — who spent two years in prison, but later amassed support among millions of poor people angry about corruption and became Venezuela’s president.
One of his former ministers, Diego Arria, confirmed his death to state-run VTV and the National News Agency AVN. His daughter, Maria Francia Perez, told Globovision that he died of a heart attack at Mercy Hospital in Miami.
Perez first became president a year after oil prices spiked fourfold and led a populist government as a Democratic Action Party candidate that brought stability to the Latin American nation. Still, by the time his term ended in 1979, Venezuela’s once strong economy was staggering amid reports of pervasive corruption, according to a U.S. Library of Congress report.
His second stint in power was marred by “El Caracazo,” a string of protests and riots against an economic package that the president had introduced that left more than 200 people dead, the Library of Congress report said.
After surviving two coup attempts in 1992 — including one led by then Lt. Col. Chavez — Perez was impeached on corruption charges in 1993, several months before his term was to end.
In September 2009, the Venezuelan government requested to Interpol that Perez be arrested for his part in the Caracazo and extradited from the United States, where he’d moved after his presidency ended, according to a report by the U.S. embassy in Caracas.
source:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/12/25/venezuela.former.president.dead/index.html?hpt=T2
December 26, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Indian space rocket explodes soon after launch
(CNN) — A space rocket carrying communications equipment exploded soon after takeoff Saturday evening in India, the official national news agency reported.
The unmanned rocket strayed from its flight path and broke into pieces, according to the Press Trust of India.
Video of the incident showed huge plumes of white and copper-colored smoke streaming across the sky.
CNN’s sister network, CNN-IBN, reported that the rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota. Its launch was originally scheduled for December 20, but had been postponed because of an engine leak, CNN-IBN said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the failure, which the Press Trust called a setback to India’s space program.
source:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/12/25/india.rocket.explosion/index.html?hpt=C1
December 29, 2010 at 10:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
Terrible weather condition …
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/12/28/airlines.weather/index.html?hpt=T2
December 29, 2010 at 11:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flood chaos forces mass evacuations in Australia..
North-eastern Australia’s worst flooding in decades is continuing to cause chaos across the region.
Around 1,000 people in Queensland have been evacuated, including the entire population of the town of Theodore.
The government has declared Theodore and two other towns in the region to be disaster zones, and forecasters say the floods have not yet peaked.
The cost of the damage is expected to top A$1bn (£650m), including massive losses of sunflower and cotton crops.
Army Black Hawk helicopters evacuated the 300 residents of Theodore, where every building in the town apart from the police station has been flooded, local media reported.
Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12087870
December 27, 2011 at 9:58 am
Abdulai Tanko
Haruna is the Sheik stating the obvious or is he giving us new prophecies? most of his statements are too general…. if for instance he was a bit specific, he could not have missed the so call arab spring…. notwithstanding he mentioned territorial, tribal and racial strives leading to wars and public unrest in some coutries.
you ve tried to prove that these prophecies ve come true, but you didn’t provide evidence for businesses flourishing and some countries moving away from their current economic difficulties…. the reverse is rather true…
any reported epidemics in 2011?
December 29, 2010 at 11:24 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquakes shake waters west of Vanuatu
A pair of earthquakes within 10 minutes of each other rattled Vanuatu in the southern Pacific Wednesday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The first quake — a strong magnitude 6.6 — was about 72 miles west of Isangel. The second one — eight minutes later — was a smaller magnitude 5.5 quake.
There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warnings were issued.
Five earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or above have been recorded in the area with a 24-hour period.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/12/29/vanuatu.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2
December 29, 2010 at 11:29 am
Haruna Mohammed
Quake near Japanese islands triggers tsunami warning
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake off the coast of Japan early Wednesday triggered a tsunami warning for a group of remote islands and an advisory for the southern region of the country, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, which occurred 3:19 a.m., is about 95 miles (155 km) from Chichi-shima, Ogasawara Islands.
A tsunami is a series of destructive sea waves caused by an earthquake, and the warning required people in the islands to evacuate from the seashore immediately to safe places.
According to an initial observation by the Japanese agency, the tsunami height is estimated to be up to 2 meters.
The tsunami advisory stretched across the southern Japanese coast. The quake epicenter is 210 miles (335 km) from Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, and 650 (1,050 km) miles from Tokyo.
The Japan National Tourism Organization says the “Ogasawara Islands is the general term for 30 islands of various size scattered over the Pacific Ocean.” They are also known as the Bonin Islands.
Chichi-shima island, “the main island and the entrance to the area, is 1,000 kilometers south of downtown Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean, and it has a land area of about 24 square kilometers. Water-eroded high cliffs surround the island making the scenery even more magnificent, and the area is a popular spot for divers,” the organization said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected.
“No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data,” the Warning Center said.
“However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. Authorities in the region of the epicenter should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action.”
source:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/12/21/japan.earthquake/index.html?iref=obinsite
December 29, 2010 at 11:34 am
Haruna Mohammed
Racial discrimination – a tool of occupation
source: http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/12/20/racial-discrimination-tool-occupation
December 30, 2010 at 9:34 am
Haruna Mohammed
Moscow (CNN) — Twelve people were killed Wednesday when a military plane crashed in central Russia, authorities said.
The An-22 Antonov ‘Antei’ heavy transport plane crashed in the Tula region south of Moscow. The entire crew of 12 were killed, the Russian Investigative Committee said on its website.
Investigators have found one of the military plane’s flight data recorders, said Sergey Zhukov, spokesman for the military branch of the investigative committee.
“Along with the ‘black box,’ the pilots’ documents and some of their body parts were found at the crash site,” Zhukov said.
The plane left the city of Voronezh for the Migalovo airport in the Tula region at about 9 p.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, the committee said. Its wreckage was found about five hours later, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Click here : http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/29/russia.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=T2
January 1, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Russia pop group Na-Na describe plane fire ‘panic’
Members of a Russian pop group, Na-Na, have described the panic on board a passenger jet when it caught fire and later exploded at a Siberian airport.
Three people were killed and at least 43 were injured after the Russian plane, carrying 124 people, burst into flames before take-off.
One band member said people had “been literally stepping on each other’s heads” in an effort to escape.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12103190
January 1, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Haruna Mohammed
2 killed, 15 missing after ship sinks off China
Beijing (CNN) — Fifteen sailors remained missing Saturday after a North-Korean-registered cargo ship sank in the Yellow Sea, killing two, China’s state media reported.
It sank in China’s Jiangsu Province early Friday after water entered the ship amid strong gales, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the ministry of transport’s rescue center.
The 226-foot-long ship, the Kang Bong, was carrying 20 sailors.
Three of the sailors were rescued after the center sent a ship and two helicopters to the scene. Two bodies were recovered, Xinhua said.
The gale-force winds were making the rescue difficult, the rescue center told Xinhua.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/china.ship.sinks/index.html?hpt=T2
January 1, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Haruna Mohammed
92 arrested in northern Nigeria after recent religious violence
Jos, Nigeria (CNN) — Nigerian authorities on Friday arrested 92 people allegedly affiliated with a militant Islamist group that the government says is responsible for a string of recent killings in the country’s northeast.
Police blame the group, Boko Haram, for attacks Wednesday that left three police officers and one civilian dead in Maiduguru and for Christmas Eve attacks on two Christian churches in the city that left five dead.
Borno state Police Commissioner Mohammed Abubakar said those arrested were “members of a dangerous religious fundamentalist group… (that) is anti-government.”
Maiduguru is the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state.
According to IHS Jane’s, a defense and security analysis company, Boko Haram is a Sunni militant group that emerged in 2003 and is fighting for the implementation of strict Islamic law in Nigeria.
Nigeria has been rocked by recent religious violence, with the government blaming it most of the recent attacks on Islamist extremists.
Christmas Eve attacks in the volatile city of Jos claimed at least 31 lives, but the Nigerian government has said it is unclear who is responsible. On Friday, there was a mass burial for 16 of the victims.
“The perpetrators of this act are criminals under the guise of religion,” said Benjamin Kwashi, the Anglican archbishop of Jos, at a memorial service.
Three men were arrested with bombs in their possession in the vicinity of Jos on Christmas Day, authorities said
The Jos region lies on a faith-based fault line between Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria and the mainly Christian south.
At least four people were killed and another 13 wounded Friday in a bomb blast at an army barracks in Abuja, the deputy police commissioner said.
source:http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/12/31/nigeria.arrests/index.html?hpt=T2
January 1, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Haruna Mohammed
92 arrested in northern Nigeria after recent religious violence
Jos, Nigeria (CNN) — Nigerian authorities on Friday arrested 92 people allegedly affiliated with a militant Islamist group that the government says is responsible for a string of recent killings in the country’s northeast.
Police blame the group, Boko Haram, for attacks Wednesday that left three police officers and one civilian dead in Maiduguru and for Christmas Eve attacks on two Christian churches in the city that left five dead.
Borno state Police Commissioner Mohammed Abubakar said those arrested were “members of a dangerous religious fundamentalist group… (that) is anti-government.”
Maiduguru is the capital of Nigeria’s Borno state.
According to IHS Jane’s, a defense and security analysis company, Boko Haram is a Sunni militant group that emerged in 2003 and is fighting for the implementation of strict Islamic law in Nigeria.
Nigeria has been rocked by recent religious violence, with the government blaming it most of the recent attacks on Islamist extremists.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/12/31/nigeria.arrests/index.html?hpt=T2
January 1, 2011 at 6:36 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Russia opposition: ‘More than 120’ arrested at rallies
A leading Russian human rights activist has complained about the arrest of more than 120 people at opposition rallies in Moscow and St Petersburg.
Lyudmila Alexeyeva said there was no point obtaining permission to protest if people were detained regardless.
Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was among those detained during the rallies on New Year’s Eve.
The authorities said those arrested in Moscow were going to another, unauthorised demonstration.
Police in Moscow detained 68 people, while more than 50 were arrested at the St Petersburg demonstration, which did not have a permit.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12102778
January 1, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Haruna Mohammed
2 killed, 15 missing after ship sinks off China
Fifteen sailors remained missing Saturday after a North-Korean-registered cargo ship sank in the Yellow Sea, killing two, China’s state media reported.
It sank in China’s Jiangsu Province early Friday after water entered the ship amid strong gales, the Xinhua news agency reported, citing the ministry of transport’s rescue center.
The 226-foot-long ship, the Kang Bong, was carrying 20 sailors.
Three of the sailors were rescued after the center sent a ship and two helicopters to the scene. Two bodies were recovered, Xinhua said.
The gale-force winds were making the rescue difficult, the rescue center told Xinhua.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/china.ship.sinks/index.html?hpt=T2
January 4, 2011 at 7:45 am
Haruna Mohammed
80 African migrants feared drowned off Yemen coast
(CNN) — At least 80 African migrants were feared drowned Monday after their boats capsized off the coast of Yemen, authorities there reported.
The two boats sank in separate accidents.
One boat, which carried 45 migrants mostly from Ethiopia, capsized in the Red Sea, according to Yemen’s official news agency, SABA. Three people on that boat, believed to be from Somalia, survived and were found on Yemen’s coast, the agency said.
Between 35 and 40 migrants were on the second boat that capsized off the coast of Lahj province, SABA reported, citing the interior ministry.
Many of the people on board were women and children, according to the official website of Yemen’s ruling party. It said all of the migrants on the second boat were from Ethiopia.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/03/yemen.migrant.deaths/index.html?hpt=T2
January 4, 2011 at 7:54 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquake hits North Yorkshire
A small earthquake has hit northern England, scientists have confirmed.
The British Geological Survey (BGS) said the 3.6-magnitude quake struck 9km north-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire just after 2100 GMT on Monday.
People in Bingley and Skipton, north-west of Leeds, reported feeling tremors, which were experienced across Cumbria and West Yorkshire.
The BGS said an earthquake of such size might be felt up to 100km away but was unlikely to cause much damage.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12109625
January 4, 2011 at 7:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquake in Cumbria felt across neighbouring counties
A small earthquake has hit Cumbria and surrounding counties.
People described hearing and feeling the earth moving for “well over a minute” just after 2300 GMT on Tuesday.
The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 3.6, was felt in locations across Cumbria and in Lancashire, south-west Scotland, parts of Yorkshire, Northumberland and the Isle of Man.
Police say there are no reports of injury or damage. The tremor was picked up by the British Geological Survey.
People have contacted the BBC to say they felt the tremor in places including Barrow, Sellafield, Cockermouth, Windermere and Penrith.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue service has also confirmed the quake.
A spokesman said: “We have had no requests from members of the public. At the moment, we don’t believe there is any structural damage.”
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12056634
January 4, 2011 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
China ‘in nuclear power advance’
China has developed its own technologies that will enable it to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, state television has reported.
The country has launched an ambitious programme to build a number of new nuclear power stations.
This latest breakthrough could provide fuel for those plants for years to come.
Chinese scientists have apparently been working on this technology for 24 years.
State television says they have now perfected a procedure that will allow them to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
It is a complex and costly procedure but the recycled material can be used again to fuel nuclear power stations.
China is not the first country to develop its own reprocessing facilities. France, Britain and India are just three countries that already have their own operations.
But this breakthrough will have major implications in China.
The country is building a number of new nuclear power plants in an effort to diversify its energy sources.
At the moment it mostly relies on coal. This latest development could help its nuclear power programme.
State television says the country currently has enough known uranium for at most 70 years.
It claims this new process could mean that supply will now last for 3,000 years.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12107126
January 4, 2011 at 8:09 am
Haruna Mohammed
Philippine weather toll climbs to five
Two children in the eastern Philippines have been killed in a landslide caused by heavy rain, raising the toll from the bad weather to five.
The one-year-old and his five-year-old sister were swept away near St Bernard township on Leyte Island.
Their deaths follow those of three people fleeing their homes in Albay province last week.
Forecasters said more rain was expected in the country in the coming days.
A civil defence officer in St Bernard, Benito Ramos, said a seven-year old child survived the landslide which killed the two younger children.
At least 1,000 people have fled their homes in Leyte and nearby Samar to seek shelter in evacuation centres, he said.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12106417
January 5, 2011 at 9:14 am
Haruna Mohammed
A moderate earthquake rattled southern Iran Wednesday morning
A moderate earthquake rattled southern Iran Wednesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The epicenter of the magnitude 5.4 quake was about 615 kilometers (380 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, or 95 kilometers (59 miles) northwest of Shiraz.
There were no immediate reports of damage, but residents in Shiraz said it shook the floor of homes in the area and lasted about three seconds.
Iran lies on a series of seismic fault lines and experiences earthquakes almost daily, and at times, they have had devastating consequences, such as the quake in the city of Bam that killed 30,000 people in 2003.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/05/iran.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2
January 5, 2011 at 9:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
Governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province assassinated
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — The governor of Pakistan’s Punjab province was assassinated by his own security guard Tuesday, according to Interior Minister Rehman Malik, apparently because he spoke out against the country’s controversial blasphemy law.
The security guard was arrested, Malik said. The shooting occurred at Islamabad’s Kohsar Market, which is frequented by foreigners.
The guard, Malik Mumtaz Hussain Qadri, confessed to assassinating Taseer because “he did blasphemy of the Prophet Mohammed,” said Naeem Iqbal, spokesman for Islamabad police. Qadri told police Taseer had described the blasphemy law as “the black laws.”
The blasphemy law makes it a crime punishable by death to insult Islam, the Quran or the Prophet Mohammed.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/04/pakistan.governor.killed/index.html?hpt=T2
January 5, 2011 at 9:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
Actor Pete Postlethwaite dies at 64
London (CNN) — Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite, who starred in “Inception” and “The Usual Suspects,” has died at the age of 64, his agent said Monday.
Highly intense, with a bulbous nose, high cheekbones and ruddy complexion, the actor was immediately recognizable in films ranging from the second “Jurassic Park” movie to “Romeo + Juliet.”
It was for his role as Daniel Day-Lewis’s father in the IRA drama “In the Name of the Father” that he got his only Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor. He lost out to Tommy Lee Jones for “The Fugitive.”
He also starred in the British brass band movie “Brassed Off,” and worked with Steven Spielberg on the slave revolt story “Amistad.”
Spielberg reportedly called him “the best actor in the world,” prompting Postlethwaite to respond that what the director actually said was that he “thought he was the best actor in the world.”
He made his name as part of a cohort of great British actors including Bill Nighy, Anthony Sher, Jonathan Pryce and Julie Walters at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, England, in the 1970s.
He returned to the Everyman in 2008 to play King Lear in Shakespeare’s great tragedy.
He was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, in 2004.
Postlethwaite died of cancer, British media reported.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/03/obit.pete.postlethwaite/index.html
January 5, 2011 at 9:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Russian icebreaker rescues icebound ship in Far East
Russian icebound trawler Cape Elizabeth, trapped in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East, was rescued on Wednesday, a spokesman for Far East Shipping Company said.
On Friday, December 31, the Sodruzhestvo fishery mother ship, the refrigerator freighter Bereg Nadezhdy, and a scientific research ship, the Professor Kizevetter, requested help. There are some 400 crew members on board the vessels.
Cape Elizabeth was caught in ice in Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk on Monday with 78 crew members on board.
The stranded ship was freed by the Admiral Makarov icebreaker at around noon local time (02:00 GMT), the spokesman said, adding that Admiral Makarov would continue to rescue other ships after the vessel was taken to open waters.
One of Russia’s biggest ice entrapments for years was caused by a spell of unusually cold weather of up to -17 degrees Centigrade (-1.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Weather forecasts are unfavorable, saying temperatures may plunge even further.
The Sakhalin Bay in the Far East is believed to be one of the most dangerous marine regions of the Okhotsk Sea with few clear water gaps on the surface. However seamen continue to risk their lives to gain high profits of fishing there.
source : http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110105/162049194.html
January 5, 2011 at 9:44 am
Haruna Mohammed
58,000 evacuated in southwest China due to icy weather
(CNN) — Rain and icy weather will continue to pummel southwest China’s Guizhou province Wednesday, where more than 58,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, officials said.
Officials ordered the evacuations after freezing rain that had been falling for days damaged or destroyed houses, state-run media said.
Subzero weather caused rain to freeze, and more than 208 homes collapsed as their roofs could not bear the weight of the accumulated ice, the Xinhua news agency reported, quoting a provincial emergency official.
The ice also forced the closure of highways for more than 30 hours, the province’s transportation department told Xinhua. It also led to at least one death: a police officer died in a highway wreck while he was at the scene of another crash, the news agency said.
The weather has damaged more than 142,000 hectares of crops, caused economic losses worth 1.35 billion yuan (about $203 million), and affected 38 million people, the ministry of civil affairs said Wednesday.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/05/china.rain/index.html?hpt=T2
January 5, 2011 at 10:09 am
Haruna Mohammed
2 January 2011 Earthquake damages 23,600 buildings in SW China
Several moderate earthquakes which jolted Yingjiang county, Southwest China’s Yunnan province on Saturday and Sunday damaged more than 23,600 houses, affecting 14,800 locals, but no casualties have been reported so far, Xinhua News said Monday.
Very damaging earthquake – 7,839 homes on the Myanmar / China border
UPDATE 04/01 – 06:41 UTC : Yingjiang earthquakes have damaged 7,839 houses (23,645 rooms), of which 3 collapsed houses, 1,700 have been severely damaged houses and 6,136 slightly damaged houses. 148,000 people have been affected, of which 54,000 of 85,900 in the direct disaster area have been evacuated.
UPDATE 02/01 – 17:44 UTC : Yingjiang county was also hit by a devastating earthquake on August 21, 2008 UTC, killing 5 people and injuring 127. This was however a M 6.0 earthquake !
UPDATE 02/01 – 17:18 UTC : This earthquake was in fact a series of earthquakes (up to 5 quakes associated with it).
In total 37,200 households containing 97,400 people have been affected, 6531 homes have been damaged but no casualties associated with the earthquakes.
1 office has collapsed and 1,604 of the 10,400 damaged rooms (6531 homes) have been severely damaged.
UPDATE 01/01 – 13:26 UTC : Chinese news services are reporting an earthquake in China that occurred in the Yingjiang plains at 07:31:58 UTC, 15:31:58 Local on January 1st 2011.
The towns affected include the Dehong Yingjiang Plains with a preliminary focal depth of 10km.
There are reports of housing being cracked but more details will soon come to hand as Yunnan Seismological Bureau has sent a 4 man team to the Dehong. Specific property damage and casualties are unknown at this point.
Initial report just after the earthquake
The epicenter of this moderate but shallow earthquake was located in the Chinese part of the border near the village of Yingjiang.
105 km (65 miles) SE of Myitkyina, Myanmar and 89 km NE Banmo (pop 47,920)
source : http://poleshift.ning.com/profiles/blogs/2-january-2011-earthquake
January 7, 2011 at 8:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
2 million fish found dead in Maryland
Authorities in Maryland are investigating the deaths of about 2 million fish in Chesapeake Bay.
“Natural causes appear to be the reason,” the Maryland Department of the Environment said in a news release. “Cold water stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill.”
The investigation comes days after the deaths of an estimated 100,000 fish in northwest Arkansas. Authorities suspect disease was to blame there, a state spokesman said.
In Maryland, preliminary tests showed water quality to be acceptable, officials said.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/01/06/maryland.fish.kill/index.html?hpt=T2
January 7, 2011 at 8:59 am
Haruna Mohammed
Laos general and Hmong leader Vang Pao dies in exile…
Vang Pao, the former general and leader of his Hmong ethnic group in Laos, has died in exile in the US, aged 81.
He had been in hospital for about 10 days before his death late on Thursday.
As a young man, he had fought against the Japanese during World War II, and with the French against the North Vietnamese in the 1950s.
He led a CIA-sponsored secret war in Laos during the Vietnam War and, when it was lost, led many of his people into exile.
The former Central Intelligence Agency Chief William Colby once called Gen Pao “the biggest hero of the Vietnam War”.
Gen Pao was a controversial figure, deeply loved by many Hmong for his insistence on freedom from foreign domination. He was also accused of subversion.
Americans who first came into contact with him found a man skilled in the warfare and the charisma necessary to sustain a dangerous 15-year long operation in support of the US against the North Vietnamese.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12133710
January 7, 2011 at 9:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Price protests erupt across Algeria
Unrest spreads from capital to several towns as youths protest over rising costs and increasing unemployment.
Fresh unrest has taken place in Algeria as protests over rising costs and unemployment spread after a night of rioting in Algiers, the capital, in which youths attacked a police station and torched shops.
Authorities rushed police reinforcements to several towns on Thursday, where hundreds of youths took to the streets.
Youths blocked major regional roads around Boumerdes, about 60km east of Algiers, and Bejaia, 200km further east, the online edition of the El-Watan newspaper reported.
Authorities sent in “a large number of convoys of anti-riot police,” it said.
Protests have been reported at the Martyrs’ Square, Balkor, Bash Jarrah, Babal Wadi and Astawali, while both Jalfa in southern Algeria and Wahran in the west also witnessed violent rallies in protest over the deteriorating living conditions and rising prices.
Neighbouring Tunisia was also struck by more protests in a wave of similar unrest.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/01/2011166020620356.html
January 7, 2011 at 9:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
Deadly Flooding Hits Brazil
Authorities in Brazil say four people from the same family have died in a mudslide in Sao Paulo state.
Officials say the four, including two girls, died when a mudslide triggered by heavy rains caused their house to collapse.
The incident occurred in the city of Jundiai.
The neighboring state of Minas Gerais has been hit hard by heavy flooding and mudslides. More than 13,000 people there have been forced to leave their homes.
source : http://www.voanews.com/english/news/americas/Brazil-Hit-by-Deadly-Flooding-113005534.html
January 7, 2011 at 9:16 am
Haruna Mohammed
Cargo ship fire kills four Chinese off S. Korea
SEOUL — Four Chinese sailors died Friday after a fire gutted a Cambodia-flagged cargo ship off South Korea’s southern port of Busan, coast guard officials said.
The coast guard said the 1,400-ton Yunxing with eight Chinese and one from Myanmar aboard caught fire early Friday, two nautical miles from Busan.
Four Chinese died and the rest of the crew was pulled to safety, a Busan coast guard spokeswoman told AFP.
The blaze was put off in about two hours but heavy smoke delayed a rescue operation.
Coast guard officials suspect the blaze might have been caused by a short circuit, Yonhap news agency said, adding there was no cargo aboard.
One rescued sailor told investigators that the fire had started around the first floor kitchen, Yonhap said.
Coast guard officials believe that smoke had hampered a quick evacuation of the sailors who were sleeping at the time of the fire. The bodies were found in the first floor kitchen and a second floor cabin.
source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hiC5_awS50zigDQyrV84H6U8ZulQ?docId=CNG.15bd5dcd9923ec1ede1841c7911a83dc.321
January 8, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Three Agona chiefs die in accident
Three chiefs from Agona Kwamang in the Central Region and a driver died on the spot when a taxi cab they were travelling in ran into an abandoned articulator truck at Akyem Asafo near Apedwa on the Accra-Kumasi road Saturday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Nana Tobor – Kyidomhene, Nana Kwame Gyan – Abusuapanin and Nana Kwaku Mensah, Benkumhene.
A fourth chief, Dwaantoafohene who sustained serious injuries is on admission at the Suhum Government Hospital in the Eastern region.
Nhyira Fm’s Ohemeng Tawiah who chanced on the accident reports the deceased were travelling to Tepa in the Ashanti region to attend an engagement ceremony of a son of one of the chiefs.
Visibility was said to be poor as at 5:45 a.m Saturday, blurring the vision of the driver of the taxi cab. The cab rammed an broken down articulator truck in the middle of the road.
The taxi with registration GR 7393-10 has been damaged beyond repair after it rammed into the ‘abandoned’ Burkina Faso-bound articulated truck with registration 10 KK 1599.
Though the road has been cleared to allow free traffic flow, the abandoned articulator truck has been left to its fate, still posing a danger to other road users.
On 31st December 2010, five people died when a metal container slipped from a truck and fell on an Akyem Asafo – Suhum bound taxi cab. All the five occupants including the driver died on the spot.
The Eastern Regional Commander of the Police Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit is unhappy the absence of a recovery truck is thwarting efforts of the police to deal with abandoned and broken-down heavy duty trucks on that section of the main Kumasi-Accra road.
Superintendent James Sarfo Peprah said road carnage involving abandoned articulator and other heavy duty trucks can be prevented only when there are such services available to quickly clear them off the roads.
source: http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/58956.asp
January 10, 2011 at 8:37 am
Haruna Mohammed
US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords shot in Arizona
A US congresswoman has been shot in the head and six other people have been killed by a gunman in Arizona.
Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords, 40, was shot at close range during a public meeting in Tucson.
She is in a critical condition, but the doctor treating her said he was “very optimistic about her recovery”.
The dead included a nine-year-old girl and a federal judge. President Barack Obama said the shooting was a “tragedy for our entire country”.
The Associated Press news agency reported that one of Ms Giffords’ political aides was also killed in the shooting.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12143774
January 10, 2011 at 8:39 am
Haruna Mohammed
Passenger plane crashes in Iran, killing 72, official says…
Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Seventy-two people died and 33 were injured Sunday night when an IranAir passenger jet en route from Tehran to the northwest city of Orumiyeh crashed as it attempted to make an emergency landing in a snowy field, an official said.
In all, 105 people — 93 passengers and 12 crew members — were aboard the Boeing 727, West Azerbaijan’s coroner told the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Severe weather at the site was making rescue operations difficult, the coroner, told the news agency.
All members of the crew were killed, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
“Fortunately, reports say that the plane did not explode upon impact,” and the crash may have happened as the plane was nearing its destination and close to the ground, the Mehr news agency quoted the head of Iran’s Emergency Services, Reza Masoomi, as saying.
At least 10 of those aboard were hospitalized with severe injuries, said an emergency services official, Mojtaba Khaledi, according to the semi-official Iranian Labor News Agency.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/09/iran.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=T2
January 10, 2011 at 8:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flooding in Germany inundates roads, villages
BERLIN—Rivers in western Germany are overflowing their banks due to pouring rain and melting snow, flooding many roads and parts of several villages.
Authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate, the worst-hit state, said Sunday the wine towns of Cochem and Zell along the Mosel River were partly inundated and dozens of basements had filled up with water.
German news agency DAPD reported that the Rhine River had also dangerously swollen and many roads in the Rhine Valley were closed. Part of the city of Konstanz was inundated and commercial shipping was banned on the Rhine up to the city of Cologne.
Source : http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17050400
January 10, 2011 at 8:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flooding in Germany inundates roads, villages…..
BERLIN—Rivers in western Germany are overflowing their banks due to pouring rain and melting snow, flooding many roads and parts of several villages.
Authorities in Rhineland-Palatinate, the worst-hit state, said Sunday the wine towns of Cochem and Zell along the Mosel River were partly inundated and dozens of basements had filled up with water.
German news agency DAPD reported that the Rhine River had also dangerously swollen and many roads in the Rhine Valley were closed. Part of the city of Konstanz was inundated and commercial shipping was banned on the Rhine up to the city of Cologne.
Source : http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17050400
January 10, 2011 at 8:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
First anti-government protests staged in Bangkok since emergency rule
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Thailand’s red-shirted anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Bangkok Sunday for their first demonstration since a state of emergency was lifted last month.
Police said up to 30,000 opposition supporters descended on the area they occupied during the height of the protests last year. Sunday’s “Red Shirt” demonstrators — so named for the color of their clothing — demanded a thorough investigation of a deadly government crackdown in May, along with the release of protest leaders, some of whom have been held in jail on terrorism charges for months.
Sunday’s demonstration was largely peaceful, a police spokesman told CNN.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/09/thailand.red.shirts.return/index.html?hpt=T2
January 10, 2011 at 9:01 am
Haruna Mohammed
Telangana: Strike held for new Indian state campaign
strike in favour of a new state has shut schools and colleges in the Telangana region of southern India’s Andhra Pradesh state.
It follows Thursday’s official report on whether India should create a new state out of Telangana.
The report offers six options, ranging from more powers for Telangana within Andhra Pradesh to full-blown statehood.
There were calls for calm as the party leading the demand for statehood has rejected the report.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) said the report had “failed to come up with a clear solution”.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12133706
January 10, 2011 at 9:08 am
Haruna Mohammed
Fourteen killed in Tunisia unemployment protests
he number of people killed in unrest over unemployment in Tunisia over the weekend has risen to 14, officials say.
The deaths occurred in the towns of Thala, Kasserine and Regueb, in the west and centre of the country.
An interior ministry statement said that in Thala and Kasserine, police had fired in self-defence after rioters attacked public buildings.
The protests first erupted last month over a lack of freedom and jobs.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12144906
January 10, 2011 at 9:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
Unemployed Saudi teachers stage rare Riyadh protest
RIYADH (Reuters) – A group of 250 unemployed Saudi university graduates staged a rare protest in the capital Riyadh, and the group’s spokesman vowed on Sunday to keep up the demonstrations till the Gulf Arab state creates jobs for them.
The U.S. ally and OPEC’s biggest oil exporter is an absolute monarchy and usually does not tolerate public displays of dissent. Newspapers tend to carry the official line.
Despite its massive oil wealth Saudi Arabia is grappling with unemployment that hit 10.5 percent in 2009, the latest published figure.
“We are a group of teachers who have not found any jobs. We have staged a peaceful protest in front of the ministry of education … We would like to protest for longer but the police keep dispersing us,” Nayef al-Tamimi told Reuters.
Al-Hayat daily showed a picture of graduates protesting in front of the Ministry of Education on Saturday.
The protestors, who staged a similar protest in August, met with ministry officials to demand the creation of more jobs in government schools.
“There is a big chance that we will stage another protest. They promised us that they will announce jobs soon but if they don’t then we will stage another protest,” Tamimi said.
Teachers are offered 2,000 riyals ($342) a month in the private sector for a job that pays around 8,000 riyals a month in government schools, Tamimi said.
Many Saudis are forced to work as taxi drivers, private security guards or other low-paid jobs to make ends meet — jobs the country is used to Asian migrant labor doing.
Up to a third of Saudi Arabia’s population of some 27 million are thought to be foreigners.
Saudi Arabia offers its nationals social benefits but they are considered below those granted by other Gulf Arab oil producers such as Kuwait and Qatar, which have much smaller native populations.
The kingdom does not publish regular jobless data, a sensitive issue for authorities since it highlights fissures in wealth distribution in one of the world’s most affluent nations.
SOURCE : http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfcr/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1746733/World/Unemployed.Saudi.teachers.stage.rare.Riyadh.protest
January 10, 2011 at 9:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Rain, Floods and Earthslips play havoc in Sri Lanka
By A.A.M.Nizam in Colombo
Colombo, 10 January, (Asiantribune.com):
Floods caused by heavy rains, gusty winds and earthslips have resulted in several deaths and caused heavy damages to paddy fields and other crops, houses and roads in Sri Lanka, affecting 919,759 persons belonging to 215,996 families.
In the Central Hill Kandy District, in the area called Gatambe, on the Peradeniya road 20 persons are believed to have been buried following a rock slid from the hill top which fell on 5 houses underneath. Sri Lankan Army is carrying out an operation to rescue these people and 4 dead bodies have been recovered and 6 persons have been rescued. Due to earth slips in several other places in the hill country life has come to a standstill, roads are impassable due to being covered with rocks and sand, and schools have been closed.
The Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is the worst affected by the rain and floods with many areas inundated with flood water, several houses destroyed and damaged and people displaced. the Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management Mr. Pradeep Kodippili told Asian Tribune that 482,830 persons belonging to 127,980 families in the Batticaloa District and 306,998 persons belonging to 80.410 families in the Ampara District have been affected by the floods, the worst affected two districts in the island. Batticaloa district has experienced a rainfall of 312.2 millimetres of rain by yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Disaster Management as Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera has proceeded to Ampara District on a fact finding tour to see the people affected in the District with several lorry loads of relief assistance items including tents, food, drinking water and other essentials, to personally evaluate the situation and with a view to provide satisfactory solutions.
Minister Mr. Mahinda Amaraweera told Asian Tribune that he will be touring the whole flood affected areas in the Ampara District today and would make arrangements to rescue the affected persons and provide them on the spot solutions. He said tomorrow he will proceed to Batticaloa District and would see to the needs of the affected people in the Batticaloa District. The Minister further said that Sri Lankan Army and the Navy is assisting the relief operation team of his Ministry in the rescuing and other operations.
source : http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/01/10/rain-floods-and-earthslips-play-havoc-sri-lanka
January 10, 2011 at 9:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Chinese children caught in lead poisoning scare
Twenty-four school children in eastern China have been taken to hospital with suspected lead poisoning from nearby battery factories.
The official Xinhua news agency said that at least 200 children in the area had elevated lead levels.
It said the authorities had shut two battery factories in Huaning county in the eastern province of Anhui.
China is the largest producer and consumer of lead for batteries, cars and electric bikes.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/search/?query=200%20children%20poison%20in%20china&primaryType=mixed&sortBy=date&intl=true
January 10, 2011 at 9:34 am
Haruna Mohammed
Too many tragic incidences just at the beginning of the year. Allah has given us the solution, which is the sadaqa (Alms). It is high time world leaders give out this sadaqa to save lives and properties.
January 10, 2011 at 10:22 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bangladeshis clash with police over stock market fall
Police have baton-charged investors in the capital of Bangladesh after the country’s stock market saw its biggest one-day fall in its 55-year history.
Trading on the Dhaka Stock Exchange index was halted after it fell by 660 points, or 9.25%, in less than an hour.
The benchmark index had climbed by 80% in 2010 but has since recorded some sharp falls in the past month.
The clash between investors and police followed riots over another market slide in mid-December.
“There are up to 5,000 investors holding protests on the streets in front of the exchange building. Some of them have been violent,” police inspector Azizul Haq told the AFP news agency.
“They have started vandalising government property, which forced us to use batons against them.”
The BBC’s reporter in Bangladesh confirmed the baton charging had taken place and that there were protesters on the streets.
The rising value of the stocks in recent years has attracted hundreds of thousands of small-scale or retail investors in Bangladesh.
They became a popular investment for ordinary people, often providing higher returns than bank deposits and savings.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12149340
January 11, 2011 at 8:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Rocky exoplanet ‘is missing link’
Astronomers have discovered the smallest planet outside our solar system, and the first that is undoubtedly rocky like Earth.
Measurements of unprecedented precision have shown that the planet, Kepler 10b,has a diameter 1.4 times that of Earth, and a mass 4.6 times higher.
However, because it orbits its host star so closely, the planet could not harbour life.
The discovery has been hailed as “among the most profound in human history”.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12158028
January 11, 2011 at 9:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Australia floods: Parts of Brisbane evacuated by police
Police are urging people to evacuate parts of Australia’s third largest city – Brisbane – as huge floods approach the Queensland state capital.
The city’s mayor has warned that 6,500 homes and businesses are set to flood.
The waters are rising fast; one local official said he saw the river level go up by 1.5m (4ft 10in) in just an hour.
The state is suffering its worst floods in decades. In Toowoomba, just west of Brisbane, flash floods killed at least nine people with at least 70 missing.
A raging torrent of water hit Toowoomba on Monday without warning, following more than 36 hours of incessant rain.
A huge rescue operation was mounted as many residents clinging to trees or railings for their lives, or trapped in cars or on the roofs of buildings.
At least two of the dead were children, and Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned that the death toll is likely to rise.
State Premier Anna Bligh called the flash floods Queensland’s “darkest hour” since the floods began at the end of November.
Some 200,000 people have been affected across the state by the floods, which have caused billions of dollars worth of damage.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12158608
January 12, 2011 at 12:49 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Nigeria clashes ‘leave 13 dead’ near Jos
At least 13 people have been killed after further violence between rival groups near the central Nigerian city of Jos, witnesses say.
Police spokesman Idako Andy told the BBC officers had been sent to a mostly Christian village in the Wareng area 40km (25 miles) south-west of Jos.
Villagers told the BBC they had seen the bodies of 13 people with wounds from machetes and gunshots.
More than 30 people have died in ethnic and religious clashes, police say.
There have been no arrests after Tuesday’s attack and the assailants have not been identified.
The violence reportedly began on Friday after news that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to Jos.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12167079
January 12, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Haruna Mohammed
24 dead in flooding in Brazil
At least 13 people have been killed after further violence between rival groups near the central Nigerian city of Jos, witnesses say.
Police spokesman Idako Andy told the BBC officers had been sent to a mostly Christian village in the Wareng area 40km (25 miles) south-west of Jos.
Villagers told the BBC they had seen the bodies of 13 people with wounds from machetes and gunshots.
More than 30 people have died in ethnic and religious clashes, police say.
There have been no arrests after Tuesday’s attack and the assailants have not been identified.
The violence reportedly began on Friday after news that a bus carrying Muslim wedding guests was attacked when it got lost returning to Jos.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/12/brazil.floods/index.html?hpt=T2
January 12, 2011 at 4:34 pm
MAS
WWII pilot who forever repaid rescuers dies at 94
Islanders healed Fred Hargesheimer who returned to Ea Ea to build schools
By CHARLES HANLEY, TIMBERLY ROSS
The Associated Press
updated 12/23/2010 2:43:28 PM ET 2010-12-23T19:43:28
LINCOLN, Nebraska — Fred Hargesheimer, a World War II Army pilot whose rescue by Pacific islanders led to a life of giving back as a builder of schools and teacher of children, died Thursday morning. He was 94.
Richard Hargesheimer said his father had been in poor health and passed away in Lincoln.
On June 5, 1943, Hargesheimer, a P-38 pilot with the 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, was shot down by a Japanese fighter while on a mission over the Japanese-held island of New Britain in the southwest Pacific. He parachuted into the trackless jungle, where he barely survived for 31 days until found by local hunters.
Story: ‘Mastah Preddi’ fell from the sky, into hearts
They took him to their coastal village and for seven months hid him from Japanese patrols, fed him and nursed him back to health from two illnesses. In February 1944, with the help of Australian commandos working behind Japanese lines, he was picked up by a U.S. submarine off a New Britain beach.
After returning to the U.S. following the war, Hargesheimer got married and began a sales career with a Minnesota forerunner of computer maker Sperry Rand, his lifelong employer. But he said he couldn’t forget the Nakanai people, who he considered his saviors.
The more he thought about it, he later said, “the more I realized what a debt I had to try to repay.”
After revisiting the village of Ea Ea in 1960, he came home, raised $15,000 over three years, “most of it $5 and $10 gifts,” and then returned with 17-year-old son Richard in 1963 to contract for the building of the villagers’ first school.
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In the decades to come, Hargesheimer’s U.S. fundraising and determination built a clinic, another school and libraries in Ea Ea, renamed Nantabu, and surrounding villages.
In 1970, their three children grown, Hargesheimer and his wife, Dorothy, moved to New Britain, today an out-island of the nation of Papua New Guinea, and taught the village children themselves for four years. The Nantabu school’s experimental plot of oil palm even helped create a local economy, a large plantation with jobs for impoverished villagers.
Image: Fred Hargesheimer
Courtesy Fred Hargesheimer via A
In this undated photo provided by Fred Hargesheimer, Hargesheimer is seen with a pair of native children on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea.
On his last visit, in 2006, Hargesheimer was helicoptered into the jungle and carried in a chair by Nakanai men to view the newly found wreckage of his World War II plane. Six years earlier, on another visit, he was proclaimed “Suara Auru,” “Chief Warrior” of the Nakanai.
“The people were very happy. They’ll always remember what Mr. Fred Hargesheimer has done for our people,” said Ismael Saua, 69, a former teacher at the Nantabu school.
“These people were responsible for saving my life,” Hargesheimer told The Associated Press in a 2008 interview. “How could I ever repay it?”
Hargesheimer, who was a native of Rochester, Minnesota, is survived by his son Richard of Lincoln; another son, Eric, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and a daughter, Carol, of Woodbury, Minnesota. Survivors also include a sister, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Richard Hargesheimer said no services are planned.
___
Hanley reported from New York City.
January 13, 2011 at 7:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Alcohol poisoning, not avian flu, killed Romanian birds
Birds that were thought to have died from avian flu in Romania instead apparently drank themselves to death.
Residents of Constanta in eastern Romania found dozens of dead starlings on the outskirts of the city on Saturday.
They alerted authorities, fearing the birds had died from avian flu.
But local veterinary officials decided the starlings had died after eating grape ‘marc’ – the leftovers from the wine-making process.
The head of the local sanitary and veterinary authority, Dvsva, told news agency Agerpres that analysis of the starlings’ gizzards showed they had died from alcohol poisoning.
There have been a number of unexplained mass bird deaths recently in several countries, including the United States and Sweden.
Fireworks were blamed for the deaths of thousands of red-winged blackbirds in Arkansas, while in Sweden officials believe almost 100 jackdaws found dead in the centre of a town had simply been run over.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/12170571
January 13, 2011 at 8:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
South Korea raises interest rates to 2.75%
South Korea has raised interest rates unexpectedly from 2.5% to 2.75% in an attempt to cool rising prices as the country’s economic recovery strengthens.
It is the second time in three months that the central bank has raised rates.
The government also announced a number of measures designed to curb price rises, particularly in food and energy.
A number of Asian economies have raised interest rates in recent weeks in order to control rising inflation.
Thailand raised its rates on Wednesday.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12179244
January 13, 2011 at 9:55 am
Haruna Mohammed
Brazil flooding reportedly claims 260 lives
(CNN) — Heavy rains and flooding in Brazil have caused 260 deaths in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, CNN affiliate TV Record reported Wednesday.
The greatest damage was in a cluster of towns in a mountainous area northeast of the city of Rio from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, where civil defense officials said 147 lost their lives.
That included 114 people reported killed in Teresopolis by a mudslide, local officials told CNN. Some 1,000 others were left without shelter and were being moved to a local gym and schools.
And, in nearby Petropolis, 18 deaths were recorded, the state government said, according to Agencia Brasil. Three deaths were reported in Itaipava, while in Nova Friburgo there were 12.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/12/brazil.floods/index.html?hpt=T2
January 13, 2011 at 10:30 am
Haruna Mohammed
Astronomers reveal ‘most distant’ galaxy cluster
Astronomers have revealed the most distant cluster of galaxies ever observed, caught at a never-before-seen stage of development.
Cosmos-Aztec3 has been described as a “metropolis in the making”, because such clusters are believed to grow like cities, absorbing outlying villages.
It lies 12.6 billion light years away, and appears to be just tens or hundreds of millions of years old.
Previously discovered galaxy clusters have been billions of years older.
By contrast, the light from the “protocluster” Cosmos-Aztec3 left when the Universe itself was just one billion years old.
Galaxy clusters grow over billions of years, drawing together many galaxies and huge amounts of gas to form the largest structures in our Universe.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12178936
January 17, 2011 at 9:35 am
Haruna Mohammed
Greek search for migrants after boat sinks off Corfu
Greek coastguards are searching for 22 people missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the island of Corfu.
The wooden vessel was carrying more than 260 passengers when it ran into trouble in rough seas.
Most of the passengers, who said they were from Afghanistan, were rescued by a Dutch cargo ship that was nearby.
Greece has become the main gateway for illegal migrants hoping to reach Europe, although most cross over the country’s border with Turkey.
The passengers on the ship called for help late on Saturday night, but coastguards were unable to reach them immediately because of the weather.
Source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12202560
January 17, 2011 at 9:40 am
Haruna Mohammed
Cold grips South Asia
Cold weather is being blamed for hundreds of deaths in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.
Temperatures have fallen below zero as biting winds sweep down from the Himalayas and heavy fog hangs over much of the region.
source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2652947.stm
January 17, 2011 at 9:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Death toll tops 100 as India cold wave endures
More than 100 people have died as a cold wave intensified its grip over northern and eastern parts of India, officials and news reports said Saturday.
The northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which has been the worst hit, has seen 22 new deaths since Wednesday, taking the death toll from a fortnight of cold weather to 63, according to figures released by the state government.
Most victims were either elderly or poor, with inadequate shelter and warm clothing, state officials said.
source : http://seeker401.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/death-toll-tops-100-as-india-cold-wave-endures/
January 17, 2011 at 9:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
Jordanians protest against soaring food prices
More than 5,000 people staged protests across Jordan in “a day of rage” to protest against escalating food prices and unemployment on the same day as, in another part of the Arab world, Tunisia’s president fled the north African state after weeks of violent demonstrations.
Amman, Jordan’s capital is 1,500 miles (2,500km) from Tunis, but the reason for the protesters’ anger was the same, and so too were the calls for the leader to resign.
source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/15/jordanians-protest-over-food-prices
January 18, 2011 at 8:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
Officials say 40 killed in South African floods; more rain predicted
Johannesburg (CNN) — It was midnight when a neighbor warned Freddie Ramashidza that they were in danger.
“I had just finished praying and was falling asleep. When my neighbor knocked on the door, the water was already knee-deep,” he said.
Ramashidza is among thousands of people who live on a riverbank northeast of Johannesburg’s center — their homes in peril as the waters rise.
According to South Africa’s government, at least 40 people have been killed across the country and more than 6,000 displaced by flooding that has submerged houses, roads and crops since December.
Officials estimate the damage to infrastructure and agricultural produce will cost the country millions of dollars, and forecasters predict more rain is on the way.
The South African Weather Service said most of the country’s rivers, dams and reservoirs have reached their capacity, and any additional rainfall is expected to cause further flooding.
Meteorologists blame the downpours on La Nina, a weather pattern associated with recent wet conditions around the world.
Many of the country’s poorest residents are the worst affected. On Monday, authorities evacuated more than 30 people from a shantytown in Johannesburg.
The government declared 28 municipalities in seven provinces disaster areas on Monday, meaning they qualify for federal flood relief funds.
But it could be months before the money trickles down to the people most impacted by the floods.
With more flooding likely on the way, Ramashidza said he had nowhere else to go to take cover.
‘We are afraid. But there’s nothing we can do,” he said. “We just have to trust in God.”
Source :http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/01/18/south.africa.floods/
http://www.einnews.com/mozambique/newsfeed-mozambique-floods
January 18, 2011 at 8:54 am
Haruna Mohammed
Fresh flood alert in Mozambique after heavy rains
. alert for residents in the Limpopo valley basin, urging them to leave their homes for … homes for higher ground due to a flood risk following heavy rains.
source : http://www.einnews.com/mozambique/newsfeed-mozambique-floods
January 18, 2011 at 8:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Libya 1/17/2011 Riots and Protests, Influenced by Tunisia?
January 17th, 2011. Today is the fourth day of rioting and protest across several cities in Libya. The frustrations of the Libyan people over a failing government subsidized housing plan for the poor has spilled out onto the streets of Beida, the third-largest city in Libya, Darna, Zuwara, Zawiya, Tajoorah, Bayda, and Benghazi. It seems that after the successful revolution in Tunisia, people across the Arab world are getting similar ideas. There have been reports of activists in Libya breaking into and taking over hundreds of housing units. The Libyan people are certainly angry. Muammar al-Gaddafi
has issued statements over his grief at the fall of Ben Ali’s regime in Tunisia. Many speculate he fears a similar occurance in his own country. There has been rumors of mass internet censorship accross the country, and it has been confirmed that YouTube.com has been censored in order to suppress protest videos such as these ones. There has been little media coverage of the events in Libya. Do the Libyan people want a democracy? Will they fight for it as hard as the Tunisians? Only time will tell.
Source : http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-541981?ref=feeds%2Flatest
January 18, 2011 at 9:16 am
Haruna Mohammed
Self-torchings spreading across Africa
A Mauritanian set himself on fire in an antigovernment protest Monday, the latest in a wave of self-immolations that has spread from Tunisia to Algeria and Egypt.
Four public torchings have taken place in Algeria and one in Egypt since a 26-year-old Tunisian set himself on fire last month, unleashing weeks of protests that triggered the ouster of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
In Mauritania, Yacoub Ould Dahoud, 42, said he was “unhappy with the political situation in the country and angry with the government.” He stopped his car in front of the Senate and set himself alight inside the vehicle. Police intervened and he was taken to hospital.
“Close to 95 per cent of his body suffered serious burns,” said a medical source at the military hospital. His entourage says Dahoud is reasonably well off compared with others in the country where the average income is $760 a year.
Dahoud’s public torching came shortly after Egyptian restaurant owner Abdo Abdelmoneim set himself alight in Cairo. He was being treated in hospital.
Four Algerians set themselves alight last week.
One of them, Mohcin Bouterfif, was in critical condition in an Algerian town bordering Tunisia after he set himself alight Saturday to protest local authorities’ refusal to meet them over jobs and housing.
– Tunisia unveiled a new government Monday, promising unprecedented freedoms in the once tightly controlled country, although the old regime held on to key posts.
“We have decided to free all the people imprisoned for their ideas, their beliefs or for having expressed dissenting opinions,” Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said, adding: “We announce total freedom of information.”
The new authority said weeks of turmoil that forced president Ben Ali to flee Friday after 23 years in power killed 78 people and the economy had lost $2.2 billion.
The protests were broken up by riot police as a ban on public assemblies remains in place, as well as a strict dusk to dawn curfew amid continued fears over the security situation following gunfights in Tunis on Sunday.
Economic activity has virtually ground to a halt with most shops and banks still closed following reports of looting and gunfights.
Thousands of tourists — a key source of revenue — have fled.
– Meanwhile, in Chile, police and soldiers evacuated 3,000 people, including foreigners, stranded in southern Chile due to violent protests over a hike in natural gas prices.
The Magallanes region, and especially its capital Punta Arenas, have been rocked by protests for six days after the government announced a 17-percent price increase in the cost of natural gas.
Mining Minister Laurence Golborne — still riding a wave of popularity for his role in rescuing the trapped Chilean miners — was sent down Monday to negotiate with regional leaders.
Protesters have blocked all main highways leading to the region, as well as the Punta Arenas air and sea ports. Two women were killed while protesting the gas price hike. Some 34 people were also arrested.
Natural gas prices are heavily subsidized in the country’s far south, which is cold most of the year. Demonstrators have kept people from getting off cruise ships that make port calls on the way to Antarctica or around the Strait of Magellan.
source : http://www.theprovince.com/news/Self+torchings+spreading+across+Africa/4124333/story.html
January 18, 2011 at 9:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Brazil landslides: Military steps up rescue operation
Brazil’s military has stepped up rescue and supply operations in areas affected by devastating floods and landslides that have killed at least 655 people.
Seven hundred soldiers have been sent to help emergency personnel in the Serrana area, north of Rio de Janeiro.
Some remote mountainous areas have been cut off for five days, and officials fear they could find more bodies there.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12205338
January 19, 2011 at 8:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
Major earthquake strikes southwestern Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck Wednesday morning in a remote area of southwestern Pakistan, but initial reports revealed no major damage.
The earthquake occurred at 1:23 a.m. (3:23 p.m. Tuesday ET) at a depth of 84 kilometers (52 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 45 kilometers (30 miles) west of Dalbandin, and 1,035 kilometers (640 miles) west-southwest of Islamabad, the USGS said on its website.
Arif Mahmood, director of the Pakistan Meteorological Department, put the epicenter at 320 kilometers (about 200 miles) southwest of Quetta near Kharan, Balochistan, and said it had been felt in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces in Pakistan, as well as parts of Iran and India.
Mahmood predicted major aftershocks. “Earthquakes with such magnitudes in the past have brought on aftershocks,” he told CNN from Islamabad.
Residents near the epicenter in the districts of Kalat, Dalbadin and Kharan told CNN some mud-walled homes were damaged but no one was hurt.
An official at Quetta’s Civil Hospital said a female cardiac patient suffered a fatal heart attack during the earthquake. He said two residents raced to the hospital but they proved not to have been injured, just scared.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/18/pakistan.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
January 20, 2011 at 9:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
21 dead, several others injured in two accidents
Two separate accidents – one near Winneba Junction and the other at Teshie in Accra – have reportedly claimed 21 lives Wednesday.
The first accident involved a head-on collision between a 23-seater 207 Benz bus and a Mazda cab in which 19 people died.
Reports say two school children were also killed when their Ford school bus overturned at Teshie.
Police are yet to confirm the two incidents.
In the Winneba Junction accident, which correspondents say occurred at about 5 a.m., an eye witness told Peace FM the Benz bus which was travelling from Mumford to Winneba with mostly market women, collided with the cab.
Source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/59608.asp
January 20, 2011 at 10:59 am
mas
78 comments barely after one month of the predictions (what the scriptures says, 2010). The world have experienced almost all the predictions so far.
January 20, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Super typhoon slams Philippines at 155 mph
A major cyclone made landfall in the country’s north on Monday, killing at least three people, leaving a wasteland of fallen trees and power poles, and sending thousands fleeing to safety in near-zero visibility.
source : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39716105/ns/weather/
January 20, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Stormy weather kills 56 in Philippines, 19 missing
Stormy weather since late December has killed 56 people in the Philippines and left at least 19 missing, mostly fishermen lost in rough seas, disaster authorities said Tuesday.
Raging floodwaters and landslides from unseasonable rains that hit 25 provinces in the central and southern Philippines accounted for most of the deaths, according to the government’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The coast guard said four fishermen were missing from a boat that capsized and broke apart Sunday in stormy waters off Palawan province southwest of Manila. Thirty-three men were rescued.
Coast guard spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo said the boat captain and his surviving crew members were able to paddle their lifeboats to an island.
An additional 13 fishermen have been missing since Sunday in the Bicol region southeast of the capital, the regional Office of Civil Defense said.
Two other men are missing in flooded villages in a southern province.
The disaster council said in a report early Tuesday that 53 people have been killed since late December.
Three others, including a 1-year-old infant girl, drowned in a flash flood that hit their village outside Santa Cruz township in southern Davao del Sur province late Monday, said Minda Quejada, a midwife who supervised relief assistance for 810 families who fled their homes. These deaths have not yet been included in the council’s casualty report.
The floodwaters in Santa Cruz were neck-deep in some areas and inundated a highway on Tuesday, stranding thousands of commuters in hundreds of vehicles that lined up on a 3-mile (5-kilometer) stretch of the road waiting for the flood to recede.
About 1.6 million people have been affected by the rains and more than half a million were provided relief assistance, the disaster council said.
The unusually heavy rains at this time of the year have been caused by a cold front that has been aggravated by the La Nina weather phenomenon,which refers to cooler-than-normal surface temperatures over parts of the Pacific Ocean, said Graciano Yumul, chief of the national weather bureau.
“2011 for the Philippines appears to be a wet year,” he said, adding that typhoons expected this year will be more intense because of La Nina.
Source : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110118/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_stormy_weather
January 20, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Viva Groder
Thanks for the post, I actually learned something from it. Really good content on this website. Always looking forward to new entry.
January 21, 2011 at 9:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
Sonia Peres, wife of Israeli president, dead at 87
Jerusalem (CNN) — Sonia Peres, the wife of Israeli President Shimon Peres, died at her Tel Aviv home Thursday morning, a president’s spokeswoman said. She was 87.
The president was making his way to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem on Thursday, said spokeswoman Meital Jaslovitz.
The couple has lived separately since Shimon Peres was elected president in 2007, with his wife — who preferred to remain out of the public eye — remaining in their Tel Aviv home while her husband moved to the official residence in Jerusalem.
Dr. Rafi Valdan, Peres’ son-in-law, told Israel Radio that she was found dead Thursday morning when a grandchild came to visit her, according to the daily newspaper Haaretz.
Sonia Peres was “all nobility and devotion,” Valdan said. “The family members were very close to her. We would see her almost every day.”
She was born in 1923 in the Ukraine and met Shimon Peres after they both came to Israel, Haaretz said. They married in May 1945 and had three children.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/20/israel.obit.sonia.peres/index.html?hpt=T2
January 21, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Topless feminist protestors show what they’re made of
Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) — “Our God is woman, our mission is protest, our weapons are bare breasts.” It’s the kind of political slogan that’s bound to catch attention, particularly when it’s dozens of topless women clutching campaign posters who are chanting it.
These are the women of Femen, Ukraine’s topless female protest movement. Young women who believe that the best way to make their voice heard is through sheer bare-chested brazenness.
Femen’s leader, 26-year-old Anna Gutsol, explains: “Our goal is active Ukrainian women who want to be involved in society and politics.
“We thought we’d create an organization where young girls could come and help others like them and help society. And the format we picked was this extremely sexy, bright way of presenting ourselves.”
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/21/femen.topless.protest/index.html?hpt=C1
January 22, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Several injured in pro-democracy march in Algiers
Algerian police have broken up an anti-government demonstration by about 300 people in the centre of the capital, Algiers, calling for greater freedoms.
Several protesters were injured and a number are reported to have been arrested. Seven police officers were also hurt, according to state media.
The leader of the opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) said those held included its parliamentary leader.
The protest followed rioting in several cities set off by rising food prices.
The government has noted the popular unrest in neighbouring Tunisia, which led to the ousting of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Protests in Algeria earlier this month left at least five people dead
There have also been a number of public suicide attempts, echoing the self-immolation of a man in Tunisia that triggered the protests there.
source :http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12258449
January 22, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Haruna Mohammed
3 anti-government protesters killed in clash with police in Albania
Tirana, Albania (CNN) — At least three protesters were shot dead from close range in a clash with police Friday outside the Albanian prime minster’s office, a hospital official said, an escalation of some of the worst politically fueled tension to wrack the southern European nation in 14 years.
The face-off also left 23 demonstrators hurt, including three in critical condition with head injuries at Tirana Military Hospital, according to its emergency unit chief, Sami Koceku. He said that at least 17 police officers also injured in the confrontations were at that hospital, one of the city’s main medical facilities.
A report from state-run network TVSH had a slightly higher injury toll from hospitals throughout Tirana, Albania’s capital and most populated city. It put the count at 35 demonstrators and 27 police.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/21/albania.protests/index.html
January 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Haruna Mohammed
the death of a man who would set himself on fire
RIYADH – A 65 year old man who allegedly attempted to end his life by setting fire has died in a hospital in southern Saudi Arabia, said a defense official who has told AFP Saturday.
* According to the spokesman for the Civil Defense in the Jizan area, Lieutenant Yahya al-Qahtani, the man died Saturday in hospital.
*
* The spokesman refused to confirm that the man, he did not specify the identity, would set himself on fire.
*
* The continuously information site Sabq, generally well informed, for its part said the man had poured gasoline Thursday at his home near the town of Samta in south-western Saudi Arabia and had then set fire to his body.
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* According to the site, the man wanted to protest against the fact he failed to get Saudi nationality. Many residents of the south-west border of Yemen have Yemeni nationality.
*
* If immolation by fire is confirmed, it will be the first case of its kind in the kingdom.
*
* The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Al-Sheikh Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, stressed that self-immolation was a “great sin” after a dozen cases of self-immolation in Arab countries to protest against life conditions, had reported Friday daily Al-Hayat.
source : http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/international/5602.html
January 24, 2011 at 8:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
Mob attacks French foreign minister’s car
(CNN) — The car of French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie was attacked Friday in Gaza by a mob of around 20 people — the family members of Palestinians in Israeli jails.
The group began pounding on her Jeep that was parked outside a Red Cross hospital in Gaza City that Alliot-Marie was visiting and continued as she left for the French Cultural Center. They also threw eggs and shoes at the vehicle.
No Hamas police were at the scene. She was being protected by hospital and her own security.
The families were angered by a demand made by Alliot-Marie that Hamas leadership let Red Cross representatives visit kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who holds dual Israeli and French citizenship.
Palestinian militants crossed into Israel from Gaza on June 25, 2006, and kidnapped Shalit, who was 19 at the time. Israel and Hamas have been negotiating his release through third-party mediators from Egypt and Germany, but talks have started and stalled numerous times.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/21/gaza.french.minister/index.html?hpt=T2
January 24, 2011 at 8:04 am
Haruna Mohammed
South Koreans pull off daring rescue of pirated ship
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — It was code-named “Dawn of Gulf of Aden,” and when South Korea gave it a green light Friday, its daring execution led to five hours of chilling drama on the high seas.
A South Korean navy destroyer and Lynx helicopters fired warning shots as elite forces, in pre-dawn darkness, silently approached the deck of the freighter Samho Jewelry, hijacked by Somali pirates Saturday, according to the Yonhap news agency.
The pirates fired with their AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. The South Koreans shot back.
When it was all over, the South Koreans had rescued 21 sailors, killed eight pirates and captured five others, said Lt. Gen. Lee Sung-ho, a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/21/south.korea.pirate.rescue/index.html?hpt=T2
January 24, 2011 at 8:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
6.1-magnitude quake hits Tajikistan
(CNN) — A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Tajikistan Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake’s epicenter was 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Karakul, Tajikistan, according to USGS.
Parts of Pakistan also felt the quake, said Arif Mehmood, the head of Pakistan’s Meteorological Department.
The tremor hit around around 7:45 a.m. and lasted for about 10 seconds, he said. It was felt in parts of northern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Kashmir, Islamabad, Lahore and Faisalabad.
Monday morning’s quake was not related to an earthquake that hit Pakistan’s Baluchistan province on Wednesday, Mehmood said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/24/tajikistan.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2
January 24, 2011 at 8:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Yemeni protesters demand release of activist
(CNN) — Hundreds of protesters marched through Sana’a, Yemen, on Sunday demanding the release of prominent Yemeni human rights activist Tawakkol Karman, who was arrested on Saturday. According to a participant, security forces at one point clashed with protesters and at least 20 of Karman’s supporters were later detained.
Karman, head of local rights group Women Journalists Without Chains, had been participating in and helping to organize protests calling for regime change in Yemen — a growing movement inspired by Tunisia’s “Jasmine Revolution.”
In a statement on the country’s official news agency, SABA, Yemen’s Interior Ministry announced that Karman was arrested on Saturday on charges of organizing unlicensed rallies, illegal marches and incitement to commit acts of rioting and chaos — acts that were “undermining the public social peace.”
However, Karman’s supporters suggested her detention was due mainly to her outspoken criticism of Yemen’s government, and calls for its overthrow.
After one protest last week, Karman told CNN, “We called on the Yemeni people to wage a revolution against their corrupt leaders.” She added, “We gathered to salute the Tunisian people.”
Hakim Almasmari, editor in chief of the Yemen Post, was among the local journalists marching in support of Karman on Sunday. He told CNN hundreds of Karman’s supporters participated — most of them women, and among them students, journalists, lawyers, activists and parliamentarians. At one point, security forces began harassing protesters, he said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/23/yemen.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
January 24, 2011 at 8:13 am
Haruna Mohammed
Brazil flood deaths top 800 with 400 still missing
Officials in Brazil say more than 800 people are now known to have died in floods and landslides in the south-east of the country this month.
More than 400 people are still missing after torrential rain caused whole hillsides to collapse.
The Brazilian government has said it will set up an early warning system to alert communities of impending danger.
The flooding is considered the worst natural disaster Brazil has ever experienced.
According to figures compiled by the newspaper O Globo, about third of all victims were children and adolescents.
The youngest fatality was a five-day-old baby buried in a mudslide in Nova Friburgo, the worst affected town with 324 dead.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12263166
January 24, 2011 at 8:17 am
Haruna Mohammed
Mobile phone to blast into orbit
British engineers are planning to put a mobile phone in space.
The team at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford want to see if the sophisticated capabilities in today’s phones will function in the most challenging environment known.
The phone will run on Google’s Android operating system but the exact model has not yet been disclosed.
It will be used to control a 30cm-long satellite and take pictures of the Earth in the mission later this year.
Although mobile phones have been flown on high altitude balloons before, this would likely be the first time such a device has gone into orbit several hundred kilometres above the planet.
“Modern smartphones are pretty amazing,” said SSTL project manager Shaun Kenyon.
“They come now with processors that can go up to 1GHz, and they have loads of flash memory. First of all, we want to see if the phone works up there, and if it does, we want to see if the phone can control a satellite.”
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12253228
January 24, 2011 at 8:18 am
Haruna Mohammed
Greens pull out of crumbling Irish government
(CNN) — The Green Party has pulled out of Ireland’s crumbling government, depriving it of a majority in parliament and likely forcing early elections.
The decision on Sunday comes a day after Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced he would not lead his Fianna Fail party after elections, sparking a race to succeed him.
On Thursday, Cowen called for new elections March 11, but the defection of the Greens from the governing coalition will probably push a vote up even sooner. Opposition parties say the election should take place next month.
Cowen’s government has been under pressure since applying for an international financial bailout last year, after insisting it did not need one.
As he called for new elections, Cowen said he “deeply” regrets “that people are suffering and experiencing immense hardship because of this recession.”
But, he said: “Our budgetary strategy has helped to stabilize our economy, and return it to economic growth.”
He is trying to push through measures to cut Ireland’s deficit, which runs into the billions of dollars after the government bailed out its banks during the financial crisis.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/01/23/ireland.politics/index.html?hpt=T2
January 24, 2011 at 8:26 am
Haruna Mohammed
Brussels protest calls for Belgian unity government
Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the Belgian capital today in support of national unity and to demand that the rival political groups form a coalition after seven months without a government.
Organisers said the peaceful rally in Brussels was also meant to promote solidarity among the country’s Flemish and Walloon communities and to reject nationalism.
Police said between 20,000 and 30,000 people took part in the demonstration called by a group of university students who say they are fed up with the political deadlock.
“We’re sending a clear message to the political leaders that we want them to form a government,” said Felix De Clerck, one of the organisers.
“We are sick and tired of the enduring political impasse,” said Thomas Decreus, another organiser. He said the protest showed “the people can act where politicians fail: ie working together across the language barrier” that slices Belgium in half.
The demonstration – the result of a Facebook campaign under the banner “Shame. No government, great country” – was the second of its kind in just over three years. On 18 November 2007, about 35,000 people marched through the capital to vent their anger about a political deadlock that by then was preventing the formation of a government for 161 days.
Like in 2007, today’s protest led demonstrators – Francophones and Dutch-speakers – to a vast stone arch in the Cinquantenaire park. The arch marks Belgium’s independence from the Netherlands in 1830 .
Political parties representing Belgium’s two communities have been unable to form a coalition since parliamentary elections last June – a record period of deadlock in postwar Europe.
Politicians have been trying unsuccessfully to broker a new constitution with increased regional autonomy for the 6 million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million French-speaking Walloons.
The deadlock has led to fear that Flanders could secede from the union formed in 1830.
Positions in Flanders have hardened over the years, bringing to the fore the centre-right N-VA nationalist party headed by Bart De Wever. He is negotiating on forming a government with the socialist PS party, the dominant political party in Wallonia.
In a reference to De Wever, several demonstrators carried pictures of cartoon character Bart Simpson with his face crossed out. Others carried signs saying “Separation? Not in our Name,” and “Less Bla-Bla, More Results.”
Many carried umbrellas, hats, shawls and other items in the black, gold and red colours of the Belgian flag. “What do we want? We want a government,” they chanted.
Since the elections, the country has been run by a caretaker government led by the prime minister, Yves Leterme. But that government only has a limited remit and, as the euro currency tries to weather a deepening crisis, international investors are looking unkindly at the political stalemate that hamstrings the nation and prevents it from taking decisive action.
source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/23/brussels-protests-belgium-government
January 24, 2011 at 8:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
HTI protest failure of the Government – Surabaya
Thousand mass organization incorporated in the Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) held a peaceful protest to show the public about the Government’s failure in managing the people and the country. Surabaya, Indonesia. 22/01/2011
They started the action in front of the Monument of Heroes and marched around the Tugu Pahlawan. The mass of men, women and children also unfurled posters and banners pointing out the failure of the Government which included the failure of the welfare of the people, failure to protect the morality of the people, failure to protect the wealth of the people, eradicate corruption and mafia law.
source : http://www.demotix.com/news/565373/hti-protest-failure-government-surabaya
January 24, 2011 at 8:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indian singer Bhimsen Joshi dead
One of India’s most famous musicians, Bhimsen Joshi, has died at a hospital in the western city of Pune, aged 89.
A legendary singer of Hindustani classical music, Joshi had been ailing for some time and was being treated at the hospital for nearly a month.
Joshi received India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2008.
The maverick singer was one of the few classical musicians to record film music. He also participated in a popular national integration jingle.
Indian musicians paid rich tributes to Joshi.
Singer Shubha Mudgal said his death came as a “big shock for all students of music in India”.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12263727
January 24, 2011 at 8:34 am
Haruna Mohammed
War on worms
This is the spokesman for the slimy bastards. We have taken over a small territory in a very popular town in the former Trans Volta Togoland. We had initially intended to co-exist in peaceful harmony with the humans here. But a few rogue worms, our wayward brethren decided to stray into the town to cause havoc – creeping out a few humans. We expect them to be dealt with. But not like this.
Why send a whole national army to flush us out of this place? It’s like killing a mosquito with a sledgehammer. We can tell that whoever ordered the military intervention in this small matter might have been either deceived or confused or both.
First we have been wrongfully described as ‘army worms’. That’s not true. We are just worms. Simple, creepy worms. We don’t belong to any army. That’s why we are quite amused that a whole military battalion has been ordered to come face us. Someone might clearly be under an illusion that we have staged some sort of a military invasion, simply on the basis that we have been called army worms.
Secondly, and most important of all, our own intelligence suggests that the man who ordered the military intervention is under some sort of pressure to send his soldiers elsewhere to get rid of a very silly man, who is doing his best to take his country to war again. He wants his soldiers to stay home and so what better way to tell the world that his soldiers have better things to do than show that their hands full – with worms!
We get it. But we want to make it known to him that we will fight back. We are worms. We don’t give up easily. We can’t allow ourselves to be defeated by a bunch of soldiers who do not know how to pick their battles with other soldiers, choosing instead to pick on poor, creepy, slimy bastards like us.
We have been to different parts of the world and we know that it is not the job of soldiers to fight worms. That knowledge emboldens us and we are encouraged and confident that we have almost won this battle. We shall defeat these soldiers. They don’t scare us. Chemicals do. And you don’t need soldiers to apply those chemicals, do you?
source : http://www.atokd.com/blogContent.aspx?blogID=401
January 24, 2011 at 8:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
More than 10,000 Islamists protest in Peshawar calling for an immediate stop to American drone attacks.
The activists from the country’s largest fundamentalist Islamic party Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) blocked a main road and staged a six-hour sit-in in front of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial parliament.
The demonstrators chanted anti-US slogans and carried banners and placards reading “Death for America”, “Stop drone attacks in Pakistan” and “No to American interference in Pakistan”.
One banner read: “Listen Obama, do not kill innocent Muslims.”
“Why is the government silent on US drone attacks? These attacks are against Pakistan’s interests,” the JI chief Syed Munawar Hasan told the gathering.
A police officer at the scene put the number of protesters at over 10,000, as did an intelligence official.
source : http://www.news.com.au/world/thousands-protest-pakistan-attacks/story-fn6sb9br-1225993364011
January 24, 2011 at 1:53 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Kids drink akpeteshie to ‘treat’ worm stings
Children in some worm infested communities in the Keta municipality of the Volta Region are drinking akpeteshie to relieve their pains.
Residents told Joy News correspondent, Agbeko Ben-Coffie, the children are encouraged by their parents and guardians to drink and residents see nothing wrong with the use of alcohol to battle the army worms which invaded the area.
A team of soldiers from the Ghana Army is currently spraying the area.
Ben-Coffie said about eight communities had been sprayed.
The worm invasion has interfered with economic activities in the area. About 10,000 people can neither farm nor fish.
SOURCE : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/59870.asp
January 25, 2011 at 8:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Egypt braces for anti-government protests
(CNN) — Egypt’s security agencies are bracing themselves for anti-government protests Tuesday, with thousands expected to demonstrate against corruption and failing economic policies.
Protest organizers said they hope to capture the regional momentum for political change set by Tunisians, who 10 days ago forced the collapse of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s 23-year rule.
The Egyptian government has not issued permits for Tuesday’s planned protests.
In an interview released Tuesday with state-run al-Ahram newspaper Interior Minister Habib Adly warned that “the security agencies are able to stop any attempt to attend” the demonstrations and called the efforts of the “youth staging street protests ineffective.”
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/25/egypt.protests/
January 25, 2011 at 8:15 am
Haruna Mohammed
2 Ghanaians Dead, 45 Hospitalized in Cholera Outbreak
Two deaths were recorded on Monday and more than 45 people hospitalized after a cholera outbreak hit southern Ghana, officials of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) told Xinhua.
The patients are receiving treatment in a number of health centers in the capital Accra and other parts of the central region.
Dr. Elias Sory, director-general of GHS, said strategies were in place to fight the pandemic, adding all government health facilities in the region were equipped to handle cholera cases.
Deputy Regional Director of the GHS Edward Antwi called on persons who experienced frequent watery stools and vomiting to immediately rush to the nearest health centers for immediate treatment.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium vibrio cholerae.
It has a short incubation period, from less than one day to five days, and produces an enterotoxin that causes copious, painless, watery diarrhea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given.
source : http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/01/25/2722s617261.htm
January 25, 2011 at 11:41 am
Haruna Mohammed
Protesters take to the streets in Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) — Street demonstrations sprang up across Lebanon Tuesday as the country’s political future remained uncertain.
The unrest festered as President Michel Suleiman met with parliament over who should be the country’s next prime minister — a key step in reassembling the country’s government after its collapse two weeks ago.
About 2,000 protesters gathered in Al Nour Square in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon Tuesday, Lebanese International Security Forces said.
Supporters of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Western-backed Future Movement called for a “day of rage” as it appeared that the candidacy of former Prime Minister Najib Mikati was gaining traction.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/01/25/lebanon.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
January 26, 2011 at 4:05 pm
kassim iddrisu
Assalamu-alaikum Sheihu Salawatia, may the peace and blessings of Allah continue to shower in your entire household and to those of us around you who will continue without any doudt listen and obey on what the almighty Allah has bestowed onto you to the whole of man-kind. I pray to the almight Allah that the shade he has blessed you with will be embraced by all man-kind without any kind of proud or hatred. We all pray for your increase in knowledge and wisdom and above all long life for it is through this that we can also benefit the more.You are a true light not to only muslims but to man-kind as whole.
Sheihu I have a question about your name ‘SALAWATIA’ the meaning tingers my mind and with all due respect if I may ask what it stands for and how you came by that name.
ASSALAMU-ALAIKUM.
KASSIM IDDRISU.
January 27, 2011 at 7:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
U.S. missionary in Mexico fatally shot
(CNN) — An American missionary was fatally shot in Mexico on Wednesday, police said.
The preliminary investigation indicated that Nancy Davis, 59, and her husband were traveling on a Mexican highway near the city of San Fernando, Mexico, when they were confronted by gunmen in a black pickup, the Pharr Police Department in Texas said in a statement. San Fernando is south of the border city of Reynosa in Tamaulipas state.
“The gunmen were attempting to stop them and the victims accelerated in efforts of getting away from them,” the police statement said. “At a certain point the gunmen discharged a weapon at the victim’s vehicle and a bullet struck the victim Nancy Shuman Davis on the head.”
Davis’ husband, identified as Sam Davis by family friends, drove their truck “at high rate of speed” to the Pharr International Bridge, which crosses the Rio Grande. Nancy Davis was taken to a hospital in nearby McAllen, where she was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/26/mexico.missionary.shot/index.html?hpt=T2
January 27, 2011 at 7:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
Big demos hit Accra, Kumasi
Two groups with varied affiliations and interests simultaneously hit the streets in Accra and Kumasi respectively with contrasting demands of government, amidst minor controversies, Wednesday.
In Accra, Police came to the rescue of a man who poured water on red-clad protesters of the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG).
The man is reported to have splashed the water on the demonstrators at the precincts of the Works and Housing Ministry in Accra and then took to his heels.
He was given a hot chase by some of the demonstrators, with the police detachment coming in handy to avert what could have been a sad point in the largely peaceful march.
His motive was not known.
The AFAG demonstrators were protesting against recent hikes in fuel prices and worsening living conditions.
The demonstration was dubbed “Ahokyere” demonstration.
One of the organizers, Martin Adjei Mensah told Joy News he was overwhelmed by the turnout, calling it a testimony of the harsh conditions Ghanaians were enduring under the Atta Mills government.
He expressed hope that the demonstration would force a rethink of government’s policy direction.
In a counter demonstration in Kumasi dubbed the “Anigye” demonstration, Luv FM’s Elton John Brobbey reports that over one thousand protesters joined in a march called by the Movement for a Better Ghana and poured onto the streets agitating for the prosecution of former government officials who they accuse of misapplying funds accruing from the Tema Oil Refinery debt recovery levy.
One of the leaders of the demonstration, Brogya Gyansi told Joy News he was highly elated about the numbers that showed up for the demonstration.
He said the turnout could only mean that Ghanaians were fully awake and would demand probity and accountability from ex-government officials.
He said much of the suffering of Ghanaians brought about by the fuel hikes was attributed to the sky rocketing TOR debts left behind by the erstwhile New Patriotic Party government.
He dismissed assertions by members of AFAG that their demonstration was only to distract public attention, saying they had raised pertinent issues for the consideration of the government.
Source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/60032.asp
January 27, 2011 at 7:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
UN calls for ceasefire in Congo to expedite vaccinations following polio outbreak
United Nations officials have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to allow vaccinations to reach millions of children who are threatened by a sudden epidemic of polio.
The aggressive return of the contagious paralysing virus comes just five years after it was declared eradicated in most of the world. It marks a major setback in the race to make polio only the third disease, after smallpox and the cattle virus rinderpest, to be eradicated.
In the wake of an outbreak earlier this year of so-called wild poliovirus, the first round of an unprecedented vaccination campaign aimed at 72 million children under five was launched in 15 African countries in November.
source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/05/polio-outbreak-congo-ceasefire-un
January 27, 2011 at 8:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flights to Bali turned back as ash spews from volcano
The plans of Australian holidaymakers to one of their most popular tourist destinations are in disarray after flights to Bali were again cancelled due to a volcano.
Those on board Jetstar flight 116 from Perth were the first to be affected this afternoon, and are headed home after the plane’s crew were forced to turn around, just 360 kilometre – or an hour – from their destination.
Daniel Meilech, who was on the flight, told Watoday.com.au that the flight’s captain told passengers that the volcano was about 300 kilometres west of Bali.
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The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said the ash was coming from Tengger Caldera, on the island of Java.
According to the captain, all following flights would also be turned around, Mr Meilech said.
The plane landed in Darwin, and will depart back for Perth this afternoon.
“We’re going to spend 10 hours in a plane and are coming back to where we started,” he said.
However, it was not all bad news, with the captain informing passengers that Customs would allow them to keep any duty free items they had purchased.
Virgin Blue flights from Brisbane and Sydney were scheduled to land in Bali shortly after the Jetstar flight.
A Virgin Blue spokeswoman said the flights would be diverted to Darwin, where passengers from the two flights would be accommodated until the airline received an update from the advisory centre.
“At this stage we don’t expect to operate flights for the next 24 hours,” she said.
A Jetstar spokeswoman said two inbound flights to Bali – from Sydney and Darwin – and outbound flights to Sydney, Darwin and Perth had been cancelled today. The airline would continue to closely monitor the situation.
Passengers would be offered a full refund or the option to complete their trip within three months.
A Garuda flight from Sydney is also on its way to Bali, while an AirAsia flight from Perth was also scheduled to land there about 5pm Indonesian time.
source : http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/flights-to-bali-turned-back-as-ash-spews-from-volcano-20110127-1a6oc.html
January 27, 2011 at 8:54 am
Haruna Mohammed
Saudi scrambles rescue teams for Jeddah floods
RIYADH — Saudi emergency services mounted a major rescue operation in Jeddah on Wednesday as water levels rose rapidly in the Red Sea coast commercial capital in which floods killed 123 people in 2009.
King Abdullah ordered the mobilisation of all relevant services “because of the havoc caused by rains and floods in Jeddah and its environs,” the official SPA news agency said.
“We must send reinforcements immediately to limit the damage as rains are expected to continue in the coming days,” the king was quoted as saying.
He added: “The minister of finance has been instructed to allocate the funds necessary to put all emergency resources and reinforcements” at the disposal of rescue and response teams.
King Abdullah, in Morocco recovering after undergoing surgery late 2010 for a herniated disc in the United States, warned that “whoever is careless in this serious matter will be severely punished.”
After the November 2009 floods in Jeddah, the king sought legal action against officials and contractors for alleged corruption, mismanagement of real estate and land planning that exacerbated the effects of floods.
The inability of Jeddah’s infrastructure to drain the waters and uncontrolled construction in and around the city led to a high number of flood victims.
Thousands of families lost their homes as 10,785 buildings were destroyed, a survey found.
source : http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5inXvL4NCGjkU9jCU82QeiKy29IuA?docId=CNG.32ed027d9136847068e1420850fb9209.651
January 27, 2011 at 10:14 am
MAS
Ghana records bloody road accidents
Ghana recorded a whopping 123 deaths in 539 road crashes in the first three weeks of this year, jerking the Ghana Police Service into action to wage a war against lawlessness on the roads. The Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTN) of the Ghana Police Service said 80 crashes were fatal with the majority of the accidents being caused by human error.
The state-owned Daily Graphic on Saturday quoted the Commander of the MTTU, Assistant Commissioner of Police Angwubutoge Awuni, as saying 764 vehicles were involved in the accidents which saw 518 people suffering varying degrees of injury.
The police said careless and lawless drivers as well as corrupt police officials would be the target of the police in the war to end the carnage on the road.
The police would also undertake a comprehensive public education of drivers and other road users, especially public transport drivers.
Ghana loses about 1.6 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through road accidents.
SOURCE: GHANAWEB.COM
23RD JANUARY 2011.
MOST OF THE VICTIMS ARE THE YOUTH.
January 28, 2011 at 7:14 am
Haruna Mohammed
Yemen: Tens of thousands call on president to leave
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have demonstrated in the capital Sanaa, calling on Ali Abdullah Saleh, president for 30 years, to step down.
This comes after mass protests in Egypt and a popular uprising in Tunisia that ousted its long-time leader.
Yemeni opposition members and youth activists gathered in four parts of the city, including Sanaa University, chanting anti-government slogans.
They also called for economic reforms and an end to corruption.
Yemenis complain of mounting poverty among a growing young population and frustration with a lack of political freedoms.
The country has also been plagued by a range of security issues, including a separatist movement in the south and an uprising of Shia Houthi rebels in the north.
There are fears that Yemen is becoming a leading al-Qaeda haven, with the high numbers of unemployed youths seen as potential recruits for Islamist militant groups.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12295864
January 28, 2011 at 7:15 am
Haruna Mohammed
Venezuela reports 37 cholera cases
(CNN) — Venezuela’s health minister said Thursday that 37 people have been treated for cholera in the South American nation, state-run media said.
The confirmed cases were among a group of 452 people who attended a family gathering in the Dominican Republic, said Eugenia Sader, Venezuela’s minister of health. All 37 people were treated and are doing well, she said in a news conference carried on VTV.
Others who attended the party were urged to get tested for the intestinal disease, which can prove fatal within hours if left untreated. Sader said the cholera patients were stable and were being discharged from the hospital.
Sader said in October, when the cholera outbreak erupted in Haiti, that the last case of cholera in Venezuela was reported in 1991.
In addition to the 37 cases in Venezuela, 12 others who attended the family party are in the Dominican Republic; one in Mexico; two in Madrid, Spain; and one in Boston.
Almost 4,000 people have died in Haiti from cholera and almost 200,000 have been sickened.
The Dominican Republic has reported 244 cases, the first fatal one this week. A man of Haitian descent died Sunday in the province of Altagracia.
Cholera, an intestinal infection caused by ingestion of bacteria-contaminated food or water, causes watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if not treated promptly. About 80 percent of cases can be cured by rehydrating the patient, according to the World Health Organization.
The disease is one of the leading causes of death in the world, particularly in developing countries. There are an estimated 3 million to 5 million cholera cases and 100,000 to 120,000 deaths every year worldwide, the health agency says.
However, it is easily preventable and not considered a serious threat in nations with proper water and sanitation services.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/27/venezuela.cholera/index.html?hpt=T2
January 28, 2011 at 9:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
At least 11 killed in ferry fire in Indonesia
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) — Eleven people died and dozens of others were injured when a passenger ferry caught fire in Indonesia early Friday, a transportation official said.
In a separate incident, three people were killed when two trains collided in the province of West Java, transportation ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said.
“We will investigate both incidents and find out why these are happening quite often,” Ervan said.
Investigators were still trying to determine what caused the blaze aboard the crowded ferry, which was travelling between the islands of Java and Sumatra, Ervan said.
More than 400 people survived the fire, including 31 of the boat’s crew members, local transportation ministry official Wiratno said.
CNN affiliate tvOne showed images of the fire and rescue crews carrying passengers on stretchers at the port of Merak in Java.
More than 40 people were injured — 17 seriously — after Friday morning’s train collision in the province of West Java, Indonesia Railway Company spokesman Sugeng said.
The Mutiara Selatan train crashed into the Kutojaya Selatan train around 2:30 a.m., Sugeng said. Both trains were travelling from the city of Bandung, West Java.
Trains are an important means of transportation for the densely populated Java island.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/01/28/indonesia.accidents/index.html?hpt=T2
January 28, 2011 at 2:31 pm
Haruna Mohammed
One person found dead after clashes over disputed land in Dawu
The third person who was declared missing in Wednesday’s clash between the youth of Dawu and Abiriw over a disputed parcel of land, has been found dead.
Information reaching Adom News says the body of the deceased was found by a search party led by police personnel from the Akropong District Command.
Regional Crime Officer has arrived at the scene of the incident to begin investigations.
The two youth groups clashed on Wednesday over the disputed land which is currently being contested in court by elders of the two communities.
Reports say the court then issued a directive that no one should step on the land until ruling is passed.
But the youth of Abiriw went to farm on the disputed and were resisted by gun-wielding youth from the Dawu side.
The three youth from Dawu then allegedly opened fire on the Abiriw youth, injuring two of them, while the third could not be found.
The police then mounted a search throughout the night and early this morning, and found the dead body of the missing young man.
The youth in Abiriw are said to be incensed by this development, and are threatening revenge over the death of their colleague.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/60123.asp
January 28, 2011 at 2:47 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Floods in Jedda Saudi Arabia ? Floods in the desert ? It is only the will of Allah Who wants to punish those who do not believe in AYAMU ALLAH.
January 31, 2011 at 6:25 pm
SALIS ALHASSAN alias Maisallah
All praise belongs Allah. May Allah grant Sheihu Salawatia long life, good health, abundant wisdom and wealth. May bless the household of Sheihu and all of us his students now and forever. Amin.
February 1, 2011 at 8:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Jomoro NADMO offices flooded after heavy downpour
The Jomoro District offices of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), had been flooded, following a heavy downpour at Half Assini, the district capital, on Wednesday, January 26.
At the moment, the staff members of NADMO had vacated the premises and are now working outside in a temporal structure.
Mr Seth Amenuvor, the District NADMO General Service Personnel told the GNA in an interview, at Half Assini that, the rains flooded three offices resulting in the destruction of some documents and furniture.
He said the rains leaked through an opening on top of the roofs, which had been removed for re-roofing at the time.
Mr Amenuvor said it would take a few weeks to clean up the mess in the offices and appealed to the contractor re-roofing the offices to expedite action, to avoid further mess.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/60279.asp
February 1, 2011 at 8:41 am
Haruna Mohammed
Footballer defiles boy
Ezekiel Churchill, a footballer, has been put before an Accra Circuit Court after he was alleged to have sodomised a minor under the pretext of sending him to register with a football club to enable him to build his football career.
The accused person, who was charged with defilement of a child under 16 years, pleaded not guilty to the offence and has been remanded into police custody to re-appear on February 2, 2010, on the orders of the trial judge, Georgina Mensah-Datsa.
Inspector A.A. Ahor, the prosecuting officer who presented the facts of the case, told the court that the victim, who is a 14-year-old pupil, lives with his mother at Nungua while the accused person is a footballer and a Nigerian national who lives in the same area.
He said in early January 2011, the victim was playing football when Churchill saw him and said he liked his football skills, promising to help him join a club called Cowbell.
The footballer later told the boy he would register him with the club so the boy informed his mother, who is also the complainant of the case, about Churchill’s good intentions.
On January 16, 2011. the accused person invited the victim to his hoiise under the pretext of going with him lo meet the manager of the club. While there, the accused person (old the victim to spend the night as it was late.
Mr. Ahor stated that in the night, when the victim was sleeping, Churchill went and lay close to the boy, removed his underwear and inserted his penis into the anus of the boy.
The boy however resisted but the accused person, who is older and stronger, forcibly defiled him, after which he warned him not to tell anybody. The minor thus kept the ordeal to himself.
Later in the month, an informant who knew about the sexual orientation of the footballer became alarmed when he saw the victim in the company of the accused person and informed the complainant about seeing her son with the footballer.
The police-officer said the complainant then questioned the victim about what had happened the night he slept at Churchill’s house and the victim narrated his ordeal. A complaint was immediately lodged with the Nungua Police and a medical report form was issued to the victim to go to the hospital, where medical report was submitted to the victim after examination to be given to the police.
The accused person was arraigned after police investigations.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/60348.asp
February 1, 2011 at 8:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Two remanded for defiling three-year old girl
A Kumasi High Court has remanded two young men into prison custody for allegedly gang raping a three-year-old girl.
Desmond Addai and Osei Kwadwo believed to be in their early 20s denied the offence and would re-appear on Thursday, February 10.
Mr Emmanuel Kwadwo Otoo-Boison, a State Attorney told the court presided over by Mr Justice R.C. Azumah that the complainant is the mother of the victim.
The mother and the victim live in the same neighbourhood with Addai and Osei at Feyiase in the Bosomtwe District.
On February 9, last year, the victim got missing for about three-and-a-half hours and when she was finally found, her whole body had been smeared with faeces and blood oozing out of the vagina.
When asked what happened to her, she said Addai invited her to buy him a sachet of water and later took her to a plantain farm where together with another person defiled her.
A report was therefore made to the police and Addai was arrested.
During interrogation, he mentioned Osei as the other person.
The prosecution said a medical report signed by doctors, who treated the victim, confirmed that her hymen had been torn.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201101/60283.asp
February 1, 2011 at 8:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volcano in Japan erupts again
Tokyo (CNN) — The Mt. Shinmoe volcano in southern Japan erupted again Tuesday morning, with the country’s Meteorological Agency calling it the fourth and most powerful eruption in recent days.
About 240 residents were evacuated from the town of Takaharu over the weekend when the volcano resumed its eruptions.
Tuesday’s eruption was so powerful that it broke more than 150 windows in structures in nearby Kirishima city, local officials said. A 91-year-old woman in the city suffered minor injuries when she was cut by broken glass.
The eruptions started last Wednesday and at one point ash spewed up to 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) into the air, officials said.
The last Mt. Shinmoe eruption was in July. A large-scale eruption such as the recent ones, however, was last observed about 52 years ago, the meteorological observatory said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/japan.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2
February 1, 2011 at 11:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Blinding snow hits Plains, Midwest
(CNN) — A historic winter storm whipped across the central Plains and Midwest early Tuesday, creating near whiteout conditions.
“Do not travel! Stay inside!” the National Weather Service warned. “Strong winds and blinding snow will make travel nearly impossible. This is a life threatening storm.”
The National Weather Service forecast blizzard conditions across portions of eight states, from Oklahoma to Michigan. Winds gusting to 40 mph are expected.
Oklahoma was under a state of emergency and Missouri mobilized 600 National Guard troops to help cope with Mother Nature’s onslaught.
Emergency personnel in Oklahoma City, St. Louis and Chicago, among other locales, vowed they were prepared to weather the storm. The leaders of several states, many of which have already had a difficult winter, also commandeered their forces even as they urged people to stay home.
Source :http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/02/01/winter.storm/index.html?hpt=T2
February 1, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Jordan’s king dismisses government, appoints new PM
(CNN) — The king of Jordan dismissed his government Tuesday and appointed a new prime minister with orders to implement political reform.
The dismissal follows several protests calling for change in Jordan — protests that echo demonstrations that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East in the last few weeks.
King Abdullah II asked Marouf Al Bakhit to form a government in Jordan that will implement “genuine political reform,” the Royal Court said in a statement.
The government will “take practical steps, quick and concrete, to launch a process of genuine political reform” and “comprehensive development,” according to a letter from the king to Al Bakhit. It also will act to strengthen democracy, the letter said.
Jordan has been deprived of “achievement opportunities” due to some leaders’ resistance to change, the king wrote, and because they had sometimes put their own interests ahead of those of the public.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/01/jordan.government/index.html?hpt=T2
February 1, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Flood-devastated Queensland braces for cyclone
(CNN) — The Australian state of Queensland, already hit by deadly flooding in recent weeks, is bracing for more devastation as a huge tropical cyclone rages towards its coast.
Hundreds of patients have been evacuated from hospitals in the far north Queensland town of Cairns, and residents are being told to leave their homes as category four Cyclone Yasi closes in.
The storm — expected to pack winds of more than 200 km/h (125mph) — is forecast to make landfall between Cairns and Innisfail after 7pm local time on Wednesday.
Experts say it will bring torrential rain and cause a storm surge of up to two meters above the usual high tide line, flooding low-lying areas along the coast.
Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart warned the state faces “one of the most significant weather events” in its history.
“This is a life-threatening storm, and people need to understand that they have a final window of opportunity to self-evacuate,” Stewart said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/01/australia.cyclone.yasi.queensland/index.html?hpt=T2
February 1, 2011 at 5:27 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Blinding snow hits Plains, Midwest
(CNN) — Wind-whipped snow twisted like a frozen dust devil across a vast swath of the nation on Tuesday, blinding motorists, closing airports and even complicating the travel plans of football fans headed to this weekend’s Super Bowl.
The massive storm was forecast to spawn snow, ice and bitter cold from New Mexico to Maine. Forecasters said tens of millions of people will feel its effects.
More than 30 states were under some form of alert due to the storm, with blizzard warnings up Tuesday in eight states — from Oklahoma to Michigan. Winter storm warnings extended all the way to New York and Boston as heavy snow was forecast across a 1,500-mile slice of the country.
“Do not travel! Stay inside!” the National Weather Service warned. “Strong winds and blinding snow will make travel nearly impossible. This is a life threatening storm.”
As much as 30 inches of blinding snow could fall across parts of Missouri and Illinois, with Chicago bracing for as much as two feet in a storm that could rival some of the worst the city has ever seen, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/02/01/winter.storm/index.html?hpt=T2
February 2, 2011 at 7:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indian warship sunk during ‘day at sea’ for military families
The heavily armed Indian navy frigate was equipped to do battle with enemy battleships and submarines, but it went up in flames as soon as it was hit … not by a torpedo or enemy vessel, mind you, but by a merchant ship.
The sinking of the INS Vindhyagiri, a 3,000-ton warship, marked the worst-ever peacetime loss for the Indian navy, Indian Express reported, adding that it’s also pretty embarrassing.
The warship was returning from a “day at sea” for families of sailors and officers and was entering the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust off the coast of Mumbai on Sunday afternoon, the website said.
Video taken by a passenger aboard the INS Vindhyagiri caught the collision as it unfolded. Those aboard the navy ship can be seen scurrying nervously as the merchant vessel approaches the frigate.
The Cyprus-flagged MV Nordlake, which was leaving the harbor, narrowly missed another container vessel, the MV Sea Eagle, and as it turned to avoid the Sea Eagle, it slammed into the frigate.
The collision cracked the warship’s hull near the waterline. Water rushed in, and a fire broke out in the engine room, the Indian Express reported.
The Mumbai Mirror reported that the Navy attempted to put out the blaze, but the added water served only to sink the ship faster.
The ship was towed into the harbor, but it sank Monday afternoon. Police said they planned to arrest the Nordlake’s captain, according to the Indian Express
source : http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/01/indian-warship-sunk-during-day-at-sea-for-military-families/?hpt=T2
February 2, 2011 at 8:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Born before Wright Brothers flew, world’s oldest person dies at 114
(CNN) — The world’s oldest person, as verified by the Guinness Book of World Records, is dead at the age of 114, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Eunice Sanborn of Jacksonville, Texas, died quietly in her home on Monday, the research group said.
Sanborn was born July 20, 1896, in Lake Charles, Louisiana, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which said it based her birth date and age conservatively on census records from the time. Her obituary in the Jacksonville Daily Progress had her even older, however, with the obituary citing a birth date of July 20, 1895.
Sanborn, who was 7 years old when the Wright Brothers made their famous first powered flight in 1903, outlived three husbands, according to the obituary. In her 90s and even beyond her 100th birthday, she would joke with men that she was scouting for her fourth, according to the Jacksonville, Texas, Daily Progress. Sanborn’s only child, a daughter, died in 2005 at the age of 90, the newspaper said.
When Sanborn was born, the Civil War was history — but just by 30 years. When she was 4 months old, William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency of the United States.
The United States would enter World War I when she was 21, in 1917. By then she had been married for four years, according to Robert Young with the Gerontology Research Group.
Young, a senior claims researcher with the global Gerontology Research Group and a senior consultant for Guinness World Records, said Sanborn had one of three strong predictors of longevity on her side: she was born female. According to the GRG, there are 85 “supercentarians” in the world — people with verified ages of 110 or older. Of those, 80 are women and only five are men. Young calls this the “female advantage.”
Young offered two others predictors of a long life: a healthy body weight and a positive outlook. He referred to Jeanne Calment of France who, when she died in 1997 at the age of 122, had the longest confirmed life span in human history. He says reporters would ask her if she was concerned about the death of relatives and that she responded, “I can’t do anything about it, so why worry?”
Young also told the story of when Calment broke her hip and was confined to bed just prior to her 115th birthday. When asked at her birthday party if she got bored, Young said Calment replied, “I think. I dream. I go over my life. I never get bored.” She was soon back on her feet, he said.
Although some factors of long life lie within our control, L. Stephen Coles, GRG executive director, said much of what determines how long a person lives is programmed in the genes at birth. He noted that those with long lives tracked by his organization have relatives who have lived long lives, too.
“Even if you have everything going for you, if you don’t have good genes from your parents then you won’t be able to get to be a supercentenarian,” he said.
With Sanborn’s death, the “oldest living person” designation goes to Besse Cooper of Monroe, Georgia, according to the GRG. Like Sanborn, she was born in 1896, but after Sanborn.
On August 26, she will celebrate her 115th birthday.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/02/01/texas.oldest.person.dies/index.html?hpt=T2
February 2, 2011 at 8:35 am
Haruna Mohammed
Japan’s ‘James Bond’ volcano erupts again
Tokyo (CNN) — Japan’s Mount Shinmoe erupted again on Wednesday, spewing more lava, smoke and ash through the area, the country’s meteorological agency said.
The volcano erupted twice on Wednesday, at 5:25 a.m. and 10:47 a.m., Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.
Since January 26 when it broke its decades-long slumber, the volcano has erupted seven times, the agency said.
For many outside Japan, Mount Shinmoe is known for its role in the 1967 James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice,” where it served as the lair for the villain, Ernst Blofeld.
In the nearby town of Takaharu, ash blanketed cars, houses and streets, where 1158 residents have been advised to evacuate. Town officials said 614 people so far have fled their homes.
On Tuesday, Mount Shinmoe erupted with an infrasonic wave that shattered windows in houses in the town of Takaharu. Local television reports showed hundreds of people spending the night in gymnasiums, waiting for word that it was safe to sleep at home.
Exactly when that order will come is unclear, meteorologists said.
“People in the area should prepare for the worst case scenario,” said Satoko Ohki of the Earthquake Research Institute at Tokyo University.
If they have not heeded the evacuation order, “they need to have a quick evacuation plan ready, with escape routes marked on maps,” Ohki said.
The ash has forced numerous flight cancellations. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways released a statement Wednesday alerting passengers to check for flight delays because of the morning eruptions.
Mount Shinmoe showed similar volcanic activity from 1716 to 1717, Ohki said. It was active for three months and then fell quiet for seven months.
Then suddenly, the volcano erupted in a large explosion, spewing 100 million cubic meters of magma, a much larger explosion than anything seen last week from the mountain.
It’s impossible to know if Mount Shinmoe will follow the same pattern this time, Ohki said.
The volcano may cease activity soon, continue small explosions which will release all the magma energy, or this could be the prelude to a very large volcanic eruption, she said.
Japan is home to approximately 10% of the world’s volcanoes.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/02/japan.volcano/index.html?iref=NS1
February 2, 2011 at 10:09 am
Haruna Mohammed
Yemen’s president says he won’t seek re-election or hand power to son
(CNN) — Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Wednesday he will not seek re-election nor hand over power to his son once his current term ends in 2013.
“No extension, no inheritance,” he told parliament.
Saleh had called an emergency parliamentary meeting, ahead of a “day of rage” protests scheduled for the following day.
Saleh has been in office for 32 years and was last re-elected in 2006.
In recent weeks, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Yemen demanding the kind of change that forced Tunisia’s president from office last month.
Some of the protesters have called for Saleh to step down as president.
Earlier this year, Yemen’s parliament began debating proposed amendments to the country’s constitution. The measures, which would cancel presidential term limits, have sparked concerns among the opposition that Saleh might try to appoint himself president for life.
On Wednesday, Saleh said he has requested his party to freeze debate on the proposed amendments until a consensus is reached.
The opposition coalition, Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), said the president’s speech was not enough and called on its followers to continue with Thursday’s planned march, said Hakim Almasmari, editor in chief of the Yemen Post.
A day earlier, the president has also ordered the release of journalist Abdul Elah Haidar Shaye who was sentenced to five years in jail last month after he was convicted of collaborating with al Qaeda in Yemen, according to the country’s official news agency, SABA.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/02/yemen.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
February 2, 2011 at 3:28 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Gavin and Stacey actress Margaret John dies at 84
Gavin and Stacey actress Margaret John has died at the age of 84, it has been announced.
John, who also starred in the BBC Wales comedy High Hopes, died in hospital in Swansea after a short illness.
The actress, who received a Bafta Cymru Lifetime Achievement award in 2009, starred as neighbour Doris in the Barry-based BBC hit comedy.
Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden Tweeted: “A great actress and an incredible lady. She will be missed.”
Mathew Horne, who played Gavin, sent this Twitter message: “Really sad to hear Margaret John has passed away. She was such a good woman and so fun to work with.”
Rob Brydon, who played Uncle Bryn in the series, also wrote: “Just heard the terribly sad news that Margaret John has passed away. What a wonderful person she was, everyone on G&S adored her.”
Fellow actress Ruth Madoc said: “It’s very sad news. Margaret John was a great Welsh icon – and an era has passed away with her.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
What a wonderful person she was, everyone on G&S adored her”
End Quote Rob Brydon
“She had a wonderful sense of humour. We were part of the Taffia in London in the 60s – and I always looked up to her.”
John appeared on stage in Calendar Girls in the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff last summer.
Paying tribute, the venue hailed her a “national treasure”.
Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said: “She was one of our best-loved actresses and there was always a touch of humour or a glint of wickedness about her.
“It’s a sad day but it was a life lived to the full and we are all the richer for having her.”
BBC Cymru Wales director Menna Richards praised John as “a cornerstone of the television and radio industry in Wales”.
“Her vitality, energy and enthusiasm endeared her to generations of people and I’d like to pay tribute to her for the immense pleasure she gave to her many fans in Wales and beyond,” she said.
A tribute programme, Margaret John: National Treasure, charting her career which spanned 50 years, will be shown on BBC One Wales on Sunday, 6 February, at 10.00 BST.
Her last appearance on screen was in the new S4C drama Alys on Sunday night.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12342913
February 2, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Swiss authorities: Social worker admits to 114 sexual assaults
(CNN) — A social worker in Switzerland has confessed to sexually assaulting more than 100 disabled children and adults, authorities said Tuesday.
The 54-year-old man, who was not identified, said the assaults took place over a 28-year span in nine institutions where he worked as a therapist. He is from Argovie district in northern Switzerland, according to a statement from the regional public prosecutor of Bern-Mittelland and Bern cantonal police.
He has confessed that since 1982, he abused people while he was employed in homes and institutions for people with mental and physical disabilities in Switzerland and Germany, authorities said. Most of the facilities where the alleged incidents occurred are in Bern canton.
The man has since been interviewed more than 50 times since his arrest last April, and has been “very cooperative” in revealing “further information on similar cases,” the statement said.
He had been investigated in 2003 in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, but the case was dropped because of insufficient evidence, authorities said.
In all, the man confessed to sexually abusing 114 people — all of whom were mentally disabled and some of whom also had physical disabilities — who have been identified by canton police. The man also confessed to eight attempted sexual assaults, authorities said.
Most of the victims were male; 42 of the victims were older than 18, authorities said. One of the victims was 1 year old at the time of the alleged assault.
Police said the man told investigators that some of the abuses occurred several times on the same day. In 18 cases, the abuses were photographed or filmed. Investigators determined that no images or videos had been posted to the internet.
The statute of limitations has passed for most of the offenses, authorities said, but the man can be prosecuted for 33 cases.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/02/01/switzerland.sex.charges/index.html
February 3, 2011 at 7:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Six exoplanets in close orbit around far-flung star
A solar system including six planets around a star 2,000 light-years away has been spotted by astronomers.
The planets range between two and four-and-a-half times the radius of Earth, and between two and 13 times its mass.
Five of the planets orbit the star closer than Mercury orbits our Sun.
The find, published in Nature, is the first from the latest data release from the Kepler space telescope – which includes details of more than 1,000 additional exoplanet candidates.
The planets are likely to have atmospheres made of light gases, but also likely to be too hot to support life.
The Kepler team released the raw data that led to the discovery as part of its commitment to making its findings publicly available.
Kepler has already yielded evidence of a three-planet system, Kepler-9, and in January the team announced it had spotted the first definitively rocky exoplanet, Kepler-10.
The newly-discovered solar system, around the star Kepler 11, is a rich “laboratory” for studying planetary formation. Its surprising number of planets orbiting so closely together gives astrophysicists a unique system to refine their theories of how planets form.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12333766
February 4, 2011 at 7:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
One of CPP’s founding fathers, K.F.P Jantuah is dead
The only surviving member in President Nkrumah’s first cabinet K. F. P. Jantuah has died at the age of 89.
Mr. Jantuah died Thursday afternoon at the Lister Hospital where he had been admitted for two weeks.
A nephew of the deceased who is also the deputy National Organizer of the CPP Kwame Jantuah told Joy News he was once discharged from the hospital but had to be rushed back when his situation deteriorated.
He said a postmortem was yet to be conducted to find the cause of Mr Jantuah’s death.
As a staunch CPP member Mr. Jantuah held the ideas of Nkrumaism to the later.
He was a one-time minister of agriculture and ambassador to France and Germany during the Nkrumah regime.
Mr. Jantua also served in the governments of President Liman and President Rawlings’ AFRC.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201102/60604.asp
February 4, 2011 at 7:20 am
Haruna Mohammed
Nuevo Laredo police chief gunned down, Mexican authorities say
(CNN) — The director of public security in the border city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was gunned down Wednesday night, officials said, though details of the incident remained scarce.
Gen. Manuel Farfan Carreola, who served as police chief, was shot near his office by unknown assailants, said Everardo Sanchez, a spokesman for Mexico’s attorney general’s office. He had been in the position since a new administration assumed city leadership on January 1.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/03/mexico.violence/index.html?hpt=T2
February 4, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Myanmar PM Thein Sein is new president
(CNN) — Myanmar’s parliament elected Prime Minister Thein Sein to be the country’s new president Friday.
Tin Myint Oo and Sai Muak Kham will serve as vice presidents of Union Parliament.
Myanmar convened its first parliament in more than two decades on Monday in the capital, Naypyidaw.
The lawmakers came into office after elections were held in November for the first time in 20 years. The elections drew fire from critics who said the voting was aimed at creating a facade of democracy.
The regime refused to allow international monitors to oversee the race and would not allow international journalists to cover the voting from inside the country. Journalists who reported from inside Myanmar had to do so surreptitiously.
The military junta also recently overhauled Myanmar’s constitution in a way that critics say was aimed at tightening the regime’s grip.
The constitution now requires more than 100 military nominees in parliament. Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962.
Among those who boycotted the elections was opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, which described it as a sham.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/04/myanmar.president/index.html?hpt=T2
February 4, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Two dead’ in Thai-Cambodia military border clash
Thai and Cambodian forces have exchanged artillery fire in a disputed border area, with a Cambodian soldier and a Thai civilian reported killed.
The Cambodian government has called it an “invasion”, while the Thai military said it was a misunderstanding.
Tension has been rising in recent days, with both sides moving in more troops.
Shells landed in the grounds of the ancient Preah Vihear temple on the Cambodian side of the border and in a Thai village.
It is the most serious incident on the border for some time.
A Cambodian government spokesman blamed the encroachment of Thai soldiers for the fighting and said a complaint would be sent to the UN Security Council.
Long-running dispute
A Thai military official insisted that artillery fire from Cambodia was the trigger. But he said it might have been unintentional.
The fighting ended after about two hours, with both sides confirming a ceasefire.
The two countries’ foreign ministers had been meeting in Cambodia to discuss the long-running border dispute when the fighting started.
The Thai nationalist “yellow-shirt” movement has called on its government to take a harder line on the issue with its smaller neighbour.
It is planning a demonstration in front of Cambodia’s embassy in Bangkok on Saturday.
There has been tension in the region ever since Cambodia secured the World Heritage listing of the Preah Vihear temple in 2008.
This caused joy in Cambodia, and anguish in Thailand – which once claimed the temple.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12363768
February 7, 2011 at 7:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
Thai-Cambodia border fighting enters fourth day
Cambodian and Thai troops have exchanged fire in a disputed border area for a fourth consecutive day.
Artillery and machine gun fire was heard around the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia says has already been damaged in the fighting.
At least five people were killed in clashes over the weekend and thousands of civilians have fled the area.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on both sides to “exercise maximum restraint”.
This is the worst fighting between the two neighbours in years. The clashes have claimed the lives of two soldiers and a civilian from Cambodia, one Thai soldier and a Thai civilian.
However the two countries’ media has reported differing casualty figures.
The Cambodian government says a Thai bombardment has damaged a wing of the ancient temple – a claim the Thais have not reacted to.
On Sunday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen asked the UN Security Council to intervene to stop what he said was Thailand’s “repeated acts of aggression” against his country.
The regional grouping Asean has offered to mediate while Mr Ban has said the UN “remains at their disposal to assist in these peaceful efforts”, but Thailand has said there is no need for third-party involvement.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12378987
February 7, 2011 at 7:39 am
Haruna Mohammed
Mass protest in Serbian capital to demand early polls
The Serbian capital Belgrade has seen its biggest anti-government protest in years as thousands of disenchanted Serbs demanded early elections.
At least 55,000 people turned out in front of parliament after the opposition Serbian Progressive Party called the rally.
Party leader Tomislav Nikolic gave the government two months to call polls or face a civil disobedience campaign.
Serbia’s economic woes have continued as it moves towards EU membership.
There is rising discontent over high prices, low salaries and a stalled economy.
A disparate 10-party coalition, united around EU integration, has been in power since 2008, led by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and President Boris Tadic.
The next general election is not scheduled until 2012.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12373901
February 7, 2011 at 7:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Demonstrators clash with Italian police during protest calling for PM Berlusconi’s resignation
Demonstrators clash with police during the ‘Liberta e Giustizia’ (Justice & Freedom) protest against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, at Palasharp on February 5, 2011 in Milan, Italy. Liberta e Giustizia is an Italian Movement who call for the resignation of Berlusconi. Some 10,000 people attended the protest.
source : http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Gallery+Demonstrators+clash+with+Italian+police+during+protest+calling+Berlusconi+resignation/4233031/story.html
February 8, 2011 at 7:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Freezing temperatures kill 65 zoo animals in Mexico
(CNN) — An icy cold front that swept through northern Mexico over the weekend left 65 zoo animals dead, the zoo’s owner told CNN on Monday.
Parrots, crocodiles and peacocks were among the victims of temperatures that dropped as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) early Saturday morning at the Chihuahua Zoo in the city of Aldama, about an hour north of Chihuahua.
The alarming number of deaths, which represents about 10% of all of the zoo’s animals, was the result of several compounding factors, owner Alberto Hernandez said.
First, the temperature dropped unexpectedly, and the area’s civil protection agency did not send out an advisory for the extremely cold weather, Hernandez said. So zookeepers did not take extra precautions before leaving work Friday night.
Second, the inclement weather knocked out electricity to the zoo, causing the heaters and heating lamps throughout the location to cease working, he said. Without electricity, the night watchmen turned on the gas lines.
“They turned on the gas heaters and left it at that, but they didn’t know that the gas lines had frozen,” Hernandez said.
It wasn’t until 6 o’clock the next morning, when an emergency generator was turned on, that zoo officials became aware of the devastation.
What they found was a menagerie of dead animals: one Capuchin monkey, 14 parrots and parakeets, 12 snakes, three crocodiles, five iguanas, 10 peacocks, and 20 hens.
“There were lots of factors that led to this accident happening,” Hernandez said. “We are accustomed to extreme weather, but nothing like this.”
The Capuchin monkey, named Botitas, or Little Boots, was just 6 months old and had been born at the zoo. His parents, including his father, Boots, had been brought from Central America.
The zoo was left with no more crocodiles following the losses. The three crocodiles that died were originally from the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
The zoo faced other challenges. Frozen water pipes meant that hoses couldn’t be used to fill animals’ food bowls. Warm water had to be brought in from outside, Hernandez said. Additional workers were brought in to care for the caged animals that required the most help.
They were also able to save other animals from dying of hypothermia. Two other monkeys were freezing, but were saved, Hernandez said. A stallion was also recovering from the cold.
Electricity was not restored until Sunday, he said. Nonetheless, the zoo opened for business as usual Monday, though Hernandez said he expected an economic hit from the loss of the animals.
“It’s impossible to be prepared for something so unpredictable,” he said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/07/mexico.frozen.zoo/index.html?hpt=T2
February 10, 2011 at 9:01 am
Haruna Mohammed
Southern Sudan minister Jimmy Lemi Milla shot dead
A minister in the government of Southern Sudan has been shot dead inside his ministry building in Juba.
Co-operatives and Rural Development Minister Jimmy Lemi Milla was killed by a former employee, said Philip Aguer of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army.
The assailant also killed a bodyguard and was then arrested.
The incident comes only days after referendum results confirmed that Southern Sudan would become the world’s newest independent state on 9 July.
Nearly 99% of southerners voted for secession in last month’s poll. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has said he will accept the outcome.
Officials in the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) believe the motive for Wednesday’s shooting was personal rather than political.
But the BBC’s Peter Martell in Juba says it is a clear sign of the security challenges ahead for Southern Sudan as it moves toward its full independence.
Shock
Southern Sudanese walk under a billboard in Juba on 7 February 2011, which celebrates the choice of the south to separate from the north The killing has dampened the excitement of the referendum result
Col Aguer said the attacker was a former employee of the minister and believed to be related to him by marriage.
Our reporter says Mr Milla arrived as usual at his office in the centre of town in the government ministry complex.
But his bodyguard left his pistol in his car and the disgruntled former employee smashed the window, grabbed the weapon and went inside to shoot the minister.
It was first reported that the killer shot himself, but it has later emerged that he was arrested by police.
Our correspondent says there is shock in Juba that the shooting could have happened right in the centre of the city and at the hub of government.
The killing has also dampened the excitement in Juba following the announcement of the referendum results this week, he adds.
Milla was a former supporter of the northern ruling party, but switched allegiance to the SPLM after 2005, when the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed to end two decades of civil war.
Although the referendum was peaceful, tension remains high in parts of the oil-rich area which straddles the north and south. Fifty people were killed over the weekend in fighting in Southern Sudan’s Upper Nile state.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12403620
February 10, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Dr. Gaye Jamil Nuahn
ASSALIMU ALAIKUM! I HAVE JUST VISITED YOUR WEBSITE AND VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR GREAT AND STRONG EFFORTS IN PROMOTING ISLAM AND PRAY THAT ALLAH GIVES YOU LONG LIFE TO CONTINUE TO ASSIST THOSE IN NEED, INSHALLAH.
I PRAY THAT ALLAH UNITES MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE.
February 11, 2011 at 7:08 am
Haruna Mohammed
Six dead in Ireland plane crash
(CNN) — Six people were killed and six were injured when a small plane crashed at Cork Airport in southern Ireland on Thursday, local officials said.
Survivors were taken to a local hospital, the Cork County Council said.
Four of the injured are in serious but not critical condition, and the other two are “comfortable,” Cork University Hospital said.
The crash caused a fire and scattered debris over a large area, the Irish Aviation Authority said in a statement.
The plane crashed on its third attempt to land in low visibility, they said. The airport and roads around it were closed, officials said.
It was coming from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Flight NM7100, an inbound Manx2 airline flight, was due to land at Cork Airport at 9:45 a.m., the airport said.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness expressed shock at the deaths.
Robinson called it “a terrible tragedy,” and said his thoughts were “with the families of the bereaved. My thoughts are also with the injured and I hope that they will make a full and speedy recovery.”
McGuinness sent his “condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those who have lost their lives in the plane crash. My thoughts are also with those who have been injured.”
In Dublin, Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen said, “my thoughts are with all of those affected by this morning’s crash, including the families and friends of those who have died. I also want to send my best wishes and those of the government, to all of those who survived the crash and are being treated in hospital at present.
“I also want to commend the work of the various rescue crews and all of the emergency and support staff working to help those involved in the crash.”
The aircraft involved was a Metro Liner leased from Flightline BCN in Spain, low-cost airline Manx2 said.
Irish and British experts will be involved in the crash investigation, authorities said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/02/10/ireland.crash/index.html?hpt=T2
February 11, 2011 at 7:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Police: Small plane crashes in Switzerland
(CNN) — A small plane crashed Sunday near Bever, Switzerland, and burst into flames, district police said.
There were no immediate indications of how many people were on board and whether there were any fatalities. All available rescue personnel has been sent to the scene, according to the Graubuenden district police.
The plane was attempting to land and hit a power line, said district police spokesman Sandro Pensa. It then crashed into a generator station, he said.
Bever is about 64 kilometers (39 miles) south of Davos, Switzerland, near the Italian border.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/12/19/switzerland.plane.crash/index.html?iref=obinsite
February 11, 2011 at 3:08 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Thai protesters demand prime minister’s ouster
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — Thai yellow shirt protesters on Friday demanded the prime minister’s resignation over what they say is his failure to protect the interests of the nation.
Hundreds chanted “get out, get out Abhisit” as they marched toward the statue of the late King Rama V in Bangkok. The king is a legendary figure in the history of the nation’s monarchy.
About 1,000 protesters took part, said Prawut Thavornsiri, a police spokesman.
“It was generally peaceful and the march ended quickly,” he said.
The nationalist yellow shirts have been demonstrating at major streets in the capital for more than two weeks. They have criticized the handling of the long-running border dispute with Cambodia that has led to deadly clashes recently. Protesters have vowed to retake Thai’s land, which they say is lost to Cambodia.
Are you there? Share your story and images with CNN iReport.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva once enjoyed support from the yellow shirts, but the relations turned soar after the demands of the nationalist group were not met.
The yellow shirts are part of color-coded political divisions that also includes the red shirts. The latter are made up of the country’s rural and urban poor, while the yellow shirts are largely middle- and upper-class urbanites.
Meanwhile, the border situation between Thailand and Cambodia remains calm, an army spokesman said.
If no fighting erupts Friday, displaced Thais should be able to return home, said Col. Shinagard Rattanikitti.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/02/11/thailand.protest/index.html?hpt=T2
February 14, 2011 at 6:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Quakes shake Chilean coast
(CNN) — A fourth earthquake in 24 hours rattled coastal Chile early Monday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The magnitude 6.6 quake struck about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of the city of Talca at 12:40 a.m. local time.
There were no immediate reports of damage.
The three other quakes — all measuring between 5.6 and 6.0 — were centered near Concepcion off the coast of Chile’s Bio-Bio region on Sunday morning, about 80 miles south of the Talca earthquake.
The quakes follow an even stronger tremor — a magnitude 6.8 — that hit nearby on Friday, rattling the nerves of Chileans who have memories of a deadly quake from a year ago.
After Friday’s quake, residents of coastal towns near Concepcion self-evacuated, and images from Concepcion showed hundreds of people crying in the streets after fleeing office buildings and high-rise apartments.
The city is still rebuilding from a 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck in February 2010, killing hundreds.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/14/chile.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T2
February 14, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Police and protesters clash in Bahrain
(CNN) — The unrest spreading through North Africa and the Middle East has reached the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, where at least three police officers and one demonstrator have been injured in clashes, the state new agency reported Monday.
The injuries occurred during an attack on a police station during protests Sunday evening, the news agency said.
After three officers were injured, police fired on protesters with rubber bullets, causing one injury, the news agency said.
Further protests were scheduled to take place in Bahrain on Monday, making the country the latest in a string of nations to experience popular protests that began in Tunisia.
Protesters who have organized on Facebook, Twitter and with emails want political reforms, including a constitutional monarchy.
Recently, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa offered more than $2,500 to Bahraini families, ostensibly in celebration of Monday’s 10th annivesary of the adoption of the country’s National Action Charter.
SOURCE : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/14/bahrain.demonstrations/index.html?hpt=T2
February 14, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Security forces clash with demonstrators in Iran
Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched along Revolution Avenue in downtown Tehran on Monday, protesting the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, witnesses said.
The wave of people remained largely silent as they walked toward the capital city’s Azadi Square, but then clashed with Iranian security forces that tried to disperse the marchers and divert them from the square.
Security forces in uniform and plain-clothes members of the pro-government Basij militia rushed toward crowds that were chanting “Death to the dictator!” at Imam Hossein Square, the planned starting point of a scheduled rally, a witness said. Several people were hit, while most were chased away, the witness said.
At least 100 security personnel lined the avenue, allowing the march to continue but preventing the marchers from congregating in the square, considered a rallying point by opposition groups.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/14/iran.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
February 15, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Haruna Mohammed
South Sudan Jonglei attack by Athor rebels ‘killed 200’
Some 200 people were killed in a “massacre” in south Sudan last week, officials say.
Most of the dead were civilians, including children and others chased into a river by rebels, a minister said.
Previous estimates said that about 100 people had died when fighters loyal to rebel leader George Athor attacked.
The deaths come as the region prepares for independence from the north after last month’s referendum.
Some 99% of people voted to secede from the north.
A senior official of south Sudan’s ruling party accused the north of backing the rebel attacks.
The north has denied previous similar accusations.
The referendum on independence for the oil-rich south was part of a deal to end decades of north-south conflict.
Mr Athor took up arms last year, alleging fraud in state elections, but agreed to a ceasefire last month just before the historic vote.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12465366
February 16, 2011 at 8:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
Benghazi, Libya ‘rocked by protests’
There are reports of protests in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the unrest had been triggered by the arrest of a lawyer who is an outspoken critic of the government.
The lawyer was later said to have been released, but the demonstrations reportedly continued.
Pro-democracy protests have swept through several Arab countries in recent weeks, forcing the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt from power.
There is no independent confirmation of the protests in Benghazi, but eyewitnesses say that at one stage some 2,000 people were involved.
They say stones were thrown at police who are said to have responded with water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets.
Later, state television showed pictures of several hundred people in Benghazi voicing their support for the government. The government has so far not commented on events in the city.
The Middle East has seen a wave of protests fuelled by discontent over unemployment, rising living costs, corruption and autocratic leaderships.
They began with the overthrow of Tunisia’s leader, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, in January. Last week, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt resigned.
In recent days there have also been anti-government demonstrations in Yemen, Bahrain, and Iran.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12477275
February 17, 2011 at 8:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Ursula asks Meteo: What should Ghanaians do when earthquake strikes?
FIDA International vice president Ursula Owusu is appalled by the virtual lack of education for Ghanaians on what to do to protect themselves in case an earthquake strikes.
Some residents in parts of Accra reported experiencing an earth tremor early Wednesday, lasting a few seconds.
The Meteorology Department however, says there are no seismic equipment to conduct surveys in order to warn people ahead of earthquakes/tremors.
They are expecting to get some equipment in about 3-months.
Ursula Owusu, who was contributing to discussions on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme Wednesday, said the situation is heartrending since such earth tremors occur as a warning to impending great earthquakes.
She wondered what we are doing to protect ourselves as a nation when the real one [earthquake] occurs, acknowledging though that the meteo department cannot be solely blamed.
She stressed the need to equip the unit with the right equipment to facilitate their work.
Ursula also called on the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Geological Survey Department and the Information Services Department to be proactive in initiating intensified public education programmes to educate the people on what to do when there is an earthquake.
She said she lived a while in Japan where the tremors occur frequently, and therefore even kindergarten kids are taught what to do in such situations.
Ursula said the nation cannot afford to wait for the unthinkable to happen and the deaths to occur so the people would turn round to lament. She said something can be done about the situation and called for immediate action.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201102/61251.asp
February 17, 2011 at 8:29 am
Haruna Mohammed
Halong Bay tourists dead as Vietnam boat sinks
At least 11 tourists and a guide have drowned after a tour boat sank in Halong Bay in northeastern Vietnam.
The boat was touring in the picturesque Unesco World Heritage Site in Quang Ninh province when it went down.
At least 21 foreign tourists were on the live-aboard boat when it sank before dawn near Titov island.
Vietnamese media quoted a provincial vice-governor as saying the tourists on board were from the US, the UK, France, Russia, Denmark and Sweden.
“So far the rescue team has rescued 15 people, including nine foreign tourists and six crew, and pulled out 12 bodies,” Ngo Van Hung, director of the Halong Bay Management Department, told Reuters by telephone.
All of the bodies have been sent to Bai Chay Hospital for identification.
A hospital manager said the survivors were “in panic” but had now returned to their hotels.
Vu Van Thin, a senior official with the Quang Ninh province People’s Committee, the local government told reporters that bad weather did not cause the sinking.
“According to our initial information part of the boat suddenly broke,” he said.
The boat carried two Vietnamese tourists, one of whom is believed to have died.
Halong Bay, whose name translates as “Descending Dragon Bay”, is renowned for its limestone karsts and isles.
Tourists often stay overnight on boats touring the hundreds of islets scattered throughout the scenic bay.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12490523
February 17, 2011 at 11:31 am
Haruna Mohammed
Seinfeld’s ‘Uncle Leo’ dead at 88
(CNN) — Veteran actor Len Lesser died in his sleep Wednesday morning in Burbank, California, of complications from pneumonia. He was 88.
“It was very peaceful,” his daughter, Michele Lesser, told CNN, saying the family had hoped for a quick and painless death. “He was a great grandpa, and an amazing father. He had a heart of gold — and a sense of humor of platinum.”
Best known as Jerry Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo on TV’s “Seinfeld,” Lesser made more than 500 film, television and stage appearances. His TV roles ranged from “Studio One in Hollywood” in 1949 to a 2009 role on “Castle.”
In addition to “Seinfeld,” he had a recurring role as Garvin on “Everybody Loves Raymond.” He also appeared on “ER,” “Mad About You,” “Thirtysomething,” “Falcon Crest,” “Quincy M.E.,” “The Rockford Files,” “Kojak,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” “The Mod Squad,” “Green Acres,” “All In The Family,” “The Monkees,” “Get Smart,” “My Favorite Martian,” “Ben Casey” and “The Untouchables.”
Lesser’s films included “Gallipoli,” “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Kelly’s Heroes.”
Lesser also served in the Army during World War II.
In addition to his daughter Michelle, Lesser is survived by a son, David, David’s wife Julie and the couple’s three children.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/02/16/len.lesser.obit/index.html?hpt=T2
February 20, 2011 at 4:45 pm
Dr. Gaye Jamil Nuahn
ASSALIMU ALAIKUM!
I AM VERY PLEASED TO CONFIRM TO YOU AFTER GOING THROUGH YOUR WEBSITE THAT YOU ARE DOING A VERY MAGNIFICENT WORK IN THE COURSE OF THIS GREAT RELIGION, ISLAM AND PRAY TO THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH TO CONTINUE TO BOSTON HIS BLESSING UPON YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND EXTEND YOUR LIFE FOR MANY MORE YEARS SO THAT YOU CAN HELP THOSE NEEDY, INSHALLAH.
SHEIKHU SALAWATIA, SINCERELY SPEAKING, I AM GRATEFUL AND APPRECIATE YOUR STRONG EFFORTS – PLEASE DO NOT RELENT, CONTINUE TO SAVE THOSE IN NEED OF YOUR ASSISTANCE TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL AND BRIGHTER LIVES AND ONLY THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH WILL REWARD YOU.
MAY ALLAH UNITE MUSLIMS WORLDWIDE AND MAKE THE ENTIRE WORLD COMMUNITY TO ACCEPT ISLAM AS THEIR ONLY RELIGION BEFORE THE END OF THIS WORLD, INSHALLAH.
LASTLY, MAY ALLAH GIVE US ALJANNAT IN THE HEREAFTER.
BROTHERLY YOURS IN ISLAM,
DR. GAYE JAMIL NUAHN
February 22, 2011 at 7:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
New Zealand earthquake: 65 dead in Christchurch
New Zealand’s prime minister says at least 65 people have died after a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch.
John Key said the toll was expected to rise further, adding: “We may be witnessing New Zealand’s darkest day.”
The tremor struck at 1251 (2351 GMT on Monday), 10km (6.2 miles) south-east of the city and at a shallow depth of 5km (3.1 miles), causing widespread damage.
Christchurch’s mayor has said that at least 200 people are believed trapped under rubble.
The damage is said to be far worse than after the 7.1-magnitude quake on 4 September, which left two people seriously injured but no fatalities.
That quake’s epicentre was further away from the city and deeper underground, but still caused an estimated $3bn (£1.9bn) in damage.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12533291
February 22, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Haruna Mohammed
36 killed in stadium stampede in Mali
(CNN) — At least 36 people were killed in a stampede at a stadium in Mali after a speech by a prominent imam, the British Embassy in the country said Tuesday.
The stampede at the Modibo Keita stadium took place Monday afternoon as the crowd was leaving the facility, said Mohamed Ba, a consular at the embassy. Another 64 people were wounded, he said.
The crowd had come to hear Imam Osman Madani Haidara speak.
“The stadium seats 25,000 and it was absolutely full, as it is every time Imam Osman Madani Haidara gives a sermon,” Ba said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/22/mali.stampede/index.html?hpt=T2
February 24, 2011 at 7:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indian rally raises pressure on Singh
(FT) — Pressure mounted on Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, as thousands of workers marched in the capital to protest against inflation.
The opposition has been seeking to capitalise on the weakening position of Mr Singh, who is reeling from a spate of corruption scandals that threaten to undermine his reputation for integrity. His ability to manage the economy is also being called into question as India battles the highest inflation of any major Asian economy.
Wednesday’s march of daily wage labourers, organised by the leftist Centre of Indian Trade Unions, highlighted concerns that Mr Singh had failed to control inflation and that his ruling Congress party was not delivering on its promise of “inclusive growth”, but instead excluding all but a few from the benefits of fast economic growth.
The demonstration drew an estimated 40,000 people from across India. It was the biggest protest in Delhi since a march against corruption this year drew many, mostly middle class, people on to the streets.
Sushilabai Marawi, a farm labourer from the western state of Maharashtra, said: “We earn R120 ($2.65) a day. How can we afford to eat when costs are so high, from rice and wheat to sugar and vegetables? We want to send a message to the leaders of this country.”
The left and right are levelling severe criticism against Mr Singh’s tolerance of high inflation before the national budget on Monday. Mr Singh, 78, has pleaded on national television that he is not a “lame duck” prime minister.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, emboldened by its victory this week in forcing the government to agree to a parliamentary investigation into a high profile telecoms scandal, has launched a stinging attack on Mr Singh’s pedigree as one of India’s top financial bureaucrats.
“What use is your experience as a distinguished economist if you are unable to really save the common man from the entire gambit of inflation that has set in in the last three years?” asked Arun Jaitley, a senior BJP leader.
Yashwant Sinha, a former BJP finance minister, challenged the government’s prized high growth strategy, arguing it was counterproductive if it was also accompanied by high inflation. He warned India had returned to a period of over-stimulating “excesses”, reminiscent of 20 years ago, by running wide fiscal and current account deficits.
Last week, Mr Singh publicly acknowledged more could have been done to curb inflation. But he said his government had wanted to keep intact India’s growth story and the recovery from the global financial crisis.
The prime minister had initially forecast that inflation, currently at 8.2 per cent, would fall to below 6 per cent by the end of last year. He has since revised his forecast to 7 per cent by the end of March.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/02/23/india.protests.singh.ft/index.html?hpt=Sbin
February 24, 2011 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
Greek Protest of Austerity Drive Erupts in Violence
ATHENS — Violent clashes between protesters and the police broke out here in the capital on Wednesday, as the two main labor unions staged the first general strike of the year against the government’s austerity drive, paralyzing public services and disrupting transportation.
Demonstrators estimated that 20,000 to 30,000 protesters turned out at two rallies that converged outside Parliament in the early afternoon. The numbers were not particularly large by Greek standards, but the mostly peaceful gathering was shaken when groups of youths broke off from the main body and fought with the police outside Parliament and Athens University. Dozens of youths threw stones and firebombs at the police, who responded with tear gas.
source : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/world/europe/24greece.html?_r=1&src=twrhp
February 26, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Voodoo sex ceremony spawns fatal fire, officials say
New York (CNN) — Candles used in voodoo sex ceremony caused a fatal five alarm fire after they tipped over and ignited bed sheets in a Brooklyn, New York, apartment, authorities said Friday.
The fire left an elderly woman dead and injured 20 firefighters and three Brooklyn residents, according to a New York Fire Department statement.
A voodoo priest allegedly placed the candles on the floor around the bed on Saturday after a woman paid him $300 to perform a ceremony with a sexual component, that was meant to bring her good luck, fire department officials said.
The candles were accidentally knocked over during the ceremony prompting the man to douse the flames with water and open a window in an effort to clear smoke from the room, the statement said.
Forty mile-per-hour wind gusts instead shot the flames back inside the room, it said, creating a “blowtorch effect” that whipped through the open window and pushed the fire into the building’s fourth floor hallway.
“Time and time again we respond to tragedies that could have been so easily prevented,” Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano said in the statement. “This fire had so many of those elements … hopefully others will learn from this tragedy.”
The occupants fled the apartment, leaving the door open, the statement said.
Nearly 200 firefighters from 44 companies took seven hours to bring the fire under control.
Authorities are currently investigating the incident.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/02/25/new.york.voodoo.fire/index.html?hpt=T2
February 26, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Obama seeks a new approach on Mideast
President Obama has asked his aides to formulate a Mideast foreign policy that emphasizes democratic reforms without alienating longtime allies.
Reporting from Washington —
President Obama is challenging his administration to formulate a new Middle East policy that emphasizes political and economic reforms to bolster U.S. allies now threatened by the protest movements sweeping the region.
Administration officials say Obama is urging beleaguered governments to enact reforms that would satisfy the popular craving for change while preserving valuable partnerships on crucial U.S. interests, from oil security to counter-terrorism and containing Iran.
With those allied governments under pressure from their citizens, the U.S. is confronting the likelihood of having diminished influence over whatever political order emerges. But a greater risk is that Washington could be seen as trying to prop up crumbling regimes and could alienate the rising pro-democracy leaders.
Diplomats say it would be difficult for the president to openly call for sweeping political change in such key countries as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan, which are run by royal families allied with the West. Direct criticism of longstanding, friendly monarchs could be seen as an abandonment and encourage even more protests.
Administration officials who spoke on background because they were not authorized to discuss policy-making said the president and other key White House figures have pushed reforms in private calls, making the case that such changes are for the leaders’ own good.
source : http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-fg-obama-mideast-20110226,0,3811494.story
February 28, 2011 at 11:39 am
Haruna Mohammed
6.0-magnitude quake strikes Chile
(CNN) — A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Chile on Sunday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centered 23 miles south of Concepcion in southern Chile.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The quake, which struck at a depth of 10 miles (16 kilometers), occurred on the one-year anniversary of an 8.8-magnitude temblor that killed 521 people and left thousands homeless in the South American nation.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/27/chile.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
February 28, 2011 at 11:41 am
Haruna Mohammed
Floods and landslides hit Bolivia
A landslide caused by intense rains has destroyed more than 300 homes in the Bolivian city of La Paz.
The authorities managed to evacuate the poor Kupini II area before it was smashed by a collapsing hillside.
Elsewhere in La Paz, at least five people drowned when a minibus was swept away by a swollen river.
Across Bolivia, weeks of heavy rain have killed at least 40 others and left more than 10,000 homeless.
Officials evacuated the Kupini II area on Saturday night after cracks began appearing in roads and bridges.
“My neighbours were running around and told me to get out,” local resident Maria Elena Siles told the Associated Press.
“I looked out the window and there were no more homes to the left or the right of mine”.
Residents have been trying to recover furniture and other belongings from wrecked houses, while crews with heavy equipment try to stop the landslide from threatening other areas.
National emergency
Much of La Paz is built on steep mountainsides, and landslides are not uncommon, but officials say this was one of the worst the city has ever seen.
Troops have been mobilised to help the evacuation and recovery efforts.
So far the only confirmed fatalities in La Paz have been five people killed when a minibus fell into a raging river in the south of the city after a bridge collapsed.
The Bolivian government declared a national emergency last Tuesday because of torrential rains across much of the country.
The worst flooding has been in the northern Amazon lowlands, where dozens of rural communities have been cut off by rivers that have burst their banks.
Bolivian military planes and helicopters have been flying supplies to the worst-hit areas.
The government says this year’s rainy season has been particularly severe as a result of La Nina, a climatic phenomenon caused by a shift in currents in the Pacific Ocean.
In recent months parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico and Central America have also experienced severe flooding.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12592408
February 28, 2011 at 11:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
Sultan of Oman: Hire 50,000 citizens
(CNN) — The sultan of Oman has ordered the hiring of 50,000 citizens in the aftermath of weekend protests that left at least one person dead and 11 others injured, state-run media reported.
Sultan Qaboos bin Said also issued royal orders saying job-seekers who register with the Ministry of Manpower will be paid 150 rials (about U.S. $390) per month until they find jobs, according to the Oman News Agency.
The developments come after weekend clashes between protesters and police in the Omani industrial town of Sohar. About 1,000 people were calling for more jobs.
After reports of multiple deaths on Sunday, Ahmed Al Saidi, the minister of health, said there had only been one death.
The protests started Saturday and were ongoing Monday, said Zamzam al Rashdi, editor-in-chief of the state-run Oman News Agency. A supermarket was burned Monday morning, she said.
Protesters also were blocking the main road to Sohar Monday and were demonstrating in the main square. There had been no confrontations between police and protesters Monday morning.
Sunday’s demonstration started peacefully before a couple of groups split off and started attacking a supermarket and a police station, and members from the Shura Council, al Rashdi said.
One of the targeted buildings was the Walli House, where the governor who represents the sultan in Sohar lives, a witness told CNN.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/28/oman.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
March 1, 2011 at 7:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
Hollywood star Jane Russell dies at 89
Former Hollywood actress and sex symbol Jane Russell has died the age of 89.
The brunette was discovered by eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, who cast her in his 1943 Western The Outlaw.
Some of her most memorable parts include the The Paleface (1948) with Bob Hope, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) with Marilyn Monroe.
She died on Monday at her home in California of a respiratory-related illness, her daughter-in-law confirmed.
“She always said I’m going to die in the saddle, I’m not going to sit at home and become an old woman. And that’s exactly what she did, she died in the saddle,” Etta Waterfield said, recounting that Russell had remained active in her local community until illness intervened in recent weeks.
Russell was a pin-up girl in the 1940s and 1950s, but her film career had faded by the 1960s.
“Why did I quit movies? Because I was getting too old! You couldn’t go on acting in those years if you were an actress over 30,” she said in an interview in 1999.
In 1971, she featured in the Broadway musical Company.
Later, she appeared in TV commercials promoting brassieres, including the 18-hour bra for Playtex.
Russell married three times and adopted three children.
After experiencing problems during the adoption process, she founded the World Adoption International Agency, which has helped organise the adoptions in the US of tens of thousands of children from overseas.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12604858
March 6, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Saudi security forces to crack down on any unlawful protesters
(CNN) — Coming off two days of demonstrations, Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry warned Saturday that it would crack down on protesters who continue to take their grievances to the streets.
Saudi security forces will be “authorized to take all measures against anyone who tries to break the law and cause disorder,” the ministry said, according to the country’s state-run news agency.
The government cited how some were trying “to get around the systems” and “achieve illegitimate goals.”
The Interior Ministry spokesman said that kingdom law prevents all kinds of demonstrations, protests, strikes and even a call for them because they’re against Sharia law and Saudi values and traditions.
In response, Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, president of the Human Rights First Society, told CNN that the Interior Ministry is “not at all sensitive” to the massive unrest sweeping the Arab world.
“I’m hoping that the Ministry of the Interior and the government of Saudi Arabia will not choose to take the security solution road because that was already tested in other Arab countries and, by God, it did not work,” said al-Mugaiteeb, who’s in Saudi Arabia.
On Saturday, the Saudi government downplayed Friday’s protests in the Eastern Province, saying the people weren’t calling for a regime change.
“The protests that took place in the Eastern Province were small and were not political in nature,” a Saudi government official told CNN. “The protesters weren’t calling for regime change, they were asking for more jobs and calling for release of prisoners they feel were imprisoned unjustly.”
The official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Friday’s protest was not worrisome. “We don’t feel they will spread throughout the kingdom or become bigger in nature,” he said.
Demonstrators who protested in Eastern Province were demanding the release of Shiite prisoners they feel are being held without cause.
An outspoken Shiite prayer leader who demonstrators say was arrested more than a week ago was a focal point of the “day of rage” protest, said Ibrahim al-Mugaiteeb, president of the Human Rights First Society.
Sheikh Tawfeeq Al-Amer was arrested Sunday after he gave a sermon two days earlier, on February 25, stating that Saudi Arabia should become a constitutional monarchy, human rights activists said.
Friday’s protest comes on the heels of two similar demonstrations held in the province Thursday, al-Mugaiteeb said, when about 200 protesters in the city of Qatif and 100 protesters in the city of Awamiyya called for the release of Shiite prisoners.
Al-Mugaiteeb said authorities arrested 22 people who participated in Thursday’s protest in Qatif.
“We deplore this action by the Saudi security forces,” he said.
Another protest took place in Riyadh after Friday prayer, according to two Saudi activists. The sources asked not to be identified because of concerns for their safety.
According to the activists, as many as 40 anti-government demonstrators gathered outside Al-Rajhi Mosque for a short protest. At least one man involved in organizing the protest was arrested by Saudi police, the activists said.
The activists said the protesters attracted a crowd of worshipers leaving the mosque. Some of the protesters carried signs showing a map of Saudi Arabia that did not contain the words “Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” a clear affront to the Saudi royal family.
The government official told CNN that he was not aware of any protests or arrests in Riyadh.
When asked about the various rights groups in the kingdom who have been calling for the creation of a constitutional monarchy over the course of the past 2 weeks, the government official on Saturday stated, “Yes, there are groups here asking for more rights, calling for constitutional reforms, and that is their right to do so. King Abdullah has always encouraged a national dialogue and continues to do so.”
The official insisted that the king “is doing all he can to improve things for Saudis.”
“But in Saudi Arabia — it’s not like other countries — we don’t have or allow protests here. If people have a grievance, they can go and address it with the governors of their provinces or they can go to the Royal Court and address grievances directly there,” the official said.
Saudi Arabia has cracked down on protests in the past.
Shiites are a minority in Saudi Arabia. They live primarily in the Eastern Province, where many major oil companies operate.
The protests come as sectarian violence between Shiites and Sunnis flares in neighboring Bahrain.
Analysts believe protests in Bahrain could spill over into Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, located mostly in Shiite provinces.
After three months abroad for medical treatment, Saudi King Abdullah returned home late last month to a Middle East shaken by unrest, and announced a series of sweeping measures aimed at relieving economic hardship and meeting with Bahrain’s beleaguered monarch.
The Saudi government released three Shiite political prisoners ahead of the king’s return.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/05/saudi.arabia.protest/index.html
March 6, 2011 at 6:11 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Six dead in southern Russia plane crash
MOSCOW (BNO NEWS) — Six crew members were killed Saturday in a plane crash in the village of Garbuzovo in southern Russia’s Belgorod region, Russian Ministry for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Management said in a statement.
The Antonov An-148 airplane on a test flight went off the radar screens at 10:40 Moscow time [07:40 GMT] and crashed shortly afterwards, killing all people on board. Fire and rescue units were sent right after the crash, and the fire was extinguished at 11.30 Moscow time, according to the Emergencies Ministry.
The state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported the victims were two Russian pilots, two flight engineers, and two Myanmar nationals. The plane was being tested prior to delivery to Myanmar, which ordered two last year for government use.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges of violation of flight safety regulations, while the Prosecutor General’s Office had launched its own probe.
Russia has seen several major aviation accidents over the past 12 months. On March 22, 2010, eight people were injured when a large passenger plane crashed on approach to Domodedovo airport in Moscow after a flight from Egypt. Only crew members were on board the TU-204 Aviastar-TU jet.
On April 10, 2010, Polish President Lech Kaczynski was among 96 people killed when a Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft crashed near the city of Smolensk in Russia. He was visiting Smolensk for the 70th anniversary of the massacre of Polish prisoners of war in the village of Katyn.
Months later, in August, seven people were killed when a Katekavia Airlines passenger plane carrying fifteen people crashed in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region.
More recently, on December 4, three people were killed and around 40 others were injured when a Tupolev Tu-154 Dagestan Airlines passenger plane crash-landed at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport while making an emergency landing after it had lost all three engines during the flight. Authorities said 160 passengers, including several children, and eight crew members were on board.
Weeks later, on December 29, 2010, twelve people were killed when a large Russian Air Force aircraft crashed near the village of Krasny Oktyabar in central Russia.
source : http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/03/six-dead-in-southern-russia-plane-crash/
March 6, 2011 at 6:20 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Kathmandu, March 5 (AP): Nepal’s former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, who led a popular movement to restore multiparty democracy in 1990, has died at age 87. Bhattarai’s physician, Dr Bharat Rawat, told reporters that he died in the capital, Kathmandu, at midnight yesterday due to multiple organ…
source : http://article.wn.com/view/2011/03/05/Nepals_first_democratic_prime_minister_dies/
March 8, 2011 at 7:57 am
Haruna Mohammed
Powerful earthquake strikes off Solomon Islands
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A powerful earthquake has struck waters off the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami is expected.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.6-magnitude quake struck 19 miles (31 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor.
It says the earthquake was 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of the island chain’s Kira Kira island.
The agency said Monday a tsunami is not expected.
Papua New Guinea lies on the “Ring of Fire” – an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world’s quakes occur.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/06/2101266/powerful-earthquake-strikes-off.html#ixzz1FzZu4zo2
March 8, 2011 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
Kilauea Volcano Eruption Prompts Closure of Trails and Campgrounds
Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island spewed lava 65-feet into the air over the weekend, prompting the closure of trails and campgrounds at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, a popular tourist destination for adventurers and families.
“In response to the current volcanic conditions, the park has closed Chain of Craters Road and all east rift zone and coastal trails, along with the Kulanaokuaiki Campground, until further notice,” reads an advisory on the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park website.
A recorded message on the park’s “eruption update” phone line says that as of Monday, steam, sulfur dioxide and small traces of other volcanic gases continue to erupt from the summit.
source : http://news.travel.aol.com/2011/03/07/kilauea-volcano-eruption-prompts-closure-of-trails-and-campgroun/
March 9, 2011 at 8:20 am
Haruna Mohammed
A million dead fish clog California marina
Fish and Game officials said they think the sardines depleted oxygen levels and suffocated, but remain unsure
An estimated 1 million fish turned up dead Tuesday in a Southern California marina, creating a floating feast for pelicans, gulls and other sea life and a stinky mess for harbor authorities.
Boaters awakened to find a carpet of small silvery fish surrounding their vessels, said Staci Gabrielli, marine coordinator for King Harbor Marina on the Los Angeles County coast. Authorities said there was also a 12- to 18-inch layer of dead fish on the bottom of the marina.
California Fish and Game officials said the fish were sardines that apparently depleted the water of oxygen and suffocated.
“All indications are it’s a naturally occurring event,” said Andrew Hughan, a Fish and Game spokesman at the scene.
The die-off was unusual but not unprecedented, he said.
“In the world of fishing this is an afternoon’s catch,” he noted.
Nonetheless, the scale was impressive to locals at King Harbor, which shelters about 1,400 boats on south Santa Monica Bay.
“The fishermen say they’ve never seen anything this bad that wasn’t red tide,” Hughan said, referring to the natural blooms of toxic algae that can kill fish.
Hughan said water samples showed no oils or chemicals that could have contributed to the deaths. He said some of the fish were being shipped to a Fish and Game laboratory for study but the cause was likely to be uncomplicated.
The fish appeared to have come into the marina during the night and probably couldn’t find their way out, he said.
“The simplest explanation is the fish got lost. … They get confused easily,” he said.
Hughan said there was no safety issue at all but “it’s going to smell bad for quite a while.”
Fire Department, Harbor Patrol and other city workers set to work scooping up fish in nets and buckets. A skip loader then carried them to big trash bins. Local officials initially estimated there were millions of fish, but Fish and Game roughly estimated about 1 million.
City officials estimated the cleanup would cost $100,000. Fire Chief Dan Madrigal said the fish would be taken to a landfill specializing in organic materials.
On the water, nature was tackling the problem in other ways.
“The seals are gorging themselves,” Hughan said.
Large groups of other fish could be seen nibbling at the floating mats of dead creatures.
“The sea’s going to recycle everything. It’s the whole circle-of-life thing,” Hughan said.
Although the Fish and Game authorities were focusing on the idea that the sardines simply got confused, other theories abounded.
Hughan noted that some fishermen reported waves were coming over the harbor breakwaters during the night. That washes bird excrement off the rocks and into the marina and can cause the water to be depleted of oxygen.
Gabrielli, the marina employee, said the fish appeared to have moved into the harbor to escape a red tide, then possibly became trapped due to high winds overnight.
Ed Parnell, a marine ecologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography called Gabrielli’s theory plausible, although generally he would expect that the wind would have mixed oxygen into the water. Parnell said these types of fish kills are more typically seen in the Gulf of Mexico or the Salton Sea, the enormous desert lake in southeastern California where millions of fish die with some regularity.
Brent Scheiwe, an official of Sea Lab, a Los Angeles Conservation Corps research program at Redondo, said the fish may have gotten trapped in the 30-foot deep marina while sheltering from rough seas overnight.
“They like to follow each other, so it only takes a few” to create a mass migration, he said.
“Over time they will find their way out, but if it’s rough out there they probably stayed in shelter,” he said.
Redondo Beach police Sgt. Phil Keenan said he believed a predator fish chased the sardines into the marina where their sheer numbers caused them to suffocate.
Raphael Kudela, a professor of ocean sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz, called it “unusual but not uncommon.”
Kudela said sardines are not the brightest fish.
“They are that dumb actually,” he said. “It’s possible they were avoiding a red tide or a predator forced them into shallow water. They get into shallow water and then can’t figure out how to get back out and you’ve got such a concentration in one small area they literally pull the oxygen down until they suffocate.”
Carl Johnson, 59, and his wife, Marie, 57, came from nearby Torrance to see the fish calamity.
“We’ve had that stuff of the hundreds of birds dying in the Midwest and now this. … You do think about life and death,” he said.
“These fish were swimming freely yesterday,” he said philosophically.
source : http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2011/03/08/fish_die_California
March 9, 2011 at 8:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Powerful earthquake strikes Japan on Wednesday morning
(TheWeatherSpace.com) — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit off Japan’s northeastern coast, shaking everything hundreds of miles around, including Tokyo.
The quake hit at 11:45 am local time on Wednesday. A 60 centimeter tsunami reached the coastal town of Ofunato. The Tsunami was small and there were no reports of damage.
Some trains were stopped after the quake, however resumed shortly after.
In 1933, about 3000 people were killed around Ofunato by an earthquake and tsunami that had a maximum wave height of 28.7 metres, according to the USGS.
In 1896, a magnitude 8.5 earthquake generated a tsunami that killed 27,000 people in the area.
source : http://www.theweatherspace.com/news/TWS-3_08_2011_73quake.html
March 9, 2011 at 8:23 am
Haruna Mohammed
5 Dead, 4 injured in helicopter crash in Colombia
Five people, including a captain and a Mexican student pilot, were killed and four others injured when two air force helicopters collided in central Colombia, the air force said.
A second Mexican student pilot, identified as Lt. Hugo Estrada Lopez, was among those injured in the accident on Monday.
The aircraft collided around 5:40 p.m. “two miles from Air Combat Command No. 4” in Melgar, a city in the central province of Tolima, the air force said.
Air force Capt. Juan Jose Orjuela, Mexican Lt. Dante Herrera Alarcon, Lt. Manuel Alberto Cuspoca, technician John Mario Diaz Llanos and technician Felipe Pava Rodriguez were killed in the accident.
The four injured military personnel were aboard the second helicopter involved in the accident.
The two UH-1Hs were on a training mission, the air force said.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the crash involving the two Armed Forces Helicopter School aircraft.
This was the second crash involving military helicopters this year in Colombia.
A Bell 206B crashed on Feb. 18 in Santander, a province in northeastern Colombia, killing army 5th Brigade commander Gen. Alfredo Bocanegra and three other people.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/03/08/5-dead-4-injured-helicopter-crash-colombia/#ixzz1G5Wv4XcX
March 9, 2011 at 9:24 am
Haruna Mohammed
7.2 earthquake hits off coast of Japan
(CNN) — A tsunami advisory has been issued in Japan after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, the Japan Meteorological Agency said Wednesday.
The quake was centered 169 kilometers (105 miles) off the east coast of Honshu, directly east of the city of Sendai, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake occurred about 8.8 miles below the earth’s surface, the USGS said. The expected height of the tsunami was only expected to be 0.5 meters (19.6 inches).
CNN correspondent Kyung Lah said she could feel the earthquake in Tokyo, 267 miles southwest of the quake’s epicenter, and said the shaking lasted as long as three minutes, but that there was no significant damage.
TV Asahi showed video of boats rocking back and forth, as well as images taken from shaken city cams as the earthquake hit.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/08/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
March 10, 2011 at 5:33 pm
Haruna Mohammed
China quake kills at least 16
Beijing (CNN) — The death toll from Thursday’s earthquake in southwest China is at least 16, with more than 160 injured, a local official told CNN.
The 5.4-magnitude earthquake hit near the border with Myanmar, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It collapsed houses in the remote Yingjiang county in Yunnan province, according to a county official who would provide only his surname, Ke — a common practice among officials.
State media said the quake hit the area shortly before 1 p.m. local time, cutting power and toppling buildings including hotels and schools.
The epicenter was 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the center of Yingjiang county, which has a population of more than 270,000 and is home to several of China’s ethnic minorities.
China Central Television showed damaged buildings with debris and red lanterns lying around as police officers directed traffic on a chaotic street.
Aftershocks continued to jolt the area as firefighters and other rescuers helped free those trapped, Li Zhiren, the deputy county chief told CCTV.
The area has experienced minor quakes under a 5.0 magnitude since the year began, according to the Xinhua news agency. As of Thursday, the local seismological bureau had recorded more than 1,200 such tremors, Xinhua said.
Many jittery residents celebrated the lunar New Year holiday in tents last month.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/10/china.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
March 11, 2011 at 7:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tsunami hits north-eastern Japan after massive quake
A massive earthquake has hit the northeast of Japan triggering a tsunami that has caused extensive damage.
Japan’s TV showed cars, ships and even buildings being swept away the Fukushima prefecture, after the 8.8 magnitude earthquake.
Officials said a wave as high as 6m (20ft) could strike the coast.
The quake struck about 250 miles (400km) from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles, shaking building in the capital for several minutes.
The tremor at 1446 local time (0546 GMT) was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12709598
March 14, 2011 at 7:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Lisbon hopes to avoid bail-out
Please respect FT.com’s ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce206c78-4d98-11e0-85e4-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1GYcUNJyE
Portugal was optimistic at the weekend that the deal to strengthen the bloc’s rescue fund would help the country avert an international bail-out.
According to sources close to the Lisbon government, the tough new austerity measures announced on Friday were part of the negotiations that led to eurozone governments reaching their unexpected agreement later that night.
source : http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce206c78-4d98-11e0-85e4-00144feab49a.html#axzz1GYbB30GB
March 14, 2011 at 8:01 am
Haruna Mohammed
Taiwan protests name change in regional financial conference
Taiwan protests name change in regional financial conference
Taiwan’s central bank governor voiced regret and protest Saturday over the arbitrary change of the bank’s membership name by the board of directors of a regional financial conference because of China’s participation.
The Board of Governors of the Conference of Governors of South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) informed the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in a letter dated Jan. 25 that the Taiwanese central bank’s name in the conference would hereafter be changed to “Central Bank, Chinese Taipei.”
source : Taiwan protests name change in regional financial conference
14th feb 2011
March 14, 2011 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
Taiwan protests name change in regional financial conference
Taiwan protests name change in regional financial conference
Taiwan’s central bank governor voiced regret and protest Saturday over the arbitrary change of the bank’s membership name by the board of directors of a regional financial conference because of China’s participation.
The Board of Governors of the Conference of Governors of South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) informed the Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in a letter dated Jan. 25 that the Taiwanese central bank’s name in the conference would hereafter be changed to “Central Bank, Chinese Taipei.”
source : http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1102/S00452/taiwan-protests-name-change-in-regional-financial-conference.htm
14th feb 2011
March 15, 2011 at 7:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
5. Extreme Weather conditions that could be harmful to human beings, animals and plants
Japan: Radiation ‘now high enough to affect health’
The Japanese authorities say that the radiation crisis at the nuclear plant which was damaged in Friday’s earthquake and tsunami is worsening, and levels are now high enough to affect human health.
The danger has been caused by a new explosion at one of the reactors in the Fukushima plant, followed by a fire. The operator says meltdown is now possible.
The Prime Minister, Naoto Kan, said that everyone within 20km (12 miles) of the plant should leave the area immediately. The BBC’s Dominic Kane reports.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12741133
U.S. Navy aircraft carrier detects radiation
(CNN) — U.S. Navy personnel are taking precautionary measures after instruments aboard an aircraft carrier docked in Japan detected low levels of radioactivity from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, the Navy said Tuesday.
The USS George Washington was docked for maintenance in Yokosuka, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the plant, when instruments detected the radiation at 7 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Monday), the Navy said in a statement.
Personnel will limit outdoor activities and secure external ventilation systems there and at a nearby air facility in Atsugi.
“These measures are strictly precautionary in nature. We do not expect that any United States federal radiation exposure limits will be exceeded even if no precautionary measures are taken,” the Navy said.
Workers are scrambling to cool down fuel rods and prevent a full meltdown in three reactors at the earthquake-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan warned Tuesday that the risk of further releases of radioactive material from the plant remains “very high.”
Radioactive steam has been released intentionally to lessen growing pressure in the reactors. But radiation levels at the plant increased Tuesday to “levels that can impact human health,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
The announcement came after an explosion at the plant’s No. 2 reactor. In addition, Edano said, the building housing the No. 4 unit — which had been shut down before Friday’s earthquake — was burning Tuesday morning,
On Monday the Navy said it was repositioning ships after tests had detected low levels of radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy helicopter crew members that had been conducting disaster relief missions in Japan.
No further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water, the Navy said.
The Navy’s Monday statement, however, provided some perspective, noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by ship personnel when it passed through the area was “less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks, soil, and the sun.”
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.us.navy.radiation/index.html?hpt=T2
March 15, 2011 at 7:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Thousands left homeless by Brazil rain
(CNN) — Ten people died and more than 8,000 were left homeless in southern Brazil after heavy rain began pelting the area Friday, civil defense officials from three states reported. The rain had mostly moved out of the area by Monday.
Two of those who died were buried Sunday in a mudslide caused by rain in Parana state.
In Parana, more than 23,000 people were affected by the rain, and at least 8,453 people were left homeless, civil defense officials said. More than 2,700 homes were destroyed by the weather, the agency said.
Mudslides blocked some major highways in the state, but authorities managed to clear some by Sunday night.
In the neighboring state of Santa Catarina, one death was reported, officials there said. The victim was driving a car that fell in a river on Saturday and was not recovered until Monday, civil defense officials said. The driver had drowned.
Earlier, seven people lost their lives in Rio do Sul state, civil defense officials said.
Two people remained missing, one in Parana and one in Rio do Sul, officials said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/03/14/brazil.rains/index.html?hpt=T2
March 21, 2011 at 8:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Protesters, security forces clash in Syria
(CNN) — One person died Sunday in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, witnesses told CNN.
Sunday’s protests come the same day a delegation from President Bashar al-Assad offered “condolences to the families of the two martyrs who died during the unfortunate events which took place in Daraa on Friday,” the Syrian news agency SANA said.
Citing an unnamed “official source,” the agency also reported that policemen were attacked by a “group of troublemakers,” but that no one was killed.
Funerals were held Sunday, the third day of protests, witnesses said. Syria is the latest in a string of Arabic-speaking nations beset with discontent.
“We rejected those offerings because the government was responsible for the killings. It was an attempt to contain the situation in Daraa,” Mohammed Sheikh, a local leader, said about the government’s offer of condolences.
Two people were killed during demonstrations in the city Friday, according to SANA. According to witnesses, five people have died in Daraa since Friday.
Opponents of the al-Assad government allege massive human rights abuses. An emergency law has been in effect since 1963. Protesters are calling for reform and more political and economic freedoms.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/03/20/syria.clashes/index.html?hpt=T2
March 21, 2011 at 8:19 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indonesian volcano prompts evacuations
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) — Some 1,200 people have fled an active volcano in northern Indonesia, the country’s National Disaster Management Agency reported Monday.
The evacuations were made from two villages near Mount Karangetang, on Siau Island. The nearly 6,000-foot (1,827-meter) volcano is one of Indonesia’s most active. An eruption in August killed four people.
Late last week, Indonesia’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Management Agency raised the volcano’s alert status to its highest level, after noting increased activity on March 11.
Ash clouds from Mount Karangetang reached 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) over the weekend, with lava reported flowing down the mountainside.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/21/indonesia.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2
March 22, 2011 at 7:36 am
Haruna Mohammed
Congo: Cargo plane crashes in Pointe-Noire, killing 16
A cargo plane has crashed in a residential area of Congo-Brazzaville’s economic capital, Pointe-Noire, killing at least 16 people.
The Antonov plane, operated by Trans Air Congo, crashed as it was trying to land, according to civil aviation agency head Michel Ambende.
He told AFP news agency that as many as 19 people had died in the crash and 14 were injured.
“We don’t know yet if the toll will grow,” he said.
Several houses in Pointe-Noire’s Mvou Mvou district were reported to have been buried by debris.
One witness told AFP that the city was “in shock. It’s apocalyptic.”
A TV cameraman who saw the crash was quoted as saying that the pilot had been able to get out of the cockpit before the plane came to a rest.
He told the Associated Press that he had seen at least 16 bodies being pulled from the wreckage.
Another witness said the plane had begun preparing to land at the airport before veering out to sea and then crashing.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12812231
March 22, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Haruna Mohammed
US warplane crashes in eastern Libya
A US warplane has crashed in eastern Libya, following an apparent mechanical failure, the US military has said.
It said there was no indication the F-15E Eagle had been brought down by hostile fire. Both crew members ejected and are now safe.
The plane went down near the rebel stronghold of Benghazi after a third night of allied air strikes against Col Muammar Gaddafi’s forces.
The coalition is enforcing a UN resolution to protect civilians.
The US military would not give the exact location where the F-15E Eagle came down, but said both crewman suffered only minor injuries after ejecting.
The aircraft was based in England and was operating out of Italy’s Aviano air base.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12816226
March 25, 2011 at 8:54 am
Haruna Mohammed
Dozens killed in Myanmar earthquake
(CNN) — The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit Myanmar has gone up to 65, state media reported Friday.
At least 111 people were injured by the powerful quake, Myanmar Radio reported.
The 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar on Thursday near its borders with China, Thailand and Laos, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
It was a relatively shallow quake, which can be very destructive.
The Geological Survey initially said the quake had a depth of 142 miles (230 kilometers), but it later revised its estimate to say the quake was 6 miles (10 km) deep, putting it fairly close to the surface.
Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, has been badly hit by natural disasters in the past few years.
A powerful cyclone in 2008 left an estimated 100,000 people dead, and another one two years later left 70,000 people homeless, the United Nations said.
The quake was significantly less powerful than the one that hit Japan two weeks ago, causing a tsunami and leaving thousands dead or missing. The quake also prompted fears of a nuclear meltdown.
It was roughly comparable in magnitude and depth to last year’s Haiti earthquake, which measured 7.0. More than 200,000 people died in the Haiti earthquake, and millions were affected.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/25/myanmar.quake/index.html?hpt=T2
March 30, 2011 at 6:22 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Floods Trigger Southern Thailand Landslides; 15 Dead
Mar 30, 2011 – 10:43 AM
READING THIS NOW
BANGKOK — Southern Thailand faced more torrential rain after heavy downpours caused at least 15 deaths and forced the Thai navy to help evacuate hundreds of tourists stranded on some of the country’s famous resort islands.
Authorities reported Wednesday that at least four people had died in landslides in Krabi province, bringing to 15 the death toll in the flood-battered region. More than 100 people were injured, and dozens missing.
With access to some of the seven villages hit by landslides difficult and much of the region’s telephone service cut off, it was feared the actual death toll was higher.
Vittayen Muttamara, deputy director of the government’s flood center, said 716,110 people have been affected by floods from nearly a week of heavy rain in eight southern provinces. Many urban and rural areas were inundated, and connecting roads blocked by mud and rock slides.
The Thai navy dispatched three vessels to help evacuate tourists from resort islands such as Koh Samui, to which air service was intermittent because of flooding around its airport. Private ferry operators also pitched in.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva visited the region Wednesday morning and ordered residents evacuated from all areas at risk.
“If you ask people who are familiar (with the situation), they would tell you they never expected this could happen,” he said. “We cannot use the past experience as a guideline because many things have changed. Therefore, I’d like everyone to think of safety first in the risky areas and we will facilitate the evacuation in the necessary areas.”
Thailand’s weather bureau said torrential rains were expected for one or two more days over much of southern Thailand. It warned of more flooding and wind-whipped waves making sailing unsafe for small boats.
April 4, 2011 at 7:18 pm
WILLIAMS
Date: April 1, 2011 Time: 18:31
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Operator: Fugro Aviation Canada
AC Type: CASA C-212-CC40 Aviocar 200
Reg: C-FDKM cn: 196
Aboard: 3 Fatalities: 1 Ground: 0
Route: Geological survey
Details: Shortly after taking off, the pilot reported problems with his left engine and said he was attempting to make an emergency landing. The pilot could not make the runway and attempted to land on the northbound lane of Wanuskewin Road but hit the top of a sound barrier. The pilot and co pilot were injured and a passenger was killed.
April 13, 2011 at 5:21 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
US: Storm reaches southern California; flash-flood watch issued
Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:51 CST
SOURCE: http://www.sott.net
A powerful winter storm dumped about a half-inch of rain on Los Angeles and forecasters say more wet, messy weather is expected.
The National Weather Service says another mass of cold air moving into Southern California could bring thunderstorms Saturday afternoon and into Sunday.
This latest storm could drop up to four inches of snow at elevations as low as 3,500 feet, causing potential traffic snarls on mountain passes.
Rain began to move into the region from the north Friday afternoon and made a mess of the evening commute. The California Highway Patrol says there were approximately 158 collisions between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, compared with 80 for the same time period one week ago.
A flash-flood watch was issued for mountain areas that have been scorched by wildfires in recent years, but there are no immediate reports of any problems.
April 13, 2011 at 5:25 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Southern U.S. Hit Hard By Drought
April 9, 2011 by Dan Holiday
Filed under Featured, Severe Weather, The Storm Report.com News
(Lincoln, Nebraska) – According to a recent article in USA Today, California may be seeing some relief from drought conditions but the southern U.S. is still battling dry weather.
Texas seems to be the hardest hit state where almost half of the Lonestar state us under an “extreme” drought according the government website, Drought Monitor. John Nielsen-Gammon, a Texas state climatologist says, “This is the driest winter we’ve had since the late 1960′s.”
More than half of Texas’ winter wheat crop has been rated as poor to very poor because of the dry weather and extreme cold. Dry weather has also taken its toll on wheat.
Large parts of the Southwest, southern Plains, Florida and the Southeast are still dealing with below average rainfall.
April 13, 2011 at 5:31 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Winter storm moves from southern US to north-east
12 January 2011 Last updated at 20:49 GMT
A winter storm that pummelled southern US states in the last few days has now hit the north-east, causing travel disruption in the air and on the roads.
Eight inches (20cm) of snow fell on Central Park in New York City and up to 12in in New Jersey and Connecticut.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled and commuters faced major disruption to road and rail services.
At least 14 people died in snow-related incidents earlier in the week as storms hit the less-prepared southern US.
More than 2ft (60cm) of snow fell in parts of Connecticut, where police responded to about 900 car crashes, minor collisions and stranded vehicles.
The storm system forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights in airports in states across the north-east and suspended train travel between New York City and Boston in Massachusetts due to a power system failure near Boston.
Two residents of the town of Sea Cliff in New York digging out their car Residents of New York state awoke to a tricky rush hour commute on Wednesday morning
“You can’t see across the street. The wind and snow is blowing about 40mph (64km/h) sideways,” Massachusetts resident Artie Perrin told the Associated Press news agency.
Roughly 70,000 households in Massachusetts and 8,700 individuals in Rhode Island were left without power on Wednesday, according to the state emergency agencies.
The National Weather Service reported on Wednesday that there was snow on the ground in every US state except for Florida, including Hawaii – which had 7in on the top of the Mauna Kea mountain.
“I think it has happened in the past, but it’s not very often that it happens,” said weather service spokesman James Peronto.
‘Difficult rush hour’
New York’s public schools remained open on Wednesday, but schools were shut elsewhere in parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, faced criticism for the way the city handled a snow storm just after Christmas, when parts of its subway ground to a halt, streets were unploughed and ambulances had trouble reaching emergency cases.
He warned New Yorkers to expect a tough commute to work.
“It’s going to be a difficult, difficult rush hour,” Mr Bloomberg was quoted by AP as saying.
“The storm is predicted to be at its heaviest just a few hours before rush hour, and there’s no way that our city’s (ploughs) can get to all 6,000 streets in one or two hours.”
On Tuesday, a combination of freezing rain and sleet forced school closures in parts of the South for a second day, as residents faced icy roads and downed power lines.
Officials warned motorists to stay off the roads because of the storm, which began blanketing southern states with snow on Sunday, trapping some motorists on highways in Georgia and Arkansas.
An accumulation of ice is expected to stay on roads throughout many states in the southern US until temperatures warm up later in the week, forecasters said.
April 13, 2011 at 5:38 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Southern U.S. Hit Hard By Drought
April 9, 2011 by Dan Holiday
Filed under Featured, Severe Weather, The Storm Report.com News
(Lincoln, Nebraska) – According to a recent article in USA Today, California may be seeing some relief from drought conditions but the southern U.S. is still battling dry weather.
Texas seems to be the hardest hit state where almost half of the Lonestar state us under an “extreme” drought according the government website, Drought Monitor. John Nielsen-Gammon, a Texas state climatologist says, “This is the driest winter we’ve had since the late 1960′s.”
More than half of Texas’ winter wheat crop has been rated as poor to very poor because of the dry weather and extreme cold. Dry weather has also taken its toll on wheat.
Large parts of the Southwest, southern Plains, Florida and the Southeast are still dealing with below average rainfall.
April 13, 2011 at 5:51 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Hope fades for missing migrants off Italian island
Apr 6, 2011, 16:35 GMT
Lampedusa, Italy – Hopes were fading on Wednesday of finding around 250 people feared missing after a boat carrying would-be immigrants capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa, officials said.
Only 51 people had been rescued by late afternoon, some 12 hours after the accident happened, officials said.
Of the survivors, 48, including a eight-month pregnant woman, were picked up by an Italian coast guard patrol while three were taken aboard a trawler from Sicily.
‘Dozens’ of bodies, including those of children, were spotted in the water by the crew of a helicopter involved in a search for survivors.
The group picked up by the coast guard patrol arrived by mid morning on Lampedusa from the area of the shipwreck, which is around 39 nautical miles from the island and 101 nautical miles from Malta.
‘Some are are being treated for hypothermia after spending hours in very cold water,’ coast guard officer Pietro Carosia said.
Those shipwrecked were mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, including nationals of Eritrea, Somalia and Ivory Coast, a UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokeswoman said.
Survivors said their vessel had left Sabratha in north-western Libya on Sunday, UNHCR spokeswoman Laura Boldrini was quoted as saying by the ANSA newsagency.
At least 30 women and several children were believed to have been on board, Boldrini said.
Initial rescue operations involving three Italian coast guard ships, a helicopter and a Maltese airplane were hampered by strong winds and rough seas, officials said.
Since January’s uprising in Tunisia, around 22,000 Tunisian migrants seeking better living conditions abroad have reached Lampedusa. Most of them have been transferred to reception centres elsewhere in Italy.
Italy has repeatedly asked other European Union member nations to assist in accommodating the migrants.
It has also warned that the conflict in Libya may trigger many more arrivals with people from sub-Saharan Africa taking advantage of the lack of border controls and using the North African country as a springboard to reach Europe.
April 13, 2011 at 6:00 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
11 April 2011 Last updated at 14:24 GMT
Japan: Powerful earthquake hits north-east
A powerful earthquake has hit north-east Japan, exactly one month after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The 7.1-magnitude tremor triggered a brief tsunami warning, and forced workers to evacuate the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant.
The epicentre of the quake was in Fukushima prefecture, and struck at a depth of just 10km (six miles).
It came as Japan said it was extending the evacuation zone around the nuclear plant because of radiation concerns.
The cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were damaged in last month’s disaster. Workers have been struggling to prevent several reactors from overheating, and avert a large-scale release of radiation.
The plant’s operator, Tepco, said power used to pump water to cool three damaged reactors had been cut briefly but early indications suggested the plant had not sustained any further damage.
The zone around it will be widened to encompass five communities beyond the existing 20-km (12-mile) radius, following new data about accumulated radiation levels, officials said.
Top government spokesman Yukio Edano said the new evacuations would take place over the coming month, from areas including Iitate village, which lies 40km from the power station, and part of the city of Kawamata.
“This is not an emergency measure that people have to evacuate immediately,” he told a news conference, but added that there were concerns about long-term health risks.
‘Standing together’
The latest tremor struck shortly after the country stopped to observe a minute’s silence to remember the nearly 28,000 dead or missing in the 11 March disaster.
Silence in Minamisanriku to mark one month since the quake and tsunami
Survivors in shelters marked the moment the quake and tsunami hit at 1446 (0546 GMT) with bowed heads.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan thanked people around the world for their support.
In an open letter carried in seven newspapers around the world, he said that the support had brought hope and inspired courage at a desperate time.
“Through our own efforts and with the help of the global community, Japan will recover and come back even stronger. We will then repay you for your generous aid,” he wrote.
“With this in our hearts, we now stand together dedicated to rebuilding the nation.”
The official death toll from the disaster is 13,130, while 13,718 remain unaccounted for.
More than 150,000 people have been made homeless. Many have lost their jobs.
The prime minister has tried to reassure survivors that the fishing industry – which many in the area rely on for their livelihoods – would resume as soon as possible.
We need funds and I think an environment that has a radiation risk simply isn’t right – especially for my new baby.
I have to make a very hard decision. I want to live peacefully in my hometown. It pains me that I can’t.
I have no choice but to carry on with my life, and I will work away from home temporarily.
I haven’t decided what I will do long-term yet. What I know for sure is that I have to give up my dream of being a children’s football coach. Sadly my life has changed completely as a result of this disaster.
The tsunami wrecked boats and piers, closing down big fishing operations.
But the damage to the nuclear plant has also hit the fishing industry, as public and international buyers ditch Japanese food products over fears of contamination.
During a visit to Fukushima on Monday, Tepco chief Masataka Shimizu apologised for the nuclear accident.
The people who live near the plant are “suffering physically and mentally due to the nuclear radiation leak accident,” he said.
“We sincerely apologise for this,” he said.
The local community has been so angered by Tepco’s handling of the incident that Fukushima’s mayor refused to meet Mr Shimizu.
Workers have been feeding water into three reactors at the plant to cool fuel rods.
They are continuing to inject nitrogen into the No 1 reactor to prevent another blast caused by a build-up of hydrogen gas.
They have also been releasing water with low levels of radioactivity into the sea so that they can transfer highly radioactive water to a sealed area on site.
Officials have warned it will be several months before the situation at the nuclear facility is brought fully under control.
BBC NEWS.COM
April 13, 2011 at 6:03 pm
WILLIAM ASONGMAN
Japan Experiences 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake, 2 People Dead
Posted by sandrabirungi on 4/08/11
A strong after shock earthquake hit Japan late yesterday night killing two people.
The earthquake was of 7.1 magnitude shattered windows, kicked items from shelves and collapsed some roofs that weren’t already demolished, but generated no tsunami and largely spared the region’s nuclear plants. Some slightly radioactive water spilled at one plant, but the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi complex reported no new problems.
It is already a month after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country which led to a tsunami making it the worst disaster the world has ever experienced in a period of 25 years. A 63-year-old woman died when the tremor knocked out power in Yamagata prefecture, shutting off her respirator. And a 79-year-old man in Miyagi prefecture died of shock.
The latest earthquake – at a depth of 49km (32 miles) – struck off Japan’s north-east coast, close to the epicenter of the 11 March quake. Matsuko Ito, who has been living in a shelter in the small northeastern city of Natori since the tsunami, said there’s no getting used to the terror of being awoken by shaking. She said she started screaming when the quake struck around 11:30 p.m.
“It’s enough,” the 64-year-old while smoking a cigarette outside. “Something has changed. The world feels strange now. Even the way the clouds move isn’t right.” The quake struck at 2332 local time (1432 GMT) on Thursday, 118km (78 miles) north of Fukushima, 40km offshore. First reports said it had a magnitude of 7.4 but that was later revised to 7.1, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
“It started off with small shakes, then shook bigger,” Miri Gono in Tokyo said. “I was alone in my house with my brother and we were so scared… We took our bottles of water and hid under the table.”
Japan’s meteorological agency issued tsunami warnings and advisories for a stretch of coast 420km long, from Aomori prefecture in the north to Ibaraki prefecture in central Japan, just north of Tokyo. Hundreds of aftershocks have shaken north-eastern Japan in the wake of the earlier earthquake, but few have measured higher than 7.0.
Following the March 11th 9.0 magnitude, about 28,000 people are dead or missing, and hundreds of thousands were left homeless after the tsunami which ripped through the region.
May 3, 2011 at 7:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bin Laden killing caps decade-long manhunt
(CNN) — A nearly decade-long manhunt for the mastermind of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil ended north of Pakistan’s capital Monday as American commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a pre-dawn firefight.
The Saudi exile had been the world’s most wanted man since the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people. News of his death, announced by President Barack Obama shortly before midnight Sunday Eastern time, drew cheering crowds to the streets of New York and the gates of the White House.
“It’s a win for the United States of America,” Al Santora said outside the Manhattan firehouse where his son Christopher once worked. “It’s a win for everybody in the world, the free world, and hopefully we’ll have some more wins,” Santora added.
Christopher Santora was one of the 343 New York firefighters who died when al Qaeda operatives turned jetliners full of people into missiles packed with jet fuel, using them to bring down the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. Bin Laden’s followers also flew a hijacked plane into the Pentagon that day, while a fourth airliner crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers attempted to resist.
“We’ll never get him back, but it makes it a little easier,” Santora said.
Obama plans to visit New York on Thursday to meet with families of those killed in the attacks and to visit the World Trade Center site, now being rebuilt but still widely known as “ground zero,” a senior White House official said Monday.
The 9/11 attacks prompted a U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in pursuit of al Qaeda and its allies in the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic militia that ruled most of the country at the time. Bin Laden slipped away from U.S. forces at the Afghan stronghold of Tora Bora and remained at large for the next nine-plus years, exhorting his followers in periodic messages to carry out attacks on Americans and their allies.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.dead/index.html?hpt=T2
May 3, 2011 at 8:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
Satya Sai Baba, Indian guru, dies at 84
One of India’s most revered spiritual leaders, Sri Satya Sai Baba, has died in hospital at the age of 84. 24 April 2011
The guru, who suffered respiratory problems and kidney failure, died in his hometown Puttaparthi after a cardiac arrest, doctors said.
He enjoyed support from all areas of Indian society and had followers around the world.
But he was dogged by controversy including allegations, never proven, of sexual abuse and charlatanism.
High-profile followers included former Indian Prime Minster Atal Behari Vajpayee and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Many devotees considered him a living god, and credited him with mystical powers including the ability to conjure objects out of the air.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described his death as an “irreparable loss”.
“He was a spiritual leader who inspired millions to lead a moral and meaningful life even as they followed the religion of their choice,” said Mr Singh.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13180011
May 3, 2011 at 8:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
100 missing’ as DR Congo boat capsizes
About 100 people are missing after a boat capsized on the Kasai river in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports say.
The vessel sank near the town of Tshikapa in the central Kasai-Occidental province, officials said.
Another boat capsized last year on the same river, a tributary of the Congo river, leaving up to 200 people dead.
Boats are common transport in DR Congo, which has few viable roads or railways but several major lakes and rivers.
Information Minister Lambert Mende said the boat was a cargo vessel, not registered to carry passengers, and was not authorised to sail at night.
He said the boat transporting cassava and maize sank after hitting a floating tree trunk.
The number of passengers is not known because no records were kept.
About 30 people have been rescued.
Some survivors told the UN-backed Radio Okapi that about 100 passengers were missing.
The BBC’s Thomas Hubert in Kinshasa says that bodies are still being recovered after a ferry sank last week on Lake Kivu, on DR Congo’s eastern border.
About 100 people are believed to have died in that accident.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13262182
May 3, 2011 at 8:08 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tornado rips through New Zealand city of Auckland
A tornado has roared through the New Zealand city of Auckland, killing at least two people and injuring several more.
It touched down around 1500 (0300 GMT) in the city’s Albany area and then moved south, felling trees and tearing roofs off houses.
Cars were overturned by the tornado, which left a 5 km-long (3 mile-long) trail of damage.
A roof was also ripped off a shopping centre in Albany, local media said.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown said that the death toll could rise. “We’ve had two confirmed fatalities, it’s absolutely disastrous,” he told local media.
Witnesses described debris flying though the air and cars torn from the ground as the slow-moving funnel passed.
“There’s probably six or seven seriously damaged cars, and I saw cars flying off the ground about 30 meters (100 feet) in the air,” shop owner Hamish Blair told the Associated Press news agency.
New Zealand’s Stuff news website said that at least 18 people had been taken to hospital.
Police warned local residents to stay inside until the weather settled.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13263881
May 3, 2011 at 8:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
Ex-Sony Chief, Who Led Push Into Movies, Dies….24 April 2011
Former Sony President and Chairman Norio Ohga, who gave up a career as an opera singer to join the fledgling consumer electronics maker in the 1950s and later led its expansion into movies and video games, died on Saturday, the company said. He was 81.
source : http://www.cnbc.com/id/42742128/Ex_Sony_Chief_Dies
May 3, 2011 at 9:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
April 1, 2011 Time: 18:31 , Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Shortly after taking off, the pilot reported problems with his left engine and said he was attempting to make an emergency landing. The pilot could not make the runway and attempted to land on the northbound lane of Wanuskewin Road but hit the top of a sound barrier. The pilot and co pilot were injured and a passenger was killed.
SOURCE : https://salawatia.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/what-the-scriptures-say-2011/
May 3, 2011 at 9:04 am
Haruna Mohammed
March 21, 2011 , Pointe-Noire, Congo
The cargo plane was approaching Runway 17 at Pointe-Noire Airport when it crashed in the Mvou Mvou residential area and was destroyed.
SOURCE : https://salawatia.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/what-the-scriptures-say-2011/
May 3, 2011 at 11:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
For more information on plane crash, click on the link below…….
Click here : http://www.planecrashinfo.com/recent.htm
May 4, 2011 at 7:39 am
Haruna Mohammed
Uganda: Besigye vows protests will continue
Uganda’s opposition leader has vowed to continue peaceful protests in the country, days after an attack that left him in hospital.
Kizza Besigye’s car was attacked during a demonstration in Kampala on Thursday and he was doused in pepper spray.
The UN meanwhile urged Ugandan authorities to stop using “excessive force” against peaceful protesters.
Demonstrations over the last three weeks have left eight people dead and more than 250 others wounded.
At least two people were killed and 90 injured in Kampala on Friday after police fired bullets and tear gas at crowds protesting against Mr Besigye’s arrest.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13255025
May 5, 2011 at 8:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Last WWI combat veteran Claude Choules dies aged 110
The world’s last known combat veteran of World War I, Claude Choules, has died in Australia aged 110.
Known to his comrades as Chuckles, British-born Mr Choules joined the Royal Navy at 15 and went on to serve on HMS Revenge.
He moved to Australia in the 1920s and served in the military until 1956.
Mr Choules, who had been married to his wife Ethel for 76 years, was reported to have died in his sleep at a nursing home in his adopted city of Perth.
He is survived by three children and 11 grandchildren. His wife died three years ago.
Mr Choules’ 84-year-old daughter, Daphne Edinger, told the Associated Press news agency: “We all loved him. It’s going to be sad to think of him not being here any longer, but that’s the way things go.”
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13289607
May 9, 2011 at 8:09 am
Haruna Mohammed
Official: 15 bodies recovered from plane crash in Indonesia
Fifteen bodies were recovered Saturday from the wreckage of an airplane that crashed into the ocean while preparing to land in the Indonesian province of West Papua, officials said.
Rescuers were searching for survivors of the Merpati Nusantara Airlines crash just off the coast of Kaimana, said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the Indonesian transportation ministry.
There were 21 passengers and six crew members aboard the plane, a turbo-propeller MA60, he said.
Ervan could not immediately confirm any casualties, though a Kaimana Airport ticket agent told CNN that at least 15 bodies have been recovered.
source : http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-07/world/indonesia.plane.crash_1_plane-crash-merpati-nusantara-airlines-west-papua?_s=PM:WORLD
May 9, 2011 at 8:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
UN: Four workers killed in Bolivian plane crash
(CNN) — A Bolivian Air Force plane missing since Thursday crashed in a remote, mountainous area, killing two pilots and four United Nations workers, a U.N. official said Saturday.
A day earlier, a local mayor claimed to have found the plane and its passengers safe and sound, but the Air Force on Saturday found the wreckage, confirming that that was not the case.
“The plane was completely destroyed and burned,” Robert Brockmann, spokesman for the U.N. field office in Bolivia, told CNN.
The plane was found northeast of La Paz, the capital, in an overgrown area with steep cliffs, Brockmann said. The closest village to the site of the wreckage is La Merced, though it was not easily accessible, he said.
The cause of the crash has not been determined.
The four U.N. workers belonged to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. They were identified as Ivan Alfaro, Patricia Delgado, Cinthia Moreno and Stephan Campos.
At the time of its disappearance, the plane was carrying out an overflight of coca-producing areas in the Los Yungas region of the country, north of La Paz. It was the last week of what had been months of such overflights.
The plane had left El Alto International Airport in La Paz at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and was expected back at 2:30 p.m. The Air Force initiated a search after the plane never returned.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/05/07/bolivia.un.workers.dead/
May 9, 2011 at 8:15 am
Haruna Mohammed
Libya refugee boat sank off Tripoli, witnesses say
REFUGEES from Libya who arrived in Italy today said they saw another boat laden with fellow refugees capsize just off Libyan shores and “many bodies” were in the water, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
“They were in front of us, not far from the shore, when the overcrowded boat capsized,” one refugee was quoted as saying of the incident on Friday after landing in Lampedusa, an Italian island where thousands of refugees have been arriving.
“It was terrible. There were a lot of corpses,” said the refugee, whose name was not quoted in the report.
ANSA said “dozens of dozens of migrants are believed dead”, while others managed to swim to the shore.
Italian newspapers earlier reported that a boat carrying 600 refugees sank near Tripoli, citing a Catholic bishop in Libya and an ANSA report.
A Somali refugee also in Lampedusa whose son was on the boat received a call from relatives telling her that he was one of the victims, ANSA reported
source : http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/libya-refugee-boat-sank-off-tripoli-witnesses-say/story-e6frf7jx-1226052334891
May 11, 2011 at 8:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Former CNN president Burt Reinhardt dies at 91
(CNN) — Burt Reinhardt, a television pioneer who helped lead the evolution of 24-hour news coverage as president of CNN, died Tuesday at 91, according to family members.
Reinhardt died in Georgia, according to his daughter, Cheryl Reinhardt. She said he had been suffering complications following a series of strokes earlier this year.
Cable News Network founder Ted Turner remembered Reinhardt, who stayed away from the limelight, as an influential, if taciturn, executive.
“We both wanted to run a great news organization,” Turner said. “He just did a masterful job. He got the stories covered, but he did it within the budget.”
After a stint as a vice president, Reinhardt served as CNN president from 1983 to 1990. He later was vice chairman of the organization until his retirement in 2000.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/11/burt.reinhardt.obit/index.html?hpt=T2
May 12, 2011 at 7:45 am
Haruna Mohammed
Eight dead after earthquake hits Spain
Madrid (CNN) — Thousands of residents of the southeastern Spanish city of Lorca slept outside Wednesday night, hours after the city of about 80,000 was struck by an earthquake that killed eight people, state radio reported, citing authorities.
“It was a strange sensation,” said a press office worker who was in his office in the regional capital of Murcia, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Lorca. He estimated the duration of the quake from five to eight seconds.
The 5.1-magnitude quake occurred at 6:47 p.m. (12:47 p.m. ET) and was centered about 50 kilometers (31 miles) southwest of Murcia, near the Mediterranean coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said. That is about 350 kilometers (218 miles) south-southeast of Madrid.
It was preceded at 5:05 p.m. (11:05 a.m. ET) by a 4.5-magnitude temblor centered in the same area, the survey said.
At least one of the deaths occurred in a building collapse in Lorca, state-run EFE said.
Television pictures showed the belfry of an old church collapsing soon after the earthquake, as well as fallen bricks on top of damaged cars there. Buildings with broken windows and piles of rubble in the streets of Lorca could also be seen.
The press office said a hospital in Lorca had been evacuated as a precaution.
Many of those who were spending the night outside said they were afraid to return to their houses or had been advised not to do so, state radio said.
The quake occurred during an election campaign for Spain’s 8,000 town mayors and most of its regional governments, with voting scheduled for May 22. The two major parties called for a suspension of campaigning on Thursday out of respect for the victims.
SOURCE : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/11/spain.earthquake.death/index.html?hpt=T2
May 12, 2011 at 7:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
Boats capsize during storm in Togo killing ‘at least 36’
At least 36 people have died in Togo when their boats capsized during a storm, officials say.
The boats were caught in strong winds and torrential rain as they sailed across Lake Togo, about 40km (25 miles) east of the capital, Lome.
Police say the victims were returning home from a funeral on the other side of the lake. Will Grant reports.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13342911
May 12, 2011 at 7:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Greek general strike protests austerity measures
The protest occurs as experts from the European Union and International Monetary Fund assess proposed new austerity steps, including a third wave of tax increases and a sell-off of state assets.
source : http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-greece-austerity-20110512,0,4558932.story
May 12, 2011 at 8:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Mining-related landslides in the Philippines
A key human cause of landslides around the world is mining. This problem is exacerbated in areas in which mining activities are uncontrolled and unregulated, a particular issue in many less developed countries. In recent months there has been a spate of mining-related accidents in Mindanao in the Philippines. Many such landslides probably go unreported, but for 2011 my database includes the following events:
11/03/2011 Pantukan town, Campostella Valley 1 fatality 5 injuries
30/03/2011 T’boli town , South Cotabato province, Mindanao 3 fatalities 2 injuries
02/04/2011 Tampakan area, Mindanao 4 fatalities 2 injuries
22/04/2011 Kingking villag, Pantukan, Mindanao 24 fatalities 13 injuries
The root cause of the problem is that this area has extensive small-scale and unregulated gold mines. Whilst the rewards are potentially large, the risks associated with mining gold in a deeply weathered landscape that is prone to both earthquakes and intense rainfall are clear. In addition, the miners (which include children) tend to live on the hillsides close to the mine workings. There is a very evocative gallery of images of such a gold mining community in this area at the following location: http://www.photoblog.com/undergroundpix/2008/07/23/.
As you will see from the above, the most recent landslide occurred in a mining camp in Pantukan last Friday, killing 24 people living on the hillside. This image, included in this news report, shows the landslide and the adjacent hillsides:
SOURCE : http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2011/04/28/mining-related-landslides-in-the-philippines/
May 12, 2011 at 9:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Oil Rises to One-Week High as U.S. Floods Counter China Concerns
May 11 (Bloomberg) — Oil climbed tothe highest in a week in New York as speculation flooding on the Mississippi River will disrupt U.S. fuel supplies countered concern demand may falter in China, the world’s second-largest crude consumer.
Futures rose as much as 0.7 percent as the flood moved south from Memphis, threatening refineries and shipping traffic, and after a report showed U.S. gasoline inventories fell to the lowest since September 2009. Prices earlier fell as much as 0.5 percent after China’s inflation exceeded the government’s target, stoking speculation the central bank will raise interest rates to cool the economy.
“The market has been rallying the past two days and now may be in a consolidation phase so with the China data coming out that sparked a sell-off,” said Serene Lim, an energy and commodity strategist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Singapore. “The markets remain very jittery and traders will err on the side of caution.”
Crude for June delivery gained as much as 72 cents to $104.60 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was at $104.03 at 3:09 p.m. Singapore time. Yesterday, the contract rose 1.3 percent to $103.88, the highest since May 4. Prices are up 37 percent in the past year.
Brent crude for June settlement on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange increased as much as 80 cents, or 0.7 percent, to $118.43 a barrel. Yesterday, it gained 1.5 percent to $117.63, the highest settlement since May 4.
SOURCE : http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-05-11/oil-rises-to-one-week-high-as-u-s-floods-counter-china-concerns.html
May 13, 2011 at 7:54 am
Haruna Mohammed
Heavy sandstorm hits Xilinhot in N China
Residents make their way forward in sandstorm in Xilinhot City, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, May 11, 2011. The city was dimmed by a heavy sandstorm Wedenesday. (Xinhua/He Ping)
source : http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2011-05/11/c_13870142.htm
May 16, 2011 at 8:38 am
Haruna Mohammed
Louisiana residents rush to protect homes, escape from looming floods
Krotz Springs, Louisiana (CNN) — Residents of towns along the swollen Mississippi River on Sunday packed up their valuables and made last-ditch efforts to place sandbags and makeshift levees outside their homes, trying to protect themselves and their homes from rising waters.
“I have never experienced anything like this in my life,” said Brett Ansley, 24, as he was hitching up his trailer home in Krotz Springs, Louisiana, to move it to higher ground. “It’s crazy. It’s unreal.”
These efforts occurred as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened two additional gates Sunday morning on the Morganza spillway, located about 115 miles northwest of New Orleans. This is after opening the first two bays the previous day.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/15/flooding/index.html?hpt=T2
May 19, 2011 at 8:08 am
Haruna Mohammed
Thousands protest economic crisis, high unemployment in Spain
Madrid, Spain (CNN) — Protests against Spain’s economic crisis took a new turn Wednesday as social media networks fueled calls for demonstrators to take to the streets before local elections a few days away.
Thousands returned late Tuesday to Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol plaza — where the main protests began Sunday.
A few hundred demonstrators camped out there overnight, while similar but smaller protests were held in Barcelona and other Spanish cities, a protest organizer said.
“The economy and unemployment are key to the protest because that binds all of us together,” said Jon Aguirre Such, a spokesman for the Real Democracy Now, one of many groups convening the demonstrations.
“In this crisis, while some have gotten rich, most people have less income,” Aguirre said.
Demonstrators are protesting Spain’s 21% unemployment rate and a record 4.9 million jobless.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/18/spain.protests/index.html?hpt=T2
May 20, 2011 at 7:32 am
Haruna Mohammed
Argentina plane crash kills all 22 people on board
A small plane has crashed in southern Argentina, killing all 22 passengers and crew on board, officials say.
The plane went down in the Patagonian province of Rio Negro, after issuing a distress call, the operating company Sol Airlines said.
Rescuers were sent to the crash site near the town of Los Menucos.
A local hospital director said no one had been found alive and that “everything was destroyed and burned”, Argentine media reported.
The plane, a Saab 340 turboprop with capacity for 34 people, was carrying 19 passengers, including a baby, and three crew.
It was on a flight between Neuquen near the Andes to Comodoro Rivadavia.
Wreckage was found some 25km (15 miles) south-west of Los Menucos.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13451332
May 23, 2011 at 7:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volcano eruption forces closure of Iceland airspace
(CNN) — A volcanic eruption in Iceland forced flight cancellations and the closure of airspace over the country’s four international airports, an official said Sunday.
“There are no international flights in or out of Iceland at this time,” Keflavik International Airport spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmunsdottir said.
Officials will reassess the situation at midnight Sunday (8 p.m. EDT), she added.
There was “no impact on European or transatlantic flights” after the Grimsvotn volcano’s eruption, and none was expected on Sunday, Europe’s umbrella air traffic control association Eurocontrol said.
Ash is expected to reach Scotland on Tuesday and could enter France and Spain on Thursday, Eurocontrol said.
Last year, another Icelandic eruption, of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, attracted worldwide attention after its ash cloud disrupted air travel across Europe.
Weather patterns this weekend have been very different from the northerly winds that swept through the region after last year’s eruption, a spokeswoman for the official United Kingdom weather agency said. But she said the ash cloud’s movement is difficult to predict.
source :
May 23, 2011 at 7:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volcano eruption forces closure of Iceland airspace
(CNN) — A volcanic eruption in Iceland forced flight cancellations and the closure of airspace over the country’s four international airports, an official said Sunday.
“There are no international flights in or out of Iceland at this time,” Keflavik International Airport spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmunsdottir said.
Officials will reassess the situation at midnight Sunday (8 p.m. EDT), she added.
There was “no impact on European or transatlantic flights” after the Grimsvotn volcano’s eruption, and none was expected on Sunday, Europe’s umbrella air traffic control association Eurocontrol said.
Ash is expected to reach Scotland on Tuesday and could enter France and Spain on Thursday, Eurocontrol said.
Last year, another Icelandic eruption, of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, attracted worldwide attention after its ash cloud disrupted air travel across Europe.
Weather patterns this weekend have been very different from the northerly winds that swept through the region after last year’s eruption, a spokeswoman for the official United Kingdom weather agency said. But she said the ash cloud’s movement is difficult to predict.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/22/iceland.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2
May 23, 2011 at 7:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
Moderate quake hits west Turkey, killing at least two, injuring over 100
Panic-stricken residents in the town of Simav in western Turkey’s Kütahya province are reported to be leaving the area in buses and private vehicles after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook the town at 11:15 p.m. Thursday. The quake was also felt across much of western Turkey where many citizens temporarily poured out onto the streets.
source : http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=moderate-earthquake-hits-western-turkey-killing-at-least-two-and-injuring-over-100-people-2011-05-20
May 23, 2011 at 7:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
Protesters Call for the Resignation of Georgia’s President
MOSCOW — The police clashed with antigovernment protesters in Georgia on Sunday, at one point firing tear gas and rubber bullets, as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in the capital of the former Soviet republic to demand the ouster of President Mikheil Saakashvili.
source : http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/world/europe/23georgia.html?_r=1
May 24, 2011 at 7:59 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volcanic ash from Iceland heads for British airspace
(CNN) — Volcanic ash from an Icelandic eruption could reach British airspace Tuesday, sooner than previously predicted, Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority warned Monday.
Scotland’s Loganair announced that all flights will be canceled Tuesday due to forecasts that indicate “a high density of ash will be present in large parts of Scottish airspace.” British Airways and Dutch airline KLM also canceled dozens of scheduled Tuesday flights to and from locations in Scotland.
The eruption forced U.S. President Barack Obama, who was in Ireland on Monday, to move up the departure for his next stop on a six-day European tour.
“Due to a recent change in the trajectory in the plume of volcanic ash, Air Force One will depart Ireland for London tonight. The schedule for tomorrow will proceed as planned,” White House official John Earnest told CNN.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/05/23/iceland.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2
May 24, 2011 at 8:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
116 killed by Missouri tornado, tying it for deadliest on record
Joplin, Missouri (CNN) — The toll from the tornado that ripped through Joplin soared to 116 on Monday, a city official said, tying it for the single deadliest twister to ever hit American soil since the National Weather Service began keeping records 61 years ago.
City Manager Mark Rohr told reporters that people from more than 40 agencies are on the ground in the southwest Missouri city, with two first responders struck by lightning as they braved relentless rain and high winds searching for survivors. (Rohr did not give any immediate word on the rescuers’ condition.)
By Monday night, they’d found 17 people alive — a stark contrast to the fact that the number of fatalities is unmatched since a tornado struck Flint, Michigan, on June 8, 1953.
“We’re going to cover every foot of this town,” Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said from the National Guard Armory in Joplin. “We are … optimistic that there are still lives to be saved. But (first responders) have seen a tremendous amount of pain already.”
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/05/23/missouri.tornado/index.html?hpt=T2
May 26, 2011 at 2:43 am
yeboah augustine
What is imam comments on the divine revelation of the 7 columbian youth.
Thank you
May 27, 2011 at 8:12 am
Haruna Mohammed
Joplin Tornado Levels City; Survivors Recount Experience
The death toll for the tornado that hit Joplin, Mo. has risen to 117 as of Tuesday morning. It is the deadliest tornado recorded in U.S. history, according to the National Weather Service.
The half-mile-wide twister with estimated wind speed of 190-198 mph damaged or destroyed somewhere between 10 percent to 30 percent of Joplin and roughly 2,000 structures, estimates the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency.
source : http://www.christianpost.com/news/joplin-tornado-pummels-city-survivors-return-photos-50449/
June 2, 2011 at 8:51 am
Haruna Mohammed
Acid oceans turn ‘Finding Nemo’ fish deaf
Clownfish, the spectacular tropical species feted in the movie Finding Nemo, appear to lose their hearing in water slightly more acidic than normal.
At levels of acidity that may be common by the end of the century, the fish did not respond to the sounds of predators.
The oceans are becoming more acidic because they absorb much of the CO2 that humanity puts into the atmosphere.
Scientists write in the journal Biology Letters that failing to move away from danger would hurt the fish’s survival.
“Avoiding coral reefs during the day is very typical behaviour of fish in open water,” said research leader Steve Simpson from the School of Biological Sciences at the UK’s Bristol University.
“They do this by monitoring the sounds of animals on the reef, most of which are predators to something just a centimetre in length.
“But sounds are also important for mate detection, pack hunting, foraging – so if any or all of those capacities are gone, you’d have a very lost fish,” he told BBC News.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13605113
June 2, 2011 at 9:30 am
Haruna Mohammed
Chile’s Students Protest Profit Motive In Higher Education
Protesters insist public education must be strengthened.
Varying estimates indicate that somewhere between 15,000-20,000 students marched through Santiago on Wednesday in a national protest organized by the Confederation of Chilean Students (Confech) to demand stronger public universities and greater regulation of profits made by educational institutions.
A long column including students from universities and secondary schools, professors and university officials walked along Santiago’s principal boulevard, the Alameda, from the University of Santiago to the front of the Ministry of Education beginning about 10:00 a.m.
The march was predominantly peaceful although some disturbances occurred toward the end of the event, and there were isolated incidents following the march. Chile’s police force, the Carabineros, reported that 35 people were detained as a result of the demonstration.
The president of the University of Chile Students Federation (Fech), Camila Vallejo, said that students are hoping for a “concrete proposal” on the part of the government. She added that “the most important demand today is to regulate private industry within higher education. We believe that before passing resources from students to private institutions, first profits, fees and quality must be regulated.”
Vallejo complained that “When it’s a matter of the lack of regulation of the private sector, or of strengthening public institutions, today it’s impossible to sit down and have a dialogue,” adding that “this is not something ideological; it’s something that disregards the law.”
The march included the leading officials from several universities including the dean of the University of Santiago (Usach), who stated he had joined the protest “because the strengthening of public education is a demand consistent with what I have been maintaining for the last five or six years.”
source : http://www.santiagotimes.cl/news/other/21616-chiles-students-protest-profit-motive-in-higher-education.html
June 6, 2011 at 8:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Thousands evacuate as volcano erupts in southern Chile
A volcanic eruption in southern Chile Saturday shot smoke and ash miles into the sky and forced the evacuation of some 3,500 people.
“We are taking all necessary precautions,” said Chilean Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter, announcing the government’s evacuation orders.
An explosion in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex sent plumes of smoke more than six miles into the air, the state emergency office said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
SOURCE :http://articles.cnn.com/2011-06-04/world/chile.volcano_1_volcano-ash-white-smoke?_s=PM:WORLD
June 6, 2011 at 8:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bangladesh opposition calls for two-day protests
DHAKA (BNO NEWS) — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) announced a two-day protest on Sunday after police arrested 80 opposition activists during a countrywide general strike against the government attempts to change the voting system, the Daily Star reported.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said they will stage a rally in the capital on Monday and countrywide demonstrations the next day to protest “the attacks and mass arrests” of their men during the strike. The opposition party and its key ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami began the strike since 6:00 a.m. to demand the caretaker system must stay in place for holding parliamentary elections. During Sunday’s strike, three small bombs were exploded near the offices of the BNP. Police dispersed the protesters around 11:05 a.m. after two cocktails were exploded. Another bomb was exploded in front of a shopping complex, leaving a rickshaw-puller seriously injured.
Police shot 15 rounds of bullets to bring the situation under control when activists ransacked five trucks in the town of Begumganj, while 10 people were injured when police hit protesters with batons in Dattarhat village. Almost 60 people were also injured in four other towns when police clashed with activists.
The announcement of the two-day protest comes as the government is planning to scrap the provision for caretaker government system in the constitution.
SOURCE : http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/06/bangladesh-opposition-calls-for-two-day-protests/
June 6, 2011 at 9:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
E. coli outbreak: German farm in Uelzen ‘likely source’
A farm in northern Germany has been identified as the most likely source of many of the infections in the E. coli outbreak that has left 22 people dead.
The farm, producing beansprouts, is located in Uelzen, south of Hamburg, the epicentre of the outbreak that has also made more than 2,000 people ill.
German officials were awaiting results of tests on the farm’s produce that would offer more conclusive proof.
The farm has been closed and Germans advised to stop eating beansprouts.
EU agriculture ministers are to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the outbreak and its effect on production, the EU presidency has said.
SOURCE : http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/06/bangladesh-opposition-calls-for-two-day-protests/
June 8, 2011 at 8:45 am
Haruna Mohammed
India activist Anna Hazare begins new protest
Indian activist Anna Hazare has begun a protest against the police crackdown on an anti-corruption fast by yoga guru Baba Ramdev.
Mr Hazare says he will go without food during the one-day protest in Delhi.
Over the weekend police broke up another fast against corruption by yoga guru Baba Ramdev and thousands of his supporters, leading to a public outcry.
A hunger strike by Mr Hazare in April heaped pressure on the government, which is beset by corruption scandals.
Security is tight at the Rajghat mausoleum in the Indian capital, Delhi, where Mr Hazare is holding the protest.
Anna Hazare, 72, is part of a panel of campaigners now negotiating with the government for tough anti-corruption laws and he has huge public support.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13677897
June 8, 2011 at 8:46 am
Haruna Mohammed
Hundreds court arrest to protest Posco
Nearly 500 people, comprising activists and leaders of five political parties, held a demonstration in Bhubaneswar on Monday and courted arrest to protest forcible land acquisition for a steel project by South Korean major Posco, a protest leader said. The activists came in a procession here carryin
g posters and banners and shouted slogans against the Biju Janata Dal government. They also held a meeting near the state assembly premises.
“Around 1,000 people participated in the demonstration,” Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Dusmanta Das said.
At least 500 people courted arrest after they tried to intrude into the nearby prohibitory area, he said.
The political leaders who courted arrest belonged to the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Forward Bloc, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Samajwadi Party.
source : http://www.hindustantimes.com/Hundreds-court-arrest-to-protest-Posco/Article1-706335.aspx
June 8, 2011 at 8:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
China floods kill 24, force 100,000 to evacuate
BEIJING, June 8 (Reuters) – Heavy rain drenched a swathe of what had been drought-gripped southern and eastern China, killing 24 people and forcing more than 100,000 to evacuate, state media reported on Wednesday.
The deaths have been concentrated in the poor southern province of Guizhou, where 21 people have died so far, and 100,000 people have left their homes to escape the rising waters over the past few days, the official Xinhua news agency said.
Another 30 people were missing in Guizhou, the report added, suggesting the death toll could rise.
The other deaths have been reported in the eastern seaboard province of Jiangsu, Xinhua added, though other parts of that province remain parched.
Guizhou will be hit by more rain over the coming few days, and the government has already sent a relief team to the hardest hit areas, it said.
The drought has damaged crops and exacerbated a power shortage by cutting power generation from dams, adding a slight bump to near three-year high consumer inflation.
The rains will add to farmers’ hopes that they will be able to plant mid-year rice crops after early-season plantings suffered during the drought.
The drought has affected millions of hectares of farmland, mainly in the five provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze.
Rice acreage in these five provinces accounts for nearly half of China’s total rice area, official data show. But early-season rice accounted for only 16 percent of China’s total rice output of 196 million tonnes last year. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Ken Wills and Alex Richardson)
source : http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E7H80L820110608
June 13, 2011 at 8:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquakes rock Christchurch, New Zealand
(CNN) — A pair of earthquakes with magnitudes of at least 5.0 struck within 90 minutes of each other near Christchurch, New Zealand, on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, reviving vivid memories of a deadly quake that killed more than 180 people in February.
“Everyone is on edge here anyway,” said Rhys Taylor, who said he could hear sirens and see helicopters flying over Christchurch. “Obviously, power’s out — sort of all over the city at the moment — and phone lines are down.”
Police evacuated sections of the city’s central business district after reports of a possible gas leak, police said. Several bridges in the city were closed as a precaution.
“It was quite an exciting ride,” Christchurch Police Acting Inspector Murray Hurst told CNN after the first quake, adding that there was some damage caused by the quake and a few injuries that were not life-threatening.
The first quake — a magnitude 5.2 — was centered 9 kilometers (5 miles) east-southeast of Christchurch at a depth of 11 kilometers (6.8 miles), according to USGS. The quake took place at 1 p.m. Monday.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/13/new.zealand.quakes/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 14, 2011 at 8:35 am
Haruna Mohammed
Protesters, security forces clash in China
Beijing (CNN) — A rash of violent protests in China continued over the weekend as migrant workers and security forces clashed in a rural city about 60 miles northwest of Hong Kong, local government officials and witnesses said.
The protest erupted in Zengcheng over what witnesses described as rough handling of a pregnant street vendor by security guards Friday. Local government officials said the protests involved hundreds, while other unofficial reports estimated tens of thousands of protesters.
The demonstrators hurled bottles and bricks at government officials and marched to the local police station, where they damaged several cars, according to the local government officials. Protests continued Saturday and Sunday, according to local officials.
The situation in Zengcheng remains tense, according to a businessman who asked to be identified only by his surname, Hu, because he was concerned about reprisals from government officials.
Looting and violence is widespread at night, despite the presence of security forces, according to Hu, who said he witnessed nighttime violence before deciding it would be safer to stay inside at night.
The Zengcheng riot is the latest disturbance in China, whose government is apparently unnerved by scenes of masses of protesters across the Middle East and North Africa seeking, and in some cases winning, reform from their governments.
“Because of the Arab Spring and economic insecurities people face in China, the government has been cracking down even harder on protests, even if they are of a local nature,” said Patrick Chovanec, a political analyst at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in Beijing.
Last week in Lichuan, protests broke out after the prison death of a local government official who had been charged with bribery.
The local government said the death of Ran Jianxin was still under investigation. They said that two local officials had been suspended and were under investigation in his death. Two others involved in the corruption case against Ran were in custody, according to the local government.
Residents said they believed Ran was killed for not cooperating with other corrupt officials.
A YouTube video showed people gathered in front of government buildings with a banner reading, “(Ran) offended the officials for the benefit of the people, and he was murdered.”
Large protests also continued last week in Inner Mongolia, when thousands of ethic Mongolians swarmed security officers after the death of a Mongolian who had been hit by a coal truck driven by an ethnic Han Chinese.
In late May, thousands of Mongolian students protested in support of the herder in Xilin Gol. And Chinese authorities arrested dozens of demonstrators in Hohhot last month as protests spread to the provincial capital and other cities in Inner Mongolia despite tightened security and reports of martial law, activists said.
On Monday, military veterans openly demonstrated at Beijing’s railroad ministry, claiming they were denied jobs they had been promised. Ministry officials could not be reached for comment Monday.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/13/china.protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
June 14, 2011 at 8:40 am
Haruna Mohammed
China lead poisoning outbreak hits more than 600
(CBS/AP) China’s latest outbreak of lead poisoning has affected more than 600 people, including 103 children, state media reported Sunday.
The victims are workers from 25 family-run tinfoil processing workshops – and their children – in Yangxunqiao, a town in eastern China, according to the official XinHua News Agency. Tests revealed that 26 adults and all 103 kids experienced severe lead poisoning, while 494 others had moderate lead poisoning, Xinhua reported.
The workshops, which use lead to process tinfoil, have since suspended operation.
Last month, dozens of people in the same region were sickened by lead and cadmium poisoning. Seventy-four people were detained, and production was suspended at hundreds of battery factories.
In response to the reports of widespread contamination from heavy metals, capital city Beijing has announced plans for stricter supervision. Local authorities are now taking action to curb pollution.
Lead poisoning can damage the nervous, muscular and reproductive systems. Children, in particular, are at risk.
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20070757-10391704.html#ixzz1PElurZGv
source : http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20070757-10391704.html
June 14, 2011 at 8:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volcano eruption in Eritrea cuts short Hillary Clinton visit
Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, was forced to cut short a tour of Africa after an Eritrean volcano that has lain dormant since modern records began erupted.
The eruption of the Nabro volcano close to the east African country’s border with Ethiopia came at around midnight local time on Sunday and was preceded by a series of earthquakes, the most powerful with a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale.
Plumes of ash were sent eight miles upwards into the air. The ash cloud has already seen the cancellation of flights to Eritrea and neighbouring Ethiopia, and is expected to cause severe disruption in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, to the north.
Mrs Clinton arrived in Ethiopia today to address a meeting of the 53-member of the African Union and meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
But amid warnings that the Ethiopia’s aviation authorities were considering closing Addis Ababa’s main airport as the ash cloud headed to the capital, she cancelled a media briefing and flew home 24 hours early.
An official travelling with Mrs Clinton said they had been forced to make a snap decision or risk being stranded.
source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/eritrea/8573676/Volcano-eruption-in-Eritrea-cuts-short-Hillary-Clinton-visit.html
June 17, 2011 at 7:08 am
Haruna Mohammed
Posties protest back-to-work legislation
Several hundred postal workers at the Scarborough Canada Post depot chanted “Negotiate, don’t legislate” Thursday while waiting for Ottawa to force them back to work.
Legislation will likely be tabled at the House of Commons Friday but the earliest it will be debated is Monday meaning that striking posties will be sent back to work on Thursday or Friday, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers predicted.
“Basically, the negotiations are off,” said CUPW Scarborough local president Mike Duquette. “They walked away from the table. A third-party arbitrator will have 90 days to make a decision and that arbitrator will either take the corporation’s final offer or our final offer and that will be the basis of the collective agreement.”
The problem with back-to-work legislation, Duquette said, is neither side really has any input into what the contract will be and the arbitrator could take “the worst from both sides and both sides would be upset.”
Workers have been locked out since Tuesday night just before midnight. The biggest issues in the fight are sick days, cut hours, wages and pension.
Letter carrier Robert Brookes, 51, said workplace hazards have left him with ailing injuries.
“Whenever you’re out in the elements, it doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, you’re going to fall,” Brookes said. “I’ve fallen five times this year. I fell in the street and smashed my knees and shoulder. You get bit by a dog, fall down and break your leg — they’re not going to pay for it.”
Marie Clarke-Walker of the Canadian Labour Congress said welfare cheques still held at Canada Post depots and sorting facilities will be delivered.
“They want to honour that,” Clarke-Walker said. “They want to be able to negotiate a fair deal, everyone should be allowed to do that. They’re asking for maintenance of what they’ve worked really hard for. The former CEOs and upper management are taking home bonuses in the millions of dollars, which means the company is profitable. Asking these workers to cut back when they’ve been cutting back year after year is really unfair.”
source : http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/16/posties-protest-backtowork-legislation
June 17, 2011 at 7:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Greece protests intensify amid political turmoil
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Greece was rocked by protests on Wednesday as riot police, masked leftwingers and the self-declared “Indignant Citizens” movement battled for control of Syntagma square outside the parliament building.
An anti-austerity demonstration saw trade unionists taking part in a 24-hour walkout staged by ADEDY and GSEE, the civil service and public sector union federations, joining forces with the “Indignant” activists encamped in the square
Please respect FT.com’s ts&cs and copyright policy which allow you to: share links; copy content for personal use; & redistribute limited extracts. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights or use this link to reference the article – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c78d9c0e-9777-11e0-af13-00144feab49a.html#ixzz1PVx8x2QO
Police fired teargas at extremists but the violence ended when activists regrouped to push the troublemakers out of the square.
The escalating street protests and a looming rebellion in the governing socialist party pushed George Papandreou, the prime minister, to propose a government of national unity to handle the next round of economic reform
But Mr Papandreou failed to do a deal with Antonis Samaras, the conservative leader, and on Wednesday night announced an immediate cabinet reshuffle to be followed by a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The premier’s change of tack followed an angry reaction by socialist cabinet ministers who have been jostling for position before a parliamentary vote this month on a €28bn ($40bn) austerity package agreed with the European Union and International Monetary Fund in return for a fresh bail-out loan.
Mr Papandreou’s repeated hints that he could make way for a non-political personality as prime minister have angered socialist deputies. “He has said more than once that he’s not wedded to the prime minister’s chair,” said a senior party officials
Opinion polls this week put Mr Samaras’s approval rating ahead of the prime minister for the first time, while the conservatives’ lead over the socialists has steadily widened.
The collapse of the unity government talks disappointed analysts who had hoped it would have accelerated the pace of structural reform.
“An experienced technocrat [as prime minister] with a small team could make a real difference within a year,” said Yannis Stournaras, director of the Iobe think-tank.
Mr Papandreou’s move came as senior members of his Panhellenic Socialist Movement expressed concern the party had abandoned its commitment to state participation in the economy and to social protection under EU-IMF pressure.
source : http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c78d9c0e-9777-11e0-af13-00144feab49a.html#axzz1PVx0nh1V
June 20, 2011 at 7:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Frederick Chiluba, Infamous Zambia Leader, Dies at 68
Frederick Chiluba, the first democratically elected president of Zambia, a man whose image as a defender of civil liberties was later tarnished by his efforts to suppress political opposition and accusations that he used millions of dollars of public money on his wardrobe and other extravagances, died Saturday in Lusaka. He was 68.
source :http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/africa/20chiluba.html?_r=1
June 20, 2011 at 7:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
South Korean troops shoot at passenger jet
outh Korean troops have shot at civilian passenger jet after mistaking it for a North Korean military aircraft.
The South Korean jet was coming in to land at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport – close to the border with North Korea – when Marines opened fire with rifles.
The incident took place at dawn Friday, Yonhap news agency reported, citing a military source.
The Asiana Airlines jet carrying about 119 people was undamaged and no one was hurt.
The incident highlights how persistent tensions near the heavily armed inter-Korean border pose the possibility for dangerous miscalculation.
The Korean peninsula has remained in a technical state of conflict since the Korean War ended in a truce in 1953. A peace treaty has never been signed.
June 21, 2011 at 9:16 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crash in north-west Russia’s Karelia kills 44
Forty-four people have been killed and eight injured in a plane crash in north-western Russia, officials say.
The aircraft attempted to land on a motorway about 1km (0.6 miles) from Petrozavodsk airport in the republic of Karelia, but crashed and caught fire.
The RusAir Tupolev 134 plane had 43 passengers and nine crew. Survivors include a 10-year-old boy and a girl thought to be his sister.
Thick fog and heavy rain were reported at the time of the crash.
The plane came down while flying from the capital, Moscow, to Petrozavodsk.
It just missed houses close to the motorway. One source told the Interfax news agency that bodies were strewn across the road.
Rescuers managed to pull several people out of the plane before it exploded.
A mobile phone video of the scene shortly afterwards showed flames from the wreckage soaring into the night sky
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13851697
June 21, 2011 at 9:18 am
Haruna Mohammed
175 killed from China floods; more than 1.6 million evacuated
Beijing (CNN) — At least 175 people have died from flooding this month in southern and eastern China, the country’s Ministry of Civil Affairs said Monday.
Another 86 people are missing from the flooding that began with rainfall on June 3. The ministry said 13 provinces have been affected, more than 1.6 million people have been evacuated, and the direct economic losses has reached 35.02 billion yuan ($5.4 billion).
The flooding has destroyed at least 8,400 houses in Zhejiang province alone, a provincial agency said.
More than 4.4 million have been affected by the flooding in Zhejiang as of Monday, according to the Zhejiang Flood Control Office. About 292,000 have been evacuated, according to the agency’s website.
The direct economic loss in Zhejiang has reached 7.69 billion yuan ($1.18 billion), the agency said.
Zhao Fayuan, director of the Zhejiang Flood Control Office, said the areas around the Qiantang and Dongtiao rivers have been the most severely affected.
At least 171,000 hectares (422,550 acres) of crops have been destroyed by flooding, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing data from local officials. A Zhejiang official said more than 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) of dikes were in danger of overflowing near Lanxi city, according to Xinhua.
The southern province of Jiangxi is grappling with the worst flooding on record there. At least 40,000 people have been evacuated from flooding over the weekend.
“The farmlands are severely affected by the flood,” Qiu Qiyong of the Jiangxi Flood Control and Drought Relief Office said Monday. He said the economic loss over two days reached 0.836 billion yuan ($129 million).
Residents in Jiangxi got a bit of a respite Monday, as rainfall stopped and water levels decreased. Some of those evacuated were able to return to their homes.
Hubei province — where the Three Gorges Dam is located — has suffered significant flooding, according to Xinhua. And the rains caused water levels in dozens of reservoirs in neighboring Hunan province “to exceed alarming levels,” the news agency said.
The flooding ended the worst drought to hit southern China in 50 years.
It came a month after the Chinese government acknowledged that Three Gorges Dam — the world’s largest hydropower plant — was having “urgent problems” and warned of environmental, construction and migration “disasters.”
The dam was originally touted for its ability to control the impact of flooding that threatens the Yangtze River Delta each summer.
But more than 1,000 towns and villages were flooded during the digging and construction of the dam’s giant concrete barrier. And landslides and pollution have plagued the areas near the dam since it was built.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/21/china.floods/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 22, 2011 at 6:42 am
Haruna Mohammed
NATO drone helicopter goes down in Libya
Misrata, Libya (CNN) — NATO said Tuesday that it lost contact with a U.S. unmanned helicopter flying surveillance for the organization over the central coastal area of Libya.
Contact with the Fire Scout was lost at 7:20 a.m., said Wing Cmdr. Mike Bracken, a NATO spokesman.
A Pentagon source told CNN that the Fire Scout belonged to the U.S. Navy.
Libyan state television reported that an “Apache helicopter was downed in the area of Majr in Zliten,” claiming it was the fifth NATO aircraft to be downed.
An Apache is a manned attack helicopter. Bracken denied that NATO had lost any attack helicopters during the alliance’s mission in Libya.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/21/libya.war/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 23, 2011 at 8:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
Magnitude-6.7 quake rattles northern Japan
Tokyo (CNN) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 struck off the Pacific Coast of northern Japan early Thursday, Japanese and U.S. seismologists reported.
The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that a tsunami could be generated by the temblor, but canceled the warning less than an hour after the quake.
The coastal cities of Kamaishi and Ofunato ordered about 8,000 households near the coast to evacuate, the Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported, but there was no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Train service in the area was stopped temporarily, but resumed operation within an hour, NHK reported.
The quake struck shortly before 7 a.m. (6 p.m. Wednesday ET) and was centered 530 kilometers (330 miles) north-northeast of Tokyo.
The epicenter was off the northern prefecture of Iwate, about 175 kilometers (109 miles) north of where the magnitude-9 quake that devastated northern Japan struck in March.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/22/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 23, 2011 at 8:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
Lufthansa jet narrowly avoids collision at JFK
New York (CNN) — A Lufthansa jumbo jet nearly collided with another plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport Monday after an EgyptAir flight apparently veered into its path just as the jet barreled down the runway, according to air traffic controller tapes.
The near miss was captured on audio recordings, revealing an air traffic controller communicating with the Lufthansa pilot, yelling “Cancel takeoff! Cancel takeoff plans!” as the two planes moved toward each other.
The pilot of the Lufthansa jet acknowledged as the plane rolled to a halt.
Lufthansa Flight 411, an Airbus 340 packed with 286 passengers and crew, was cleared for takeoff by air traffic control shortly before 7 p.m. Monday, according to a statement from Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
EgyptAir Flight 986, a Boeing 777, was issued instructions to taxi from the ramp area to the airfield for departure.
The plane was instructed to turn onto another taxiway, but instead went straight, the statement said.
A spokesman for EgyptAir said the flight was delayed 40 minutes because Lufthansa’s departure was delayed.
The plane did not move until the tower issued clearance, spokesman Mohamed Rahma said.
After a brief inspection at the gate, the Lufthansa flight continued on its flight to Munich, Germany, and arrived safely, according to Lufthansa spokesman Martin Riecken.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/06/22/new.york.jfk.near.miss/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 27, 2011 at 7:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
Indonesia Hit By Strong Earthquake, Latest On Ring Of Fire
ndonesia was hit by a large earthquake and a series of strong tremors Sunday afternoon. A 6.5 magnitude quake, the latest in string of strong quakes to hit the Pacific Ring if Fire region during the last week, struck the country’s easternmost Province of Papua 1.16 p.m. GMT.
The quake was centred 53 kilometres (33 miles) northeast of Waren, a town on the northern coast of Papua island, according to Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. It was also felt in nearby Biak island, and Enarotali town on the main island The U.S. Geological Survey put the initial quake’s magnitude at 6.4.
The region was hit by at least moderate tremors in the following hours. The tremors measured 5.4 (x2), 5, 4.5 and 4.3 on the Richter Scale. There were no immediate reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued.
Papua comprises most of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. Its capital is Jayapur
source: http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/earthquakesvolcanos/indonesia-hit-by-strong-earthquake-latest-on-ring-of-fire/21642.html
June 27, 2011 at 7:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tsunami Warning Canceled After 7.2 Magnitude Quake Hits Alaska
(CBS News) A tsunami warning was quickly canceled after a major earthquake with a 7.2 magnitude hit in the Pacific Ocean late Thursday, about 107 miles east of Atka, Alaska. It was originally reported to be a 7.4 magnitude quake.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage.
The Tsunami Warning is canceled for the coastal areas from Unimak Pass, Alaska (80 miles NE of Dutch Harbor) to Amchitka Pass, Alaska (125 miles W of Adak).
NO destructive tsunami has been recorded, and NO tsunami danger exists along the coasts of the U.S. west coast states, Alaska, and British Columbia. Local authorities can assume all clear upon receipt of this message.
source : http://www.kionrightnow.com/story/14968418/tsunami-warning
June 29, 2011 at 9:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tropical Storm Arlene strengthens as it moves toward Mexico
(CNN) — The first named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to gain strength as it moves toward Mexico.
At 5 a.m. ET, Tropical Storm Arlene packed maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph (65 kph), according to a statement from the National Weather Service.
Arlene was about 165 miles (265 kilometers) east-northeast of Tuxpan, Mexico, moving west-northwest at a speed of about 8 mph (13 kph), the agency said in a statement Wednesday morning. The storm is expected to turn more toward the west later in the day.
Tropical storm force winds extend outward from the center up to 115 miles (185 km).
The center of the storm is expected to reach the northeastern coast of Mexico early Thursday.
When Arlene makes landfall, the storm surge could raise water levels up to 2 feet above normal tide markers.
Tropical Storm Arlene is also expected to produce 4- to 8-inches of rain in some areas. But up to 15-inches could fall in some mountainous areas.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of northeastern Mexico from Barra de Nautla to Bahia Algodones.
The Atlantic hurricane season spans June 1 to November 30.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/29/tropical.storm.arlene/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
June 30, 2011 at 2:04 pm
Haruna Mohammed
British strikes set to cause chaos for schools, travel
London (CNN) — Hundreds of thousands of British teachers, air traffic controllers, customs officers and other public sector workers went on strike Thursday, causing potential chaos for schoolchildren and travelers.
Workers are marching in many British cities, including London, where thousands of strikers marched peacefully in the center of the city, their route taking them near the prime minister’s office at 10 Downing Street.
“We’ve paid into our pensions, we’ve paid our taxes,” striking adult education tutor Annie Holder said, saying she was “really angry about the government’s politically motivated attempt to steal our pensions.”
She blamed “the banking sector” for the country’s budget woes.
RELATED TOPICS
* Jobs and Labor
* Business
* Labor Strikes and Disputes
* Pensions
And she rejected rhetoric from opponents of the strike about the public sector’s “gold-plated pensions.”
“Our pension will be about 60 pounds ($96) a week. It’s hardly gold-plated. We’ll have to work much harder and pay more,” Holder said.
Police said they had not made any arrests as of lunchtime. They declined to estimate the size of the crowd, but one union said it was in the tens of thousands in London.
Four unions have told their members to stop work over planned government changes to the pension system.
Perhaps ironically, state pension staff are among those on strike as members of the Public and Commercial Services Union.
Three teachers’ unions are also on strike — the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, and the University and College Union, which together have more than 350,000 members.
The PCS, Britain’s fifth biggest union, boasted it had 84% participation from its 300,000 members.
Some 80% of schools across the country are closed or partially closed as a result of the strike, the NUT said, and there are fears that airports and ports will be snarled as well.
Nine out of ten police staff who answer calls from the public were on strike, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
The NUT says the strike is because “the government is planning to cut your pension. They want you to pay more, work longer and get less,” arguing that because pensions are “deferred pay… you are effectively being asked to take a pay cut.”
The government, a coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, is trying desperately to slash government spending in the face of huge deficits.
Danny Alexander, the number two official in the British Treasury, argued earlier this month that “It is unjustifiable that other taxpayers should work longer and pay more tax so public service workers can retire earlier and get more than them.”
“It is the employees who are benefiting from longer life and generous pensions, but it is the taxpayer who is picking up the tab,” he said.
Alexander, a Liberal Democrat, said the changes the government was proposing aimed to ensure that “public service workers continue to receive among the best, if not the best, pensions available.”
Holder, the striking teacher, said the government’s explanations for planned changes to the pension system were “nonsense.”
The government’s Cabinet Office said less than half of PCS workers went on strike Thursday.
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, a Conservative, said Wednesday that the strike was “premature” while negotiations between the government and unions were still going on.
He argued that only a minority of civil servants and teachers had voted to strike.
Union leader Dave Prentis warned last week that if the government does not change course on pension reform, the country could face the biggest strikes since 1926. Between 1.5 million and 1.75 million workers participated in a general strike lasting nine days that year.
Prentis, the head of Britain’s largest public-sector union, Unison, issued a similar warning in 2005.
Unison is not participating in Thursday’s strike but has not ruled out holding one in the autumn if the government presses ahead with it plans.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/06/30/uk.strike/index.html
June 30, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Latest Earthquakes Worldwide and Earthquake News
Below are the latest earthquakes and earthquake news from around the world updated in real-time by RSS feeds, latest news is lower down the page below the latest quakes!
USGS M 2.5+ Earthquakes
Real-time, worldwide earthquake list for the past day
M 2.6, Northern California
Thursday, June 30, 2011 13:54:11 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 06:54:11 AM at epicenter
source : http://newsblogged.com/
Depth: 21.00 km (13.05 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 1:54 pm
M 5.2, Chagos Archipelago region
Thursday, June 30, 2011 13:37:26 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 06:37:26 PM at epicenter
Depth: 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 1:37 pm
M 2.8, Southern Alaska
Thursday, June 30, 2011 13:25:08 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 05:25:08 AM at epicenter
Depth: 37.30 km (23.18 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 1:25 pm
M 3.5, Southern Alaska
Thursday, June 30, 2011 10:45:56 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 02:45:56 AM at epicenter
Depth: 88.80 km (55.18 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 10:45 am
M 4.9, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan
Thursday, June 30, 2011 10:22:45 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 07:22:45 PM at epicenter
Depth: 41.00 km (25.48 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 10:22 am
M 5.5, Tonga region
Thursday, June 30, 2011 09:09:17 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 09:09:17 PM at epicenter
Depth: 26.30 km (16.34 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 9:09 am
M 2.5, Northern California
Thursday, June 30, 2011 09:00:22 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 02:00:22 AM at epicenter
Depth: 28.50 km (17.71 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 9:00 am
M 2.5, Nevada
Thursday, June 30, 2011 06:38:47 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 11:38:47 PM at epicenter
Depth: 5.70 km (3.54 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 6:38 am
M 4.7, off the east coast of Honshu, Japan
Thursday, June 30, 2011 06:22:29 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:22:29 PM at epicenter
Depth: 35.50 km (22.06 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 6:22 am
M 5.1, Tonga region
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:30:53 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:30:53 PM at epicenter
Depth: 30.20 km (18.77 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 4:30 am
M 4.8, Tonga region
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:29:49 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:29:49 PM at epicenter
Depth: 34.90 km (21.69 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 4:29 am
M 4.9, Balleny Islands region
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:21:17 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 02:21:17 PM at epicenter
Depth: 10.00 km (6.21 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 4:21 am
M 4.4, Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Thursday, June 30, 2011 03:46:38 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 06:46:38 PM at epicenter
Depth: 36.80 km (22.87 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 3:46 am
M 2.7, Southern Alaska
Thursday, June 30, 2011 03:39:27 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 07:39:27 PM at epicenter
Depth: 141.30 km (87.80 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 3:39 am
M 2.6, Central California
Thursday, June 30, 2011 03:23:59 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 08:23:59 PM at epicenter
Depth: 8.70 km (5.41 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 3:23 am
M 3.4, Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Thursday, June 30, 2011 00:00:27 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 03:00:27 PM at epicenter
Depth: 0.90 km (0.56 mi)
Posted on 30 June 2011 | 12:00 am
M 4.7, eastern Honshu, Japan
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 23:21:36 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 08:21:36 AM at epicenter
Depth: 20.50 km (12.74 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 11:21 pm
M 4.9, near the east coast of Honshu, Japan
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 22:14:35 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 07:14:35 AM at epicenter
Depth: 28.60 km (17.77 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 10:14 pm
M 3.2, Central Alaska
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 22:06:25 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 02:06:25 PM at epicenter
Depth: 127.10 km (78.98 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 10:06 pm
M 2.9, Virgin Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 22:06:21 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 06:06:21 PM at epicenter
Depth: 82.80 km (51.45 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 10:06 pm
M 3.0, Virgin Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 22:04:55 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 06:04:55 PM at epicenter
Depth: 59.90 km (37.22 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 10:04 pm
M 3.1, Virgin Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 21:47:15 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 05:47:15 PM at epicenter
Depth: 107.20 km (66.61 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 9:47 pm
M 2.8, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 21:21:26 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 01:21:26 PM at epicenter
Depth: 52.60 km (32.68 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 9:21 pm
M 5.1, Philippine Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 20:51:57 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 04:51:57 AM at epicenter
Depth: 39.50 km (24.54 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 8:51 pm
M 3.3, Fox Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 19:23:24 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 10:23:24 AM at epicenter
Depth: 34.30 km (21.31 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 7:23 pm
M 4.6, off the east coast of Honshu, Japan
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 16:39:09 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 02:39:09 AM at epicenter
Depth: 23.60 km (14.66 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 4:39 pm
M 3.5, Virgin Islands region
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 16:11:10 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 12:11:10 PM at epicenter
Depth: 9.20 km (5.72 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 4:11 pm
M 2.7, Nevada
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 15:22:29 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 08:22:29 AM at epicenter
Depth: 3.00 km (1.86 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 3:22 pm
M 4.4, Halmahera, Indonesia
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 15:16:46 UTC
Thursday, June 30, 2011 12:16:46 AM at epicenter
Depth: 129.70 km (80.59 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 3:16 pm
M 2.6, Nevada
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 14:30:08 UTC
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 07:30:08 AM at epicenter
Depth: 5.40 km (3.36 mi)
Posted on 29 June 2011 | 2:30 pm
June 30, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Haruna Mohammed
China floods: Millions affected by deadly downpours
More than five million people are now reported to have been affected by deadly floods in eastern China.
Torrential rain was continuing, leaving large parts of Zhejiang and Hubei provinces under water, state-run news agency Xinhua said.
It said nearly 1,000 businesses were being disrupted and crops destroyed, pushing up food prices.
This month’s flooding – the worst since 1955 – has already left about 170 people dead or missing, reports say.
The government has mobilised troops to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people.
China’s disaster alert has been raised to the highest level, four.
Downpours earlier this week triggered landslides that buried houses and killed at least two people in Zhejiang and another two in Hubei.
The floods come after months of crop-destroying drought in the centre and north of the country.
Some areas along the Yangtze River have suffered their worst drought in half a century.
Despite the rain, officials have warned that the crop shortages and dislocation caused by drought will remain severe.
Analysts say crop shortages in China could affect prices around the world.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13831068
June 30, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Greece: Back from the brink – for now
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Greece has pulled itself back from the brink, by agreeing to a painful austerity package aimed at reducing the country’s giant budget deficits.
On Thursday, lawmakers are set to vote on how to implement those unpopular reforms. Then the country is expected to secure the final $17 billion of a $156 billion international relief package.
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The latest cash infusion means Greece will be able to stave off an immediate default and pay its bills for the next three months.
But Greece is not out of the woods. The country still needs to put the unpopular reforms into practice, negotiate with creditors and privatize big public institutions.
Passage of the austerity plan “will certainly give some short-term relief to markets,” said IHS Global senior economist Diego Iscaro. “But concerns about the long-term feasibility of Greece’s fiscal plans still remain in place.”
Greece is now expected to begin negotiations with the European Union and International Monetary Fund for another bailout, said Wolfango Piccoli, a director at the Eurasia Group in London.
The next round of emergency aid is expected to range between $172 billion and $216 billion, which would cover Greece’s expenses through 2014, he said.
As with the previous deal, the new package will come with conditions. The terms are expected to include some concessions by Greece’s creditors and the transfer of state assets to the private sector.
But providing more short-term support for Greece “is just kicking the can down the road,” Piccoli said.
Officials in Europe are hoping to keep Greece solvent long enough to allow other troubled European nations to strengthen and put pressure on Greece to enact the painful reforms passed Wednesday.
At the same time, the European Union is working with Greece’s main creditors — French and German banks — to roll over some of the nation’s debt into longer-term bonds.
“It’s unclear how that will be done, though there seems to be some willingness there,” on the part of the banks, said Piccoli. “But that’s just another measure to gain time, it doesn’t diminish the amount of debt that Greece will be left with.”
The bottom line is that Greece’s ability to repay its debts remains in question.
“For all economic intents and purposes, Greece has already defaulted,” said Sandeep Dahiya, professor of finance at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. “There’s no way Greece can repay all the money it owes.”
0:00 / 5:27 Greece buys time with austerity vote
The big worry is that other debt-laden nations in Europe — particularly Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain — would be dragged down if Greece were to default in a disorderly way.
But the threat to the U.S. economy, for now, remains remote.
SOURCE : http://money.cnn.com/2011/06/30/news/international/greece_austerity_details/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2
June 30, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Flash floods in southern Philippines
BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhuanet) – Flash floods triggered by heavy rainstorms have killed at least 25 people, and forced multiple evacuations, in the southern Philippines. Ten people remain missing in the city of Davao.
Tuesday’s deluge affected thousands of residents from four communities, while damaging dozens of homes. The city’s mayor says nearly 15,000 families have been displaced by the sudden floods.
Many survivors had no choice but to stand on rooftops, waiting for rescuers in rubber boats to take them to higher ground. Others decided to swim through chest-high water, assisted by navy and fire department personnel.
The National Weather Bureau says more rain showers and thunderstorms may hit the southern Philippines this week, due to an Inter-tropical Convergence Zone. Forecasters also warn of possible flash floods and landslides.
source : http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-06/30/c_13958895.htm
July 4, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Tourist boat, with Americans on board, capsizes off Mexico coast
(CNN) — The U.S. Coast Guard is sending a helicopter Monday to assist the Mexican Navy in its search for occupants of a tourist boat that capsized off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
Mexican and U.S. officials offered slightly different figures for how many people were on board.
Petty Officer Pamela Boehland of the U.S. Coast Guard said the boat was carrying 43 people, including 27 Americans.
Thirty seven have been accounted for, including all the Americans, Boehland said. Six people are missing.
However, San Felipe Naval Commander Jorge Bustos said the boat had 44 people on board, of whom 36 have been found — and one is dead. Seven are missing.
The boat hit rough weather Sunday and sank immediately, Boehland said. Many of the passengers were able to swim to shore, she said.
The U.S. Coast Guard said its helicopter will arrive at the scene sometime Monday morning and will provide aerial support.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/04/mexico.boat.capsize/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 5, 2011 at 3:27 pm
0243716225haruna
At least 3 dead after helicopter crashes in western Norway
(CNN) — At least three people died after their helicopter crashed late Monday in western Norway, authorities said.
Norwegian police spokesman Gry Benedicte Halseth said in a statement that the number of people on board has not been established. But Gudmund Taraldsen, an officer with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, told CNN that there were five people total on the helicopter when it went down, meaning two people are still unaccounted for.
The helicopter was hired by house builders to fly up into the Norwegian mountains, Halseth said. The aircraft — an Aerospatiale 350 — crashed before 8 p.m. Monday in a remote locale at the bottom of the Hardanger fjord, east of Bergen, Taraldsen said.
“I don’t have any information about the cause of the accident, but there are very poor weather conditions at the site,” the aviation authority officer said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/04/norway.helicopter.crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 5, 2011 at 3:30 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The European Commission has pledged $14.5 million in emergency food aid to help 650,000 North Koreans at risk of dying from malnutrition.
An EU mission visited the country last month and saw hospitals, kindergartens and state food distribution centers.
“Our experts saw severely malnourished children in hospitals and nurseries where no treatment was available,” said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation. “Clearly, North Korea’s chronic nutrition problem is turning into an acute crisis in some parts of the country.”
The EU claims there will be strict monitoring procedures in place to ensure the food gets to those it is intended for.
The body will “not hesitate to end its humanitarian intervention” if it finds evidence of the aid being diverted, Georgieva said.
The aid has been earmarked for children under five who have been hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition, pregnant and breast-feeding women, hospital patients and the elderly.
The EU mission says it found evidence of North Koreans eating grass due to the severity of the situation and the average person consumed less than 400 calories per day — a fifth of the daily average nutritional requirement and equivalent to a small bowl of rice.
The World Food Programme will oversee the delivery of the aid package from the 27-nation bloc.
The United States also sent a team of experts to North Korea recently but the Obama administration has not yet decided whether to give food aid. Officials say monitoring where the aid ends up would be crucial.
The United States cut off its food aid donations to the country in 2008 when North Korea pulled out of the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament. South Korea has not given food aid to its neighbor since 2007.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited North Korea in April and accused South Korea and the United States of human rights violations by withholding food aid.
He was traveling with the Elders, an independent group of global leaders founded by former South African President Nelson Mandela.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/04/north.korea.eu.aid/index.html
July 5, 2011 at 3:33 pm
Haruna Mohammed
At least 3 dead after helicopter crashes in western Norway
(CNN) — At least three people died after their helicopter crashed late Monday in western Norway, authorities said.
Norwegian police spokesman Gry Benedicte Halseth said in a statement that the number of people on board has not been established. But Gudmund Taraldsen, an officer with the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority, told CNN that there were five people total on the helicopter when it went down, meaning two people are still unaccounted for.
The helicopter was hired by house builders to fly up into the Norwegian mountains, Halseth said. The aircraft — an Aerospatiale 350 — crashed before 8 p.m. Monday in a remote locale at the bottom of the Hardanger fjord, east of Bergen, Taraldsen said.
“I don’t have any information about the cause of the accident, but there are very poor weather conditions at the site,” the aviation authority officer said.
Another group, who had flown into the area before, reported the crash. They have been flown out of the area and are being taken care of by a local crisis team, according to Halseth.
The crash site has been cordoned off and will be under surveillance overnight, the police spokesman added. Authorities have established a no-fly zone around the locale.
Early Tuesday morning, federal crash site investigators and officers with the Norwegian police are expected to arrive on scene to start their investigation.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/04/norway.helicopter.crash/index.html
July 6, 2011 at 8:01 am
Haruna Mohammed
Red Sea boat sinking leaves ‘197 people dead’
A ship packed with refugees bound for Saudi Arabia has caught fire and capsized off the northeastern coast of Sudan, killing 197 people, the Sudanese Media Centre, a state-linked news agency, has said.
The agency said on Tuesday that three of the migrants had been rescued.
The three are being treated in a hospital near Atiaba, where the incident took place, Mohamed Vall, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reporting from Khartoum, said.
The ship had launched from the Red Sea State, one of Sudan’s 26 states, and sailed for four hours in Sudanese territorial waters before the blaze broke out, according to the news agency.
“All we know is this boat has caught fire and capsized off the shores of the Red Sea area in Sudan, particularly at a place called Atiaba about 200km from the port of Sudan,” Vall said
An unconfirmed source spoke to Al Jazeera and said the boat drowned last Saturday, although the Sudanese media were only reported it now.
“We don’t have confirmed information about when this happened,” Vall said.
The owners of the boat, all Yemenis, have been arrested, the Sudanese Media Centre said.
‘Homemade boat’
“It is a homemade boat and that is probably one of the problems that caused this incident,” Vall said.
The boat had several nationalities on board, including Somalians, Eritreans, Ethiopians and Sudanese.
A second attempt to smuggle 247 migrants, mostly from Chad, Nigeria, Somalia and Eritrea, was also uncovered in the same state, the report said, without elaborating.
Sudan has experienced several other incidents of illegal migrants drowning off the coast on their way to nearby countries in past years.
Thousands of African migrants, especially Eritreans and Ethiopians, risk the dangerous route to escape, often trying to go to Saudi Arabia.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/07/201175215452751288.html
July 6, 2011 at 8:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crashes into Afghanistan mountain
Afghan officials say a cargo plane has crashed into a mountain in eastern Afghanistan.
Sayed Aleem Agha, the top official in Sayagred district of Parwan province, north of the capital, Kabul, said on Wednesday that the plane hit a mountain peak on Tuesday morning.
Agha said he fears that crew members were killed, but that rescue workers had not yet arrived at the remote crash site.
Agha said that after the crash, he saw a fire burning atop the mountain for more than an hour. He said there were no reports on casualties.
Abdul Shakoor, a police official in neighbouring Shinwari district, also confirmed the crash.
“I saw a huge fire as a result of the crash,” he said. “My guess is that it was a big cargo plane because the fire lasted for a long time.”
British Major Tim James, a spokesperson for the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, said the plane, which crashed about 3,800 metres (12,500 feet) up the mountain, was not a coalition aircraft.
He also said there was no fighting reported in the area.
source :http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/07/2011765254998963.html
July 7, 2011 at 8:47 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bangladesh hit by strike, violence
Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) — Riot police patrolled the streets to break up opposition protests in Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh on Wednesday as opposition parties began a 48-hour general strike protesting a government move to change the electoral system
Sporadic clashes erupted in different parts of the country as police tried to break up protests against the government.
In a police attack in Dhaka, the opposition chief whip in parliament, Joynal Abedin Faruk, was wounded and was hospitalized, police and party leaders said.
Most offices, educational institutions and businesses remained shut and public transports were severely disrupted across the country because of the strike.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and its ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called the strike in protest against the electoral system change. Last month, Bangladesh’s parliament abolished the nonpartisan caretaker government system that oversees general elections.
Bangladesh has a long history of electoral violence. The caretaker system, which installs a nonparty government for an interim period between two elected governments, was instituted in 1996 amid bloody street violence over elections.
Under the system, the interim government looks after routine administration and is primarily responsible for holding free and fair general elections within 90 days.
The system came under fire in 2007 after a military-backed interim government stayed beyond its mandated three months and delayed the voting by about two years.
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court recently pronounced the caretaker government provision illegal.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/06/bangladesh.protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 11, 2011 at 9:13 am
0243716225haruna
7.0 aftershock hits off Japan coast; no damage reported
TOKYO — Northeastern Japan was jolted Sunday morning by a 7.0 magnitude aftershock, the largest to hit here in more than three months, triggering a tsunami warning for coastal areas trying to recover from the March 11 mega-disaster.
Initial reports indicated no damage as a result of this tremor, but residents — including workers at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant — were urged to evacuate. Tsunami waves between 10 and 20 centimeters high were reported in Miyagi and Iwate Prefecture.
he earthquake struck at 9:57 a.m., centered some 131 miles off the east coast of Sendai.
A tsunami warning indicated the possibility of waves as high as 50 centimeters. But at the Sendai airport, flights took off without disruption, television station NHK reported. Within an hour of the quake, work resumed at the Fukushima nuclear plant. None of the nuclear plants along Japan’s northeastern coast, including Daiichi, reported problems as a result of the tremor.
Japan has been bracing for major aftershocks since the 9.0-magnitude earthquake March 11 triggered a powerful tsunami, creating one of the largest disasters in this country’s history. The catastrophe left tens of thousands dead or missing, and scores more without homes or businesses. It also prompted the most serious nuclear crisis in a quarter century at the Fukushima plant, where three reactors sustained meltdowns.
source : http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/japan-earthquake-70-aftershock-hits-off-coast-no-damage-reported/2011/07/09/gIQAIZwH6H_story.html
July 11, 2011 at 9:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crash in Congo kills at least 90 people
At least 90 people died when a passenger plane crashed Friday at the Kisangani airport in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the state news agency reported.
The Boeing 727 was trying to land in bad weather in the afternoon, Hewa Bora Airways said.
The plane was originally headed from the capital of Kinshasa to the eastern city of Goma when it tried to make a scheduled stop in Kisangani, according to ACP, the state news agency.
The plane crashed amid heavy rainfall and hit an obstacle on the ground, ACP reported, citing a source close to the airline.
source : http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-09/world/congo.plane.crash_1_hewa-bora-airways-plane-crash-kisangani-airport?_s=PM:WORLD
July 11, 2011 at 9:23 am
Haruna Mohammed
Former First Lady Betty Ford Dies
Former U.S. first lady Betty Ford, an outspoken advocate for women’s rights and the founder of the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse, has died at the age of 93. Family members said she died Friday evening.
Ford was born in Chicago in 1918. She moved to New York in her twenties where she worked as a dancer and a model.
The late president Gerald Ford was her second husband. The two wed shortly before he was elected to serve in congress in 1948. In 1974, the couple moved to the White House, after the Watergate scandal led president Richard Nixon to resign.
source : http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Former-First-Lady-Betty-Ford-Dies-125263669.html
July 12, 2011 at 9:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Volga boat tragedy: Russia mourns Bulgaria victims
Russia is observing a day of mourning after as many as 110 people died when an overloaded boat sank on the Volga.
Some 50 children were said to be among those who drowned when the Bulgaria, a tourist boat, sank on on Sunday.
Around 80 people were rescued on the wide section of the river in Tatarstan, 750km (450 miles) east of Moscow. Some 50 bodies have been found.
Officials say the boat’s capacity was 120 passengers and crew, but it had been carrying 208 people.
President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a check of all transport services, saying the old double-decker boat was in a poor condition.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14118040
July 12, 2011 at 9:13 am
Haruna Mohammed
Many police hurt in Northern Ireland riots
Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) — At least 22 police officers were injured and fire and ambulance personnel were attacked in Northern Ireland overnight, police said Tuesday, on the eve of a date often marked by sectarian violence.
Police fired more than 50 plastic bullets and used a water cannon to disperse rioters, who threw more than 40 petrol bombs, the Police Service of Northern Ireland said. A number of arrests were made, they added, without specifying how many.
The violence was mainly in Catholic areas of Belfast ahead of the main day of the Protestant marching season, when loyalists parade through the streets.
A spokeswoman said the trouble started late Monday and continued until the early hours of Tuesday.
The most serious disorder was in the Broadway area of west Belfast and involved between 100 and 200 people.
Police are investigating reports gunshots were fired during the disturbances.
Police said several vehicles were hijacked and set alight in the area, while crowds attacked officers with missiles “including masonry and petrol bombs.”
At one point a bus was hijacked and driven at police lines but crashed a short distance away.
PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Dave Jones called for community restraint ahead of Protestant Orange Order parades on the Twelfth of July.
“We would appeal for everyone to do everything they can to help ensure all areas are calm and peaceful over the next 48 hours. Violence does not need to be inevitable,” he said after Monday night’s rioting.
A major security operation will be in place for a disputed parade in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast.
There has been serious public disorder after the parade in recent years.
The province suffered decades of violence known locally as the Troubles, in which over 3,500 people were killed before a 1998 peace accord known as the Good Friday Agreement.
The Troubles pitted mostly Catholic republicans, who want the province to become part of the Republic of Ireland, against pro-British loyalists, who are mostly Protestant.
This year has been one of the most violent since the Good Friday Agreement.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/07/12/northern.ireland.riots/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 13, 2011 at 4:34 pm
0243716225haruna
Bolivia appeals for help as snow strands thousands
The worst snow storms in Bolivia in the last 20 years have left thousands of people stranded, as more snow is forecast for the coming days.
The Bolivian government has appealed for help from neighbouring countries.
It says it needs helicopters to drop aid to isolated communities and heavy machinery to clear the roads.
The snow took farmers and tourists by surprise in the usually dry highlands of Potosi – a vast area in the south-west of the country.
Farmers have lost their crops and more than 50,000 llamas and alpacas are without food, after their pastures were covered by a thick layer of snow.
Roads remain closed, and rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather.
The Bolivian Civil Defence Department said that dropping aid to isolated communities and rescuing people stranded in freezing temperatures would be difficult without helicopters from other countries.
The government has only two helicopters.
The BBC’s correspondent in La Paz, Mattia Cabitza, says that, giving the vastness and isolation of the territory affected, it will be very difficult to clear the roads before the next snowstorms arrive.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14116896
July 14, 2011 at 9:35 am
0243716225haruna
Plane wreckage removed from crash site; investigation continues (PHOTO, DOCUMENTS)
DEMOPOLIS, Ala. — The National Transportation Safety Board removed the wreckage of the Fred Teutenberg’s twin-engine Cessna from the crash site Tuesday.
The wreckage was found Sunday morning within two miles of the Demopolis Airport.
Remnants of the plane were sent to a recovery center in Atlanta, where the investigation will continue, said Nicholas Worrell, a spokesman for NTSB.
Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/investigation-41740-plane-ala.html#ixzz1S4POn800
source : http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/investigation-41740-plane-ala.html
July 14, 2011 at 1:09 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Brazil plane crash kills 16
RIO DE JANEIRO — A small plane crashed near the Brazilian city of Recife after reporting an onboard emergency, killing all of its 16 occupants, rescue officials told AFP.
The Noar Linhas Aereas plane, which was bound for Natal, the capital and main city of Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern Brazil, crashed within 10 minutes of taking off, authorities said.
“The information from our crews working at the site of the accident is that there are no survivors,” a spokesman for the Recife fire department told AFP.
An aviation administration official told AFP that the crash “was a total human and material loss.”
President Dilma Rousseff voiced sadness at the tragedy, and in a statement expressed “solidarity with the friends and family of the passengers and crew at this painful time.”
The twin-engine aircraft was completely charred in the disaster, which left a wide area of denuded terrain where a fire had ignited the crash site, officials said.
The aviation official said that the pilot had reported an “emergency situation” aboard the aircraft to air traffic controllers and said he was going to attempt an emergency landing shortly before crashing about 100 meters (300 feet) short of the beach that was his intended goal.
“We still don’t know what happened on the plane, but the pilot managed to avoid a tragedy of enormous proportions, because the plane narrowly avoided a densely populated area,” a fire official told local television.
The plane was carrying 14 passengers and two crew members including the pilot when it went down.
In the aftermath of the accident, all Noar airline flight were suspended Wednesday by Brazil’s aviation authorities.
source : http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iBMBqFWvAxkIICnN7mXkj4KstlZg?docId=CNG.b1c58d26b0c9564c167c1fae7686eb79.01
July 14, 2011 at 1:20 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Nigerian floods kill 24 in northern city
ABUJA (AFP) – Unusually heavy rains flooded a neighbourhood in Nigeria’s largest northern city of Kano killing 24 overnight Tuesday, a local government chief said on Thursday.
Dozens of others were injured, 300 displaced and about 100 houses destroyed in the densely populated Fagge neighbourhood of Kano when rains pounded and unundated the city while residents were asleep.
“For now we have confirmed the deaths of 24 people from the floods that occurred Tuesday night through Wednesday following torrential rain in the city,” Fagge local government administrator, Abdulmalik Ismail Rogo told AFP.
Rogo said local elders had told him the “area has never witnessed such torrential rains in the past 30 years.”
“Some of the victims were buried alive when their (house) roofs collapsed on them, while others were washed away by the floods and deposited along a major sewer in the area,” he said.
source : http://www.modernghana.com/news/336149/67/nigerian-floods-kill-24-in-northern-city.html
July 14, 2011 at 1:22 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Afghan president’s brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, killed
The half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been assassinated in Kandahar.
Ahmad Wali Karzai, a leading power broker in the country’s south, was shot dead at his home in a blow to Nato’s battle against the Taliban in the area.
He was shot twice by his long-time head of security, Sardar Mohammed, who was himself killed almost immediately.
The Taliban said they carried out the attack, calling it one of their top achievements in 10 years of war.
But Khaled Pashtun, a Kandahar province politician, was sceptical about the Taliban claims, saying the Islamist group had claimed responsibility for many attacks in the past without much evidence of their involvement.
The White House condemned the assassination “in the strongest possible terms”.
Sardar Mohammed’s motives remain unclear, but the killing will raise questions about securing Afghanistan’s top officials.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14118884
July 15, 2011 at 8:34 am
0243716225haruna
Dozens arrested as students protest Chile’s education policies
Santiago, Chile (CNN) — Chilean authorities arrested dozens of people Thursday, as thousands of students protested the country’s education policies, police said.
The march in Chile’s capital began peacefully but ended with tear gas flying in clashes between protesters and police. At least 64 people were detained in Santiago, the country’s national police said.
CNN Chile reported that more than 30 police officers were injured — one of whom was hit by a Molotov cocktail.
Waving banners as marching-band drums played, a sea of about 30,000 people surged through the capital’s streets toward its central avenue, CNN Chile reported. Authorities accused protesters of proceeding along an unauthorized route.
Thursday’s march was the latest in a series of protests that began weeks ago in the South American nation. Students have been demanding lower tuition and other reforms in the nation’s education system.
Last week Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced a new plan that included a $4 billion education fund, but his proposal did little to mollify protesters.
Posters promoting Thursday’s demonstration showed a picture of am adhesive bandage alongside the words, “We don’t want more patchwork fixes.”
“We are waiting for deeper changes,” Giorgio Jackson, president of the student union at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, told CNN Chile.
Pinera repeated calls for an end to the protests Thursday.
“I am convinced as Chile’s president that the moment has come to stop the violence, the sit-ins, the work stoppages, that have caused so much destruction and damage, and we will find once again the path of dialogue, agreements and action,” he said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/14/chile.protests/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 15, 2011 at 8:36 am
Haruna Mohammed
More than 4,000 evacuated after Indonesia volcano eruption
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) — More than 4,000 residents have been evacuated from a central Indonesian province after a volcano erupted, sending smoke high into the sky.
Mt. Lokon in the northern Sulawesi province first erupted Thursday night. A second eruption occurred early Friday morning, authorities said.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, but teams were assessing damage, said the country’s disaster management agency.
Indonesia is located on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/15/indonesia.volcano/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 18, 2011 at 1:56 pm
0243716225haruna
‘I have never seen rain like that before’
Chris McCulloch was picking up his daughter from a friend’s house when a flash flood happened in Perth.
“I had to wait for the river coming down East Bridge Street to subside before picking her up,” he said.
“The flood happened for an hour between 1pm and 2pm. I have never seen rain like that before. My daughter’s friend had water coming in through her door.”
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-14172696
July 21, 2011 at 7:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
Chilean officials declare ‘catastrophe’ after heavy snow
(CNN) — Chilean officials declared a “catastrophe” in eight municipalities Wednesday after heavy snow blanketed communities and blocked roads in what the nation’s interior minister called a “white earthquake.”
“It has snowed more than ever,” Curacautin Mayor Jorge Saquel told CNN Chile Tuesday. “This is an anomaly. … This worries us because the meteorologists assure us that new snowstorms are coming.”
In the city of Lonquimay, officials said snow had piled more than 2.3 meters (7.5 feet) high.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter on Wednesday called the situation a “white earthquake” and asked the country’s military and public works officials to help citizens in some of the hardest-hit areas in the country’s central Araucania region.
“This storm is strong and it is likely that in the coming days we could suffer from more bad weather fronts, more heavy snowfall, that make the situation even worse,” Hinzpeter said. “But of course when this occurs, our government will always be on the side of those who are suffering, using all the tools provided by our legal system.”
Authorities said they were sending trucks filled with food to the region, along with military helicopters to reach people in remote areas.
More than 6,500 people remained isolated Wednesday in Lonquimay, a town with many living in outlying, rural areas, CNN Chile affiliate Canal 9 Regional reported.
Earlier this week, local officials said federal assistance had not arrived quickly enough.
“The settlers and people of Lonquimay are buried undered the snow. There are areas with more than 2.3 meters of snow and we have gone many days without being able to communicate with many of them,” Lonquimay Mayor Guillermo Vasquez said in a statement Monday.
“The emergency director promised us two bulldozers to clear the roads. We have people who are isolated. … Touching the snow, it is like glass,” Saquel told CNN Chile. “The machines and food should have arrived as soon as possible.”
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/07/20/chile.snow/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 21, 2011 at 7:59 am
Haruna Mohammed
Nearly half of U.S. population facing extreme heat
(CNN) — The dangerous heat wave blamed for as many as 22 deaths spread into the eastern United States on Wednesday, extending its reach across nearly half the U.S. population, officials said.
About 141 million people in a 1 million-square-mile area were under heat advisories and warnings, Justin Kenney, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, tweeted.
The National Weather Service said, “These triple-digit temperatures are forecast to remain in place across the eastern U.S. through Saturday before cooling off slightly to the mid-90s by Sunday.”
“After several days of deadly heat and humidity as many as 22 people have died,” the National Weather Service reported Wednesday afternoon.
In Oklahoma, four heat-related deaths have been confirmed since May, said Cherokee Ballard, spokesperson for the state medical examiner. Three of those occurred in the past 30 days, including the deaths of a 3-year-old boy in a car in Norman and a 69-year-old man from Blackwell, she said.
Another eight Oklahoma deaths may potentially be related to the heat, Ballard told CNN, with most occurring in July.
For parts of the country that have already been scorched, some relief was forecast to arrive later Wednesday, the weather service said. A cold front moving across Montana Wednesday “will significantly drop temperatures across the north central U.S. for the rest of the week, though locations across the central and southern Plains and parts of the Midwest will not see much change from the extended period of heat.”
But in the East, some of the worst temperatures were just setting in.
Excessive-heat watches, warnings and heat advisories were in effect in more than 30 states Wednesday, in what the weather service described as “a large portion of the central U.S. and Ohio River Valley, as well as portions of the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states. Temperatures will feel like 100 to 110 degrees or higher during the afternoon hours.”
The heat wave in recent days has brought heat index values — which measure how hot it feels — to as high as 131, the weather service said.
Heat indices on Tuesday reached 129 in Newton, Iowa; 121 in Taylorville, Illinois; 122 in Gwinner, North Dakota; and 123 in Hutchinson, Minnesota.
Minneapolis recorded its highest dew point ever, 82 degrees, on Tuesday. The dew point temperature is a measure of atmospheric moisture.
Part of what makes the heat wave so dangerous is that it offers no break, even at night. Chicago on Tuesday tied its record for the warmest low temperature of 78 degrees. In Rockford, Illinois, temperatures dropped down only to 76 degrees — the warmest on record.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people in areas affected by extreme heat should drink more water than usual — and not wait until they feel thirsty. “Avoid alcohol or liquids containing high amounts of sugar,” the CDC says.
The CDC also recommends taking cool showers or baths and avoiding direct sunlight. “Check on those most at-risk twice a day,” the CDC said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/US/07/20/heat/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 22, 2011 at 11:15 am
Haruna Mohammed
12 dead, 45 injured in Malawi protests
Lilongwe, Malawi (CNN) — Twelve people have died in national protests that erupted in Malawi, government officials said as demonstrations continued for a second day Thursday.
Nine people died in Mzuzu, in the northern part of Malawi, on Wednesday, Ministry of Health spokesman Henry Chimbali said. Another died in Karonga district, also in the northern region.
It was not immediately clear how the 10 died, but officials were investigating, Chimbali said. Sources at Mzuzu Central Hospital who requested anonymity said the victims had been shot.
Two other people were fatally shot in Blantyre in the southern part of the nation, police spokesman Superintendent Davie Chingwalu said.
Amnesty International called for an immediate investigation into the Mzuzu deaths, asserting that security forces were responsible.
“At least 44 other people, including six children, are being treated for gunshot wounds at Mzuzu Central Hospital,” the human rights organization said in a statement.
The protests began Wednesday as people demanded immediate action from the government on Malawi’s economy and government issues.
The East African nation is facing persistent fuel shortages, foreign exchange reserve shortages and frequent power blackouts, among other problems. In addition, anti-government demonstrators have accused President Bingu wa Mutharika of dragging the nation back into the dictatorship era, citing the passage of bills they say impinge on citizen rights as well as the expulsion in April of British envoy Fergus Cochrane-Dyet.
The expulsion has cost Malawi dearly, as Britain has suspended direct budget support for the nation. According to the BBC, Cochrane-Dyet was told to leave Malawi in April after he was quoted in a leaked diplomatic cable as saying Mutharika was “becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism.”
Mutharika spoke Thursday as the protests continued. “As a leader, I am ready to have a roundtable discussion with you,” he said in an address. “I call upon everyone to stop vandalizing people’s property and beating up others. Get yourselves organized and notify us so that we can chart the way forward.”
In a statement, organizations that had planned the protests also appealed for calm, noting that the demonstrations were meant for Wednesday and that continued protests Thursday were illegal.
The country’s army was assisting in quelling the protests Thursday, leading to relative calm.
More than 200 people arrested in the Malawian capital of Lilongwe face charges ranging from arson to property damage.
Police were seen harassing and beating civil society leaders, opposition political leaders and journalists, leading to injuries.
“When the police use firearms, they must minimize injury and respect human life,” Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s director for Africa, said in the organization’s statement. “It is high time that President Mutharika’s government addresses the wider human rights and political concerns that gave rise to this situation.”
The United States condemned Wednesday’s use of force by Malawian authorities to prevent peaceful demonstrations and a ban on private radio stations reporting on the demonstrations.
In a statement, U.S. State Department Acting Deputy Spokeswoman Heide Bronke Fulton said U.S. officials were also “disturbed by reports of violence targeting individuals based on their political or social affiliations. The government’s attempt to prohibit its citizens from marching, and the Communications Regulatory Authority’s ban on independent media coverage undermine democracy and the rule of law that Malawians cherish.”
She urged restraint from both sides. “We call on the people and the Government of Malawi to remain committed to the principles of democracy and to express disagreements through peaceful means,” she said.
SOURCE : http://www.bbc.co.uk/
July 26, 2011 at 8:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flooded Birim river renders people homeless at Oda
Over 1,000 residents of Akyem Oda were rendered homeless when the Birim River overflowed its banks and flooded some 500 homes.
Over 1,000 residents of Akyem Oda were rendered homeless when the Birim River overflowed its banks and flooded some 500 homes.
Dr Kwasi Akyem Apea-Kubi, the Eastern Regional Minister, in the company of Ms Ophelia Koomson, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Ransford Owusu-Boakye, Eastern Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and other officials inspected some of the flooded areas on Sunday.
Among the areas affected were the Oda Asomodwe, Oda Jamaica, Oda Old Town, Pentecost and Oda Old Town Zongo.
The flooding has so parted the Zongo area in a way that prevents people from one side accessing the other.
Mr Samuel Ahiakonu, 56, a famer and his wife, Vicky Tompe, 31, who were returning from farm on Saturday could not cross the river from the Zongo area and had to spend the night on a cocoa farm until Sunday morning.
Mr Ahiakonu told the Minister and his entourage that he risked his life to swim across the River in the morning and reported the situation to Mr Owusu-Boakye who sent a boat to rescue his wife.
Ms Koomson advised people whose homes were flooded to move to safer grounds.
She told the victims that NADMO was ready to assist them to move their personal belongings to a place the assembly had arranged for them.
Ms Koomson said so far the assembly had managed to arrange with some churches to provide shelter for those who had no place to stay.
Dr Apea-Kubi said the floods were not the result of rains at Akyem Oda, but rather 36 hours of rainfall in the Fanteakwa District last week that filled the Birim river.
Dr Apea-Kubi appealed to people living near the river to heed the advice of NADMO and move to safer grounds.
He said the government had made available some relief items to be distributed to those affected and that the “48” Engineer Regiment had deployed three boats to assist affected communities to cross the river.
source :http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201107/69876.asp
July 26, 2011 at 8:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Eastern Region floods: Nana Addo makes rallying call for support
The New Patriotic Party Presidential candidate Nana Akufo Addo is calling for immediate supply of relief items to flood victims in the Eastern Region.
He has therefore urged government to work closely with NADMO to ensure the needs of the victims are met.
Five people have been reported dead after heavy down pour filled the Birim River beyond its boundaries and flooded several other communities.
Over 50 houses have submerged, properties and farm lands destroyed, Regional Minister Dr. Appiah Kubi confirmed in an interview with Joy News.
Nana Akufo Addo told Joy News: “It is a tragedy for all those affected and what you have to pray for these times is that they put their faith in the Almighty; continue to believe that even in the face of this disaster there are better times ahead of them.”
He said all hands must be on deck to help the victims.
“The public authorities must obviously do the best they can, especially NADMO, various Members of Parliament who come from the areas affected. All of them are to work together and make sure they can bring relief to those who have been affected by this big tragedy.”
“I am just hoping that not only will the floods abate rapidly but that the urgent relief will be brought to those who are there, the displaced,” he noted,
He further stated that it is about time that we sat down as a country to think about a lasting solution to stem such a tragedy from happening again.
source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201107/69830.asp
July 26, 2011 at 8:14 am
Haruna Mohammed
Flooding looms in 3 Northern Regions – NADMO
The National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has issued a flood alert warning in the three northern regions in anticipation of a possible spillage of the Bagre and Kompienga dams in Burkina Faso.
Last year, the spillage caused flooding in many communities in the three regions and caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure.
According to NADMO, the water levels as at last week were 226.7 metres and 167.04 metres for the Bagre and Kompienga dams respectively.
Burkina Faso has warned that if the rains fall consistently, there will be the need for spillage of excess water from the dams.
Major Nicholas Mensah (Rtd), Public Relations Officer for NADMO told Citi News NADMO was making feverish preparations to deal with any eventualities if the dams are opened. “We have intensified our public education sensitization within the various vulnerable communities.
“Our disaster volunteers have also gone into the communities to sensitize the people about the possible flooding.
“We have also mapped out the very vulnerable communities and higher grounds where people are supposed to move to in the event of the flooding.
“The regional and district disaster management committees which are headed by the Regional Minister and the MCE and DCE have also been asked to put together their flood response contingents.
“We have a rescue team, they work in collaboration with the 48 Engineers Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces and they are also on standby to respond to any distress calls in the event of any massive flooding”.
According to Maj. Nicholas Mensah, the specific date for the opening of the dams will depend on the pattern and intensity of rainfall.
Government has promised to find a lasting solution to the spillage which seems to have become an annual affair. Several acres of farmland and livestock are lost almost every year that the spillage takes place. Two lives were lost in last year’s flooding.
Upper East Regional Minister Mark Woyongo told Citi News last year during the spillage that plans are underway to find ways of containing the excess waters that are spilled from the dams. The excess water could be used for irrigation purposes, he indicated.
source : http://citifmonline.com/index.php?id=1.472645
July 26, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Plane crash kills 78 in Morocco
(CNN) — A plane crash in southern Morocco has killed 78 people, the state news agency reported Tuesday.
The Moroccan C-130 military plane crashed in the southern part of the country, state-run Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse reported. Three people were hurt, the news agency said.
The aircraft, belonging to Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces, crashed in a mountainous area near the city of Guelmim, the report said, citing local sources.
Local news agency Lakom.com, citing sources with knowledge of the event, said the plane was coming from the city of al-Oyoon. Rescue efforts were ongoing. It is not clear whether civilians were on board, the news agency said.
Ali Anozla, managing editor of Lakom, said that the local sources told him the cause of the crash was bad weather.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/26/morocco.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
July 28, 2011 at 11:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Slow-moving tropical storm kills 27 in Philippines
(CNN) — A tropical storm moving through the Philippines on Wednesday has killed 27 people and left more than 60 injured or missing, according to a government disaster response agency.
Hours after Tropical Storm Juaning made landfall along northern Aurora province, the country’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council began rescuing stranded people and searching for fishermen swept away by powerful waves.
The slow-moving storm continues to drag through northern parts of the island nation at about 10 mph (16 kph). It is expected to cross into parts of the Northern Luzon island Wednesday night, the agency said.
Though winds have decreased slightly, the agency warned against gusts of up to 60 mph. The government has been tracking the storm since it intensified from a depression Monday.
Several barangays, or villages, have been flooded, and rescue efforts are under way to find missing people, the agency said.
Government officials held an emergency meeting Wednesday to assess and coordinate their response to the storm damage.
Officials cautioned residents in low-lying areas and mountainous regions about flash floods and landslides, while coastal regions have been warned about storm surges and deadly waves.
The storm is expected to continue to bring widespread rain throughout the Luzon island until the end of the week, the agency said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/27/philippines.deadly.storm/index.html
July 28, 2011 at 11:10 am
Haruna Mohammed
Historic rains kill at least 44 in South Korea
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — Massive downpours in South Korea — the heaviest rains in a century — are blamed for 44 deaths, the country’s Central Disaster Relief Agency reported Thursday.
Heavy rain was still falling Thursday morning across parts of the country. It was raining in some areas around Seoul at a rate of two inches an hour (50 millimeters an hour) and was expected to continue throughout the day.
The most recent numbers released by the Central Disaster Relief Agency indicated that much of the death toll comes from landslides triggered by the rain. In Chuncheon, 13 people were killed by landslides, while 16 were killed by the same phenomenon in Seoul. Another 15 died in Gyeonggi province.
Five neighborhoods on the outskirts of Seoul were under evacuation orders.
But officials were able to restore electricity to many thousands of homes that had lost power. Earlier, there were 116,000 homes without power, said the agency. Early Thursday, that number stood at 1,190.
Earlier, the agency warned that hundreds of families had lost their homes.
The weather caused major traffic disruptions across portions of the country as well.
The Korea Meteorological Agency issued a special heavy rainfall alert for cities in the center of the country. The forecast called for the downpour to continue at a rate of 60 millimeters (2.4 inches) per hour over the next day.
South Korea typically experiences a rainy season during the summer.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/28/south.korea.weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 1, 2011 at 8:19 am
Haruna Mohammed
‘Task force’ to respond to Israeli protests
A day after nationwide protests that some newspapers said were the largest ever seen in Israel over social issues, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday pledged to establish a task force to examine economic reforms and hear the demands of the protesters.
But demonstrators quickly rejected the measures as superficial and vowed to continue their protest, with many planning to observe a one-day strike on Monday.
“This is a manipulative manoeuvre on the part of the prime minister,” protest organiser Daphni Leef said on Israeli television.
“We go into the street to bring about a change in the system and he is content to set up a commission searching for way to not take responsibility.”
Netanyahu said he understood the “genuine hardship” faced by many Israelis, but also warned against “hasty” measures he said could throw the country into an economic crisis.
As he met with his cabinet, thousands of doctors protested outside the parliament, raising pressure on the government to find a way to halt rising costs of everything from cheese to gasoline.
Netanyahu said he would name “a team of ministers who will set up a round-table discussion with representatives of various sectors to allow them to share their concerns.”
He said the team would be charged with creating a “practical plan” to address the protesters concerns.
The protests looked likely to ramp up on Monday, when Israel’s local authorities employees and thousands of other workers are expected to hold a one-day strike.
Activists were also reportedly gathering support for another protest – a mass withdrawal of cash from banks on August 8 to protest against high banking and credit card fees.
Resignation
In a possible sign of the toll the unrest could take on the government, Finance Ministry Director General Haim Shani submitted his resignation, Ynet reported on Sunday.
In a letter addressed to Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Shani said his decision followed “a long-time fundamental difference of opinion and manner of daily work patterns,” the website said.
“Recent events illustrate the problems I have outlined and support my view that under the current circumstances I cannot fulfil my role as finance ministry director as I see fit,” it quoted him as saying.
The demonstrations are the largest over social issues seen in Israel since the early 1970s when thousands of people, led by a group called the Black Panthers, took to the streets to rally against racial discrimination suffered by Mizrahi Jews of Middle Eastern descent.
The upheaval began earlier this summer as Israelis launched a successful boycott of their much-loved cottage cheese in response to the rising cost of the local staple.
Then in mid-July, a small group of mostly young protesters began setting up a tent city in the middle of Tel Aviv to illustrate their inability to afford housing in the coastal city.
Their action quickly gathered steam, with similar tent camps popping up in other cities and different sectors of society emerging to share their economic discontent.
They argue that Israel’s positive economic growth has not trickled down and that even low unemployment levels mask a cost of living that is too high for most Israelis.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/2011731223410911363.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=FacebookPosting
August 1, 2011 at 8:24 am
Haruna Mohammed
‘Nine dead’ after boat sinks in Moscow river
An overloaded motor boat has collided with a barge on Moscow’s Moskva river killing nine of the 16 people on board, officials have said.
The other seven passengers swam to safety or were rescued as the boat quickly sank at 1:00 AM local time on Sunday.
Vladimir Markin, the spokesman for the main investigative agency, laid the blame on the owner and captain of the boat, who was among those killed.
Markin said Gennady Zinger had been found in violation of regulations three times in the past, including for exceeding the boat’s maximum capacity of 12.
He said investigators have questioned the survivors and also four crew members who had helped to rescue them.
The survivors included a man identifying himself as a Turkish citizen and another who said he worked at the US embassy, Markin said.
The nationality of the embassy employee was not known.
Rescue crews were working to lift the boat, which was lying on the bottom of the river and underneath the barge.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/201173113503562798.html
August 1, 2011 at 8:29 am
Haruna Mohammed
Estimated 6.8-magnitude quake strikes off coast of Papua New Guinea
(CNN) — A preliminary 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Monday morning off the coast of Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake struck around 9:39 a.m. and was centered 131 kilometers (81 miles) east of Wewak, which is on the northern coast of the Pacific nation, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. Its depth was reported at 16 kilometers (9 miles).
The Japan Meteorological Agency — which had an identical measure for the quake’s strength — noted on its website that “there is a very small possibility of a destructive local tsunami” as a result. It said any tsunami likely would not be over half a meter (20 inches) high.
“However at some coasts, particularly near the epicenter, high tsunamis may arrive (larger) than our estimation,” the agency said on its website.
But within about two hours after the quake struck, the Japanese agency reported there were no such warnings or advisories still in effect.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any threats or warning, noting on its website that there was no danger of a tsunami striking Hawaii. Similarly, the Australia tsunami warning center said there was no threat to that nation.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/07/31/papua.new.guinea.earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 2, 2011 at 11:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
Obuasi health authorities prepare against possible outbreak of meningitis
Heath authorities in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region are making preparations against a possible outbreak of meningitis.
It follows reports of mysterious deaths in the New Estate area which are now being linked to the disease.
So far, 14 cases have been reported with 5 deaths.
The health directorate has dispatched a surveillance to study the development.
Municipal Health Director, Dr. David Amankwah told Joy News efforts must be made to pre-empt an outbreak of the airborne disease, especially Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis (CSM).
Source : http://news.myjoyonline.com/health/201108/70349.asp
August 8, 2011 at 7:31 am
Haruna Mohammed
Muifa downgraded to tropical storm, heads to coastal China
(CNN) — China evacuated more than 600,000 residents along coastal areas and sent ships back to port as it braced for Tropical Storm Muifa, which pounded some areas with gusty winds and rains over the weekend, state media reported Sunday.
Muifa, once a typhoon, weakened Saturday and was eventually downgraded to a tropical storm. It spared the financial hub of Shanghai as it brushed past it. Rain and strong winds hit the city, however.
Landfall was expected Monday evening local time in Liaoning province.
But even as the storm weakened, authorities cancelled flights and ordered thousands of fishing boats to remain anchored in the eastern coastal province of Shandong, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/08/07/china.typhoon/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 10, 2011 at 6:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
11 feared dead as Russian plane crashes in East Siberia
Moscow (CNN) — A cargo plane crashed in the Russia’s East Siberia, apparently killing all eleven people on board, Russian transport officials reported Tuesday.
The Antonov-12 plane carrying nine crew members and two passengers as well as 16 tons of food was en route Tuesday from the Far East city of Magadan northwards to the Chukotka peninsula when it disappeared from radars some 300 kilometers, or 190 miles, from its take-off point, the Russian Far East Transport Prosecutor’s Office said on its website.
The pilots reported a fuel leak and an engine fire to air traffic controllers but didn’t manage to return to the departure airport for an emergency landing and lost communication, the office said.
State-run RIA-Novosti newswire cited witnesses who said they had seen the plane falling to the ground near the village of Omsukchan in the Magadan region.
The Emergency Situations Ministry told Russian state TV that dozens of rescue workers were dispatched to the accident area but the search operation is hindered by thick fog and nighttime. The ministry wouldn’t report the fatalities until the bodies are officially discovered.
But Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the fact of the crash in a press statement, and said it opened a criminal probe on charges of violation of air safety rules but nobody has been brought responsible for the crash yet. A group of experienced investigators and forensic experts were sent from Moscow, the committee said.
Antonov-12 cargo planes have been in operation since the late 1950s. The plane is capable of carrying up to 20 tons of cargo, 90 passengers and can fly at ranges over 5,000 kilometers, or 3,125 miles.
August 10, 2011 at 6:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tropical storm kills 10 in North Korea, 4 in South Korea
(CNN) — Tropical Storm Muifa killed at least 10 people and damaged an estimated 2,400 acres of of farmland when it made landfall in North Korea, state-run news agency KCNA reported Tuesday.
The agency estimated more than 100 homes were damaged in the South Hwanghae province, in the country’s southwest. Power poles collapsed throughout the province, causing blackouts in some areas, the agency said.
In neighboring China, officials estimated the storm caused about 3 billion yuan ($466 million) in damage, the state news agency Xinhua said. The Chinese flood control and drought relief headquarters estimated the torrential rains affected the 1.74 million local residents living in Shanghai and surrounding provinces, Xinhua said.
Muifa made landfall in North Korea as a typhoon on Monday, bringing heavy rainfall and gusty winds, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. The storm, which was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall, came ashore about 7 p.m. Monday (6 a.m. Monday ET).
Four people died and two others were reported missing in Seoul, South Korea, where the storm passed Monday evening, the semi-official Yonhap news agency reported.
At least 490,000 people were evacuated from Shandong and Liaoning provinces in eastern China, Xinhua reported. No deaths or injuries were reported.
In the city of Dalian, in Liaoning, authorities were able to avert the spill of toxic chemicals from an industrial plant after 65-foot (20-meter) waves broke through a dike protecting the area and threatened to flood the plant, according to Xinhua. Workers dumped concrete and rocks to fill in the hole.
The plant contains carcinogenic chemicals used to make polyester film and fabrics, Xinhua said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/08/09/korea.tropical.storm/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 10, 2011 at 6:57 am
Haruna Mohammed
11 feared dead as Russian plane crashes in East Siberia
source :http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/08/09/russia.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 15, 2011 at 8:30 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tropical Storm Gert steering near Bermuda
(CNN) — Tropical Storm Gert is predicted to skirt Bermuda Monday before veering northeast into the open Atlantic Ocean, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Early Monday, the storm system was about 170 miles south-southeast of Bermuda and was picking up “forward speed” as it spins to the north, the center’s forecast said. It is expected to gain strength in the coming days.
Equipment aboard U.S. Air Force aircraft recorded maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, with stronger gusts reported.
Gert’s eye is forecast to go near or just east of Bermuda on Monday afternoon, prompting a tropical storm warning for the island. No other islands are similarly threatened.
The hurricane center predicts large swells that “are likely to cause life-threatening surf” on the island. Between 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected to fall on the island, as a result of the storm.
Gert is the seventh named storm of the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/15/tropical.storm.gert/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 22, 2011 at 7:22 am
Haruna Mohammed
Cholera kills nearly 500 in Cameroon since August 1, officials say
Maroua, Cameroon (CNN) — Public health officials say nearly 500 people have died of cholera in Cameroon this month, and 13,000 cases have been reported in the country this year.
More than 50 of this month’s deaths were in the Far North region, the hardest-hit area so far. Residents in the Logone and Chari divisions of the region told CNN that the majority of people infected with the disease are children under the age of five and women.
Prof. Gervais Ondobo Andze, the director of disease control at the Ministry of Public Health, told journalists Monday that nine of the country’s 10 regions are affected by cholera, an intestinal infection caused by ingestion of bacteria-contaminated food or water. It causes watery diarrhea and vomiting, which can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if not treated promptly. About 80 percent of cases can be cured by rehydrating the patient, according to the World Health Organization.
Andze told CNN Tuesday the government has opened treatment centers across the country and medical supplies have been dispatched to them all, but he emphasized that the battle against the disease must be a collective effort from both the government and the local population.
He advised people to drink only potable water — water safe for drinking — and not get their water from rivers, which can carry the disease downstream if infected fecal matter or bacteria is in it.
Andze also urged local officials to report all cases of cholera, so the government knows where the disease is and where to send resources. Many officials have only been reporting cases when someone has died of the disease.
In Maroua, the capital of the Far North region, the regional delegation of public health reported 1,380 cases of cholera so far this year. Dr. Valentine Ndikum, a senior public health official, predicted the number of cases could double in the coming days due to poor sanitary and hygienic conditions, and he lambasted what he said was a slow government response in fighting the disease.
Sanitary inspectors in the affected zones say only 5% of the nearly 3 million inhabitants of the region have toilets in their homes. Millions use bushes and nearby streams as makeshift toilets. The majority are cattle farmers who live in cramped huts with an average of eight children per family.
The semi-arid region has an erratic supply of potable water, mostly accessible only by the privileged. The poor rely on water from wells and streams for drinking and cooking.
The outbreak has been traced to the Logone River, on which thousands depend for their domestic activities, and the disease has gradually spread to other communities along the river.
Residents say medical supplies are inadequate and often don’t reach those infected by the disease. The government has set up dozens of emergency units but they’re consistently overcrowded with victims and always running short of basic medical supplies, residents said.
“I have lost my two children to the disease just this month alone. This epidemic has been for a year now in this region yet the government spends billions on political campaigns and travels, neglecting the vulnerable masses,” Abubakar Alim, 53, told CNN in tears at a makeshift treatment camp.
In October, voters will go to the polls to elect a new president. Critics say political campaigns are outpacing health priorities.
“The ruling party, the Cameroon’s People Democratic Movement, is visibly pumping billions into political campaigns and safari trips abroad. Why can’t they allocate money to eliminate a simple disease like cholera?” asked a resident of Maroua, who asked to not be named.
The government’s Public Health Ministry reported 9,395 cholera cases in 2010 — 8,830 of which were in the Far North region, the worst outbreak in decades.
Many have blamed the protracted delays in fighting the epidemic on alleged embezzlement and misappropriation of state funds allocated for health projects and emergencies. In 2008, former public health minister Olanguena Awono was arrested for alleged misappropriation of some $154 million of foreign aid given to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Cameroon.
“Our government only turns to beg for intervention from the West only when scores drop dead,” said Bah Theophile, a resident of the capital, Yaoundé.
Since the outbreak began in May 2010, humanitarian agencies such as Doctors Without Borders and Plan International have deployed resources to fight the disease. Doctors Without Borders opened a cholera treatment center at the Yaoundé University Hospital complex in May and treated more than 500 patients in the first four days the center was open, according to a statement on the group’s website.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/08/17/cameroon.cholera/index.html
August 23, 2011 at 7:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
Canadian opposition leader dies
Jack Layton, the leader of Canada’s official opposition, has died after a second bout of cancer just months after guiding his New Democratic Party (NDP) to its strongest performance in the May federal election.
Layton, 61, had almost single-handedly turned his leftist party into the second largest in the House of Commons.
“He passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family and loved ones,” a statement from his family said.
Layton had stepped down in July as party leader to fight his illness, passing on the baton to Nycole Turmel, who is serving as interim leader.
In a letter released by the NDP after his death was announced, Mr Layton said he had every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future.”
He described Canada as “a great country, one of the hopes of the world.”
Layton called on members of his party to remain committed to their “proud history of social justice, universal healthcare and public pensions.”
The former municipal politician from Toronto had won admiration for his bravado and stamina on the campaign trail, pumping a walking cane in the air soon after a hip operation and treatment for prostate cancer.
Rather than his illness making him look weak, pollsters said it gave Layton a warmer image than his political rivals, boosting his party’s popularity even as Stephen Harper’s ruling Conservatives were returned to office with a majority.
The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper gave a personal tribute to his opposition number, “on behalf of all Canadians, I salute Jack’s contribution to public life, a contribution that will be sorely missed.”
“I know one thing, Jack gave his fight against cancer everything he had. Indeed, Jack never backed down from any fight,” said Harper.
Layton was elected in 2003 as leader of the left-leaning New Democrats, who constantly were the third party in the Canadian parliament.
The 2011 federal election campaign looked like a straight battle between the Conservatives under Harper and the Liberals’ Michael Ignatieff.
But Layton’s party scored its historic win by garnering 103 seats, up from a previous 37.
Layton had nudged the party toward the centre, by promising to balance the budget in four years by boosting corporate taxes and raising other revenues to offset tens of billions in new spending.
He is survived by his Hong Kong-born wife Olivia Chow, also an NDP MP, and his two children from a previous marriage, Michael and Sarah.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/08/2011822222254904426.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=FacebookPosting
August 25, 2011 at 7:02 am
Haruna Mohammed
Cargo rocket crashes in Siberia
(CNN) — A Russian space freighter carrying cargo to the International Space Station has crashed in a remote area of Siberia, Russian emergency officials said Wednesday.
The unmanned Progress cargo craft, which launched at 7 p.m. in Kazakhstan (9 a.m. ET) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, was due to dock with the ISS on Friday.
Rescue teams have been dispatched to the crash site of the Progress-M12M, the regional branch of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry told CNN.
Officials could not immediately confirm whether the crash might have caused any damage on the ground. Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that the rocket had come down in the Altai region.
Earlier on Wednesday, Russian government space agency Roscosmos reported that the cargo ship had deviated from its planned trajectory shortly after takeoff, failing to reach the target orbit, and had disappeared from radars.
“The engine system’s erratic functioning and its subsequent breakdown occurred during the operation of the third stage at the 325th second of the flight of the Soyuz-U carrier rocket with the Progress M-12M resupply vehicle,” Roscosmos said in a statement.
The spacecraft was to deliver more than 3.5 tonnes (about 3.85 U.S. tons) of cargo to the crew of the ISS now orbiting the Earth, Roscosmos said.
The load included food supplies, medical equipment, personal hygiene items, as well as scientific equipment needed for experiments aboard the ISS, according to space officials.
There are currently six astronauts at the ISS — three from Russia, two from the United States and one from Japan.
“The situation with the loss of the Progress is not good, of course, but there are stocks of necessities aboard the ISS to support the cosmonauts that will be sufficient to last out until the arrival of the next Progress” cargo ship, Russia’s Space Mission Control executive Vladimir Solovyov told Russia’s Interfax news agency.
“The cosmonauts won’t have to save on food-stuffs,” he said.
Another Progress freighter is scheduled to launch on October 28, Solovyov said.
Space experts said Wednesday’s crash was the first failure of a Progress cargo unit in more than 30 years of operation.
However, it is the second failed space launch in Russia in less than 10 days.
On August 18, Russia lost a sophisticated Express-AM4 telecommunications satellite when the launch vehicle put it into the wrong orbit.
In the latest incident, Mission Control Houston said it had received a report of an “off-nominal situation” during the Progress rocket’s third and final stage.
NASA spokesman Rob Navias, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston told CNN that contact with the space craft had been lost about three minutes before it was to reach orbit.
He said the six people currently living on the ISS are “well supplied — actually oversupplied” since the delivery of goods by the final U.S. shuttle mission, carried out by Atlantis last month.
NASA is now reliant on the Russian space agency to ferry U.S. astronauts to orbit, since the grounding of the U.S. shuttle fleet has left the United States with no way to lift humans into space.
Plans are in the works for private companies to begin shipping cargo to the station, and eventually to carry astronauts as well.
Progress-series space freighters have been the backbone of Russian space cargo operations for decades, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.
In addition to taking supplies to the ISS, they have been used to carry out scientific experiments and help adjust the space station’s orbit, the agency reports.
The Johnson Space Center in Texas is home to NASA’s astronaut corps and trains astronauts from the United States and other nations.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/08/24/russia.rocket/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 25, 2011 at 7:18 am
Haruna Mohammed
6.8-magnitude quake strikes Peru
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit northern Peru on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Authorities did not immediately report any victims or significant damage.
The temblor struck at a depth of 90 miles, about 350 miles north-northeast of Lima and about 50 miles north of Pucallpa, at 12:46 p.m. local time (1:46 p.m. ET), the USGS said.
The epicenter is also about 130 miles west of Cruzeiro do Sul in western Brazil.
The quake shook buildings hundreds of miles away in the capital and temporarily interrupted phone service there, and postings on social network sites say Ecuador and Brazil felt the quake, according to El Comercio newspaper in Lima.
El Comercio reported that people in the cities of Moyobamba, Loreto, Ica and Trujillo also felt the quake.
The USGS considers anything above 6.0 magnitude a “strong” quake.
source : http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/24/6-8-magnitude-quake-strikes-northern-peru/?hpt=hp_t2
August 30, 2011 at 5:55 am
Haruna Mohammed
Uganda landslides: Villagers killed in Bulambuli
At least 24 people have died after torrential rains triggered landslides in eastern Uganda, Red Cross workers say.
Residents fear 35 people may have been killed in Bulambuli district, but only 24 bodies have been recovered so far.
The village of Namwidisi has reportedly been completely submerged in mud.
Last year, hundreds died in a similar incident nearby. Officials said then they would relocate up to half a million people to avoid any repeat.
However, following some local opposition to the plans only a few thousand – those deemed most at risk – were actually moved.
The Minister of State for Relief Disaster Preparedness, Musa Ecweru, said the government planned to push ahead with relocations to avoid more deaths.
“The government plans to procure land every year to relocate people who find themselves in this kind of situation,” Mr Ecweru said.
Red Cross workers and villagers are digging in the mud hoping to find survivors and retrieve bodies in the area 270km (167 miles) north-east of the capital, Kampala.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14707826
August 30, 2011 at 5:59 am
Haruna Mohammed
Irene: Death toll reaches 40 as recovery begins
Post-Tropical Cyclone Irene has killed 40 people in the US, and authorities warn that flooding could continue for up to three days in northern US states.
More than five million people remain without power, while Vermont is reeling from its worst floods in many decades.
Insurance claims could top $7bn (£4.3bn), the Consumer Federation of America estimated.
Irene has passed into Canada, after causing havoc on the US east coast from North Carolina to Vermont.
Driving rains and flood tides damaged homes and cut power to more than three million people in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York alone.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-14707826
August 31, 2011 at 6:12 am
Haruna Mohammed
Nigeria floods: At least 20 killed in Ibadan
At least 20 people have been killed and thousands displaced by flooding in and around the city of Ibadan in south-western Nigeria.
The floods, resulting from heavy rains that began on Friday, caused a dam to overflow and washed away numerous buildings and bridges.
“It’s a very serious situation,” said Yushau Shuaib, an official in the city, 150km (90 miles) north of Lagos.
The damage was exacerbated by rubbish and debris clogging drains in the city.
Although flooding is common in Nigeria during the rainy season, this year’s rains have been particularly heavy.
Hundreds of cars were also reported to have been submerged in the floods, along with scores of dwellings and extensive farmland.
Stall owners at the popular market in the Omi-Adio area of the city burst into tears after seeing the damage to their goods in a large warehouse, The Nation newspaper reported.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14700853
September 3, 2011 at 10:26 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Israelis hold renewed mass protests over living costs
Israelis have again taken to the streets in mass protests over the high cost of living.
At least 250,000 people joined the protests, with the main rallies in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, although some Israeli media put the turnout as high as 400,000.
They are the latest in a series of protests held throughout the summer.
Many Israelis are angry at the high cost of housing, food, education and health care.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has responded by forming a committee to examine calls for reform, although he has warned he cannot meet all the protesters’ demands.
Economic battlefield
The biggest protest on Saturday, part of what organisers had dubbed a Million Man March, appeared to be in Tel Aviv.
Student union president Itzik Shmuli told the crowd: “They told us that the movement was slowing down. Tonight we are showing that it’s the opposite. We are the new Israelis, determined to continue the fight for a fairer and better society.”
One banner read: “An entire generation wants a future” and another “The land of milk and honey, but not for everybody”.
Jonathan Levy, one of the protest organisers, told the BBC: “All the non-rich people in Israel, no matter if they’re secular or religious, old or young, realise that we’ve abandoned some really important battlefields in this country, that is economy, and we only dealt obsessively with security problems.”
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14777260
September 3, 2011 at 10:30 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Chile air crash: First bodies recovered from Pacific
At least four bodies and aircraft debris have been found in the Pacific Ocean after a Chilean air force plane crashed with 21 people aboard.
Fishermen and rescuers searching the waters around the remote Juan Fernandez islands found the bodies of two women and two men, officials said.
Hopes have dimmed of finding anyone alive, a top air force officer said.
The plane, which was carrying TV presenter Felipe Camiroaga, was lost after trying to land in poor weather.
The Casa-212 turboprop plane twice tried to land at the islands’ airport in windy conditions on Friday afternoon.
“It seems like a violent accident that didn’t leave anyone alive,” Maximiliano Larraechea, secretary general of the Chilean air force, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
“But we’re still not losing hope and we’re going to continue searching in the same way.”
None of the bodies found were immediately identified.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14776709
September 3, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Cuban defense minister dies of heart attack, state media reports
Havana (CNN) — Cuba’s defense minister died suddenly Saturday from a heart attack, the Caribbean nation’s state news service reported.
Julio Casas Regueiro, 75, became head of Cuba’s armed forces in February 2008. A longtime revolutionary, he fought alongside Fidel and Raul Castro in the guerrilla war that brought the two brothers to power in January 1959.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/09/03/cuba.defense.minister/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
September 7, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Dozens killed as Russian plane carrying hockey team crashes
Moscow (CNN) — A plane carrying a hockey team with international players, including some NHL veterans, crashed as it took off Wednesday afternoon from Russia’s Yaroslavl airport, killing at least 43 people, Russian emergency officials said.
The Yak-42 aircraft was taking players for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl — one of Russia’s leading ice hockey teams — to Minsk, the Belarusian capital, the Russian aviation authority told CNN.
Two of the 45 people aboard the plane, which included eight crew members, survived, a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry representative said. Eleven of those on the aircraft were foreigners, the ministry said.
Yaroslavl’s regional governor, Sergei Vakhrukov, named the two survivors as Russian forward Alexander Galimov and flight crew member Alexander Sizov. Both are being treated in intensive care.
Si.com: Plane crash darkens hockey’s grim summer
Thirty-five bodies have been recovered from the crash site so far, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said, and the search for those still missing continued into the night.
Many of the bodies were recovered from the Volga River after the plane crashed on its banks near the airport, the ministry said.
The Lokomotiv team, which was scheduled to play a match Thursday in the new Kontinental Hockey League, had a number of players with ties to the National Hockey League.
NHL.com cited Russia’s Sov Sport website as confirming that the entire main roster of the team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was on the plane, along with four players from the youth team.
CNN.com: NHL feels loss of plane crash
The team’s head coach, Brad McCrimmon, 52, who was born in Canada, previously played in the NHL and was an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings, NHL.com said.
Others who played in the NHL included Karel Rachunek, 32, a Czech native; Ruslan Salei, 36, from Belarus; Karlis Skrastins, 37, from Latvia; Pavol Demitra, 36, from Slovakia; and Josef Vasicek, 30, from the Czech Republic.
Demitra was a former Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks center, RIA Novosti reported, while fellow center Vasicek was formerly with the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes. Salei previously played for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Colorado Avalanche and the Red Wings.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/09/07/russia.plane.crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
September 10, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Haruna Mohammed
40 killed, hundreds missing after ferry capsizes off Zanzibar
(CNN) — Hundreds of people are missing after a ferry carrying more than 600 people capsized early Saturday off the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, authorities said.
At least 259 people have been rescued and 40 bodies recovered, said Mohamed Aboud, the Zanzibar state minister.
Most of those rescued were transported to local hospitals for treatment.
Divers and rescue crews are at the scene scouring the waters for survivors, he told CNN by phone from the island.
The ferry’s manifest shows it was traveling between the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba with more than 600 passengers onboard, according to the minister.
The cause of the accident was unknown.
Pemba and Zanzibar are the two main islands on the Zanzibar archipelago.
The two islands on the Indian Ocean are popular among tourists for their pristine sandy beaches.
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania
SOURCE : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/09/10/tanzania.ferry.sinks/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
September 10, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Bolivian found alive days after plane crash
All nine passengers and crew aboard an Aerocon Airlines flight from Santa Cruz to Trinidad were assumed dead when the plane crashed in the Bolivian jungle on Tuesday.
But three days later, rescue officials found one of the passengers, injured but alive, near the crash site.
Minor Vidal escaped from the wreckage and says he survived by drinking his own urine and water from a lagoon.
Al Jazeera’s Caroline Malone reports.
source : http://english.aljazeera.net/video/americas/2011/09/201191093516307328.html
September 12, 2011 at 10:27 am
Haruna Mohammed
Pakistan floods test cash-strapped government
HYDERABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan’s cash-strapped government, still struggling to help victims of last year’s epic floods, could face another major test as monsoon rains sweep across Sindh province in the south.
“The situation in Sindh is already serious and there will be more flooding and more problems because of these rains,” said meteorology department official Arif Mehmood.
“We have alerted all relevant government agencies dealing with the flood situation.”
Flooding has killed about 200 people, destroyed or damaged nearly one million houses and flooded 4.2 million acres of land since late August, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
At least 400 people, mostly women and children, have fled flood-hit areas to the city of Hyderabad in Sindh, without any assistance from the government, in scenes reminiscent of last year’s natural disaster.
“In our villages, there is at times eight to 10 feet of water and other places three to five feet. Our livelihood is gone, animals have died,” said Azmat Kaloi, a 50-year-old mother of four.
“Forget food, the government has not even been able to provide us with drinking water. We sold everything we have and just came here to save our lives.”
Prospects for further flood damage would put Pakistan’s civilian government, already battling Taliban militants, allegations of widespread corruption and growing public anger over power cuts, under immense pressure.
source : http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE78B13820110912
September 17, 2011 at 5:23 am
Haruna Mohammed
Reno air race crash: Three people killed
Three people have died and scores are injured after an airplane crashed near a grandstand at an air race near Reno, Nevada, say medical officials.
The vintage World War II-era P-51 Mustang crashed at about 1630 local time (2330 GMT) at the National Championship Air Races.
Organisers said a mechanical fault was probably to blame but were awaiting the results of an official investigation.
Eyewitnesses said debris and body parts were strewn across the airfield.
‘Just pulverized’
Fifty-four people were taken to hospital, some in critical condition, said Mike Houghton, head of the Reno Air Racing Association and CEO of the event.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14957437
September 18, 2011 at 1:06 am
Haruna Mohammed
Plane Crashes at WV Air Show
A plane crash at the Thunder Over the Blue Ridge air show killed a pilot Saturday afternoon. While details of the crash were scarce, the West Virginia Air Force said the pilot was a civilian. The plane involved, a World War II–era aircraft, is registered to John Mangan, who is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and has more than 4,000 flying hours. The plane was flying as part of a six-plane formation from the T-28 Warbird Aerobatic Formation Demonstration Team, which is based in Cincinnati, and it crashed during a stunt that involves two planes flying belly to belly. After the stunt, the plane wobbled and fell to the ground. No other injuries were reported, but the rest of the air show has been canceled.
source : http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/09/17/plane-crashes-at-w-va-air-show.html
September 19, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Race to rescue quake victims in India, Nepal and Tibet
Rescue efforts are under way across isolated Himalayan regions in India, Nepal and Tibet after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the area on Sunday.
The worst affected area was the northern Indian state of Sikkim, the epicentre of the quake where at least 18 people have been killed.
But the relief effort there has been hampered by rainfall and landslides. It is feared that the toll could rise.
Several earthquakes hit the region this year, but none caused major damage.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14967812
September 19, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Moderate earthquake rattles Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala (CNN) — A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Guatemala on Monday, about 53 kilometers (32 miles) southeast of Guatemala City, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
“There are people buried in the rubble … We have one confirmed dead,” Evelyn Ruano, a spokeswoman in the office of President Alvaro Colom, told CNN.
She said firefighters are on the scene in the department of Santa Rosa to assist.
The earthquake, which the USGS reported to be some 25 miles deep, was felt in the capital.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/09/19/guatemala.earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
September 20, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Haruna Mohammed
14 killed, 18 missing after landslide in central China
(CNN) — At least 14 people were dead and 18 others missing after tons of rock and mud slid down a mountain in central China during the weekend, state-run media reported Monday.
Rescuers retrieved 10 more bodies from the rubble Sunday afternoon, Xi’an vice mayor Zhu Zhisheng told the Xinhua news agency. Five people injured in the landslide were in stable condition at local hospitals, Zhu said.
A team of specialists from China’s Ministry of Land and Resources will be sent in to pinpoint the cause of the landslide and to help with the rescue work, said Zhu. The landslides have buried several workshops, a brick factory and a nearby ceramics plant.
Rain triggered the massive landslide Saturday afternoon in a suburb of Xi’an, which is the capital of Shaanxi province.
Rescue efforts — involving more than 700 police, firefighters and locals, according to Xinhua — have been hampered by relentlessly heavy rains, which set off off three additional landslides Sunday morning.
Heavy precipitation also caused serious problems in other Chinese communities.
That included a landslide Saturday night that buried a home in Baoji, also in Shaanxi province. Two people who were dug from the rubble were rushed to a nearby hospital but eventually died, the municipal government said, according to Xinhua.
Three people buried underneath a Sunday morning landslide in the same area were rescued and remain in stable condition at a hospital, doctors at the hospital told Xinhua.
In addition, southwest China’s Sichuan province has been battered with rains since Friday leaving six people dead and two missing as of Sunday afternoon.
China’s Provincial Civil Affairs Department reported that nearly 200,000 people were evacuated, fearing further rain-triggered disasters.
Repair work continued Monday on a flooded main railway line in central Henan province. It was not immediately known when repairs would be complete and traffic could resume on the line.
Source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/09/19/china.landslide/index.html?hpt=wo_c2
September 21, 2011 at 5:11 am
Haruna Mohammed
Afghan peace council head Rabbani killed in attack
The chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani, has been killed with several other people in a bomb attack in Kabul, officials say.
Mr Rabbani was killed at his home by a suicide attacker who officials believe had concealed a bomb in his turban.
He was meeting members of the Taliban at the time. The council leads Afghan efforts to negotiate with the Taliban.
Mr Rabbani is a former president of Afghanistan and also led the main political opposition in the country.
A senior adviser to the peace council, Masoom Stanakzai, is also thought to have been seriously wounded in the attack.
On hearing the news Afghan President Hamid Karzai decided to cut short his visit to the US but briefly met President Barack Obama, who condemned the killing as a “tragic loss”. Both men reinforced their determination to continue the quest for peace.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14985779
September 23, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Scientists: Particles appear to travel faster than light
(CNN) — Scientists in Switzerland say an experiment appears to show that tiny particles traveled faster than the speed of light — a result that would seem to defy the laws of nature.
The physicists say that neutrinos sent 730 kilometers (453.6 miles) underground between laboratories in Switzerland and Italy arrived a fraction of a second sooner than they should have, according to the speed of light.
The report was published Friday by a group of researchers working on the so-called Opera experiment, based at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland.
“This result comes as a complete surprise,” report author Antonio Ereditato at the University of Bern, in Switzerland, said in a statement.
“After many months of studies and cross checks, we have not found any instrumental effect that could explain the result of the measurement.”
The scientists on the Opera project would continue their research, he said, but “are also looking forward to independent measurements to fully assess the nature of this observation.”
The finding would seem to challenge Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity, and the long-established law of physics that nothing can exceed the speed of light.
“It is very, very remarkable if it’s true,” said Professor Neville Harnew, head of particle physics at Oxford University.
“If this proves to be correct, then it will revolutionize physics as we know it.”
He will be among scientists from around the world tuning into a webcast seminar held by CERN Friday afternoon, to discuss what Harnew describes as an “ultra-exciting” development that has come “totally out of the blue.”
The Opera team’s result is based on the observation of more than 15,000 bunches of neutrinos sent between CERN and the Gran Sasso Laboratory in Italy. A neutrino is an electrically neutral subatomic particle, an elemental building block of the universe.
The physicists say the measurements of the distance and the time involved were performed with great precision, to nanosecond accuracy.
And the results seemed to show the neutrinos travel “at a velocity 20 parts per million above the speed of light, nature’s cosmic speed limit.”
Sergio Bertolucci, research director at CERN, said the Opera team followed good scientific practice by throwing open their findings to other scientists.
“When an experiment finds an apparently unbelievable result and can find no artifact of the measurement to account for it, it’s normal procedure to invite broader scrutiny,” he said.
“If this measurement is confirmed, it might change our view of physics, but we need to be sure that there are no other, more mundane, explanations. That will require independent measurements.”
Ereditato said more research is needed.
“The potential impact on science is too large to draw immediate conclusions or attempt physics interpretations,” he said. “My first reaction is that the neutrino is still surprising us with its mysteries.”
Harnew said the new finding “cannot currently fit in the standard theories at all” and would have to be confirmed by another experiment — to ensure there is no subtle systemic error at play — before a discovery can be claimed.
And he cautions that “neutrino measurements are extremely difficult experiments,” making it hard to verify results independently.
Neutrinos, which are emitted during the process of radioactive decay, have only a tiny mass and usually pass through matter without interacting with anything else, making them very hard to detect.
CERN is one of only a handful of laboratories capable of running an experiment like the Opera project, Harnew said. Other possible sites could be J-Parc in Japan, home of the multinational T2K project, and Fermilab in Illinois.
It was only recently discovered that neutrinos, which come in three types, can switch from one type to another. If they can indeed travel faster than mass-less particles, like light, then these mysterious particles will have done even more to turn the world of physics on its head.
Source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/23/world/europe/switzerland-science/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
September 25, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Police: 19 killed as small plane crashes in Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) — Nineteen people aboard a small plane were killed Sunday when it crashed while trying to land at the airport in Kathmandu, police in Nepal said.
Among the occupants onboard were two Americans, officials said.
The Beechcraft plane was returning from a sightseeing tour when it hit a mountain and broke into pieces about 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the airport, said police spokesman Binod Singh. It was carrying 16 passengers and three crew members.
The crew members were Nepalese, as were three passengers. Ten other passengers were Indian nationals; two were Americans and one was a Japanese national, officials said.
“We had already seen the plane approaching the airport when the accident happened,” said Purusottam Shakya, the chief of operations at Tribhuvan International Airport.
In August, a plane headed to Mt. Everest on a sightseeing tour crashed, killing 14 people onboard. Among the victims were four Americans and a British national, officials said at the time.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/25/world/asia/nepal-plane-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
September 27, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Powerful Typhoon Nesat hits Philippines
A powerful typhoon has struck the Philippines, triggering floods and cutting power in the capital Manila and throughout the main island, Luzon.
Typhoon Nesat also forced the closure of the Philippine Stock Exchange and the US embassy, and the ground floor of Manila’s main hospital was flooded.
At least seven people have been killed, including several children.
As Nesat approached, the authorities ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 in central Albay province.
The typhoon is expected to continue slowly across the country, before blowing across the South China Sea towards southern China on Thursday.
Continue reading the main story
Analysis
Kate McGeown BBC News, Zambales, central Luzon
There has been really heavy rain and wind here since last night. The typhoon seems to have been moving from east to west of the island of Luzon and affecting large parts of it. And when you think that Luzon is home to more than half the Philippine population it means that a lot of people have been affected.
There are a lot of very poor people in the country, and I was filming in some of the poorer areas of Manila yesterday, in low-lying slums. There was a little rain during the day and already the homes were being flooded.
Now we’re a day on and it’s been raining solidly since then. There must be real fears for people living in those kinds of areas.
Crushed
Nesat made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday in the eastern Isabela and Aurora provinces on the Pacific coast.
The storm – with a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and wind gusts of up to 170km/h (105mph) – is now making its way across Luzon, the BBC’s Kate McGeown in the central Luzon province of Zambales reports.
Many roads have been flooded and flights cancelled, and local media are urging people against non-essential travel, our correspondent says.
An adult and three children were crushed to death as a building collapsed in a northern Manila suburb on Tuesday, AFP news agency quoted the Office of Civil Defence as saying.
Two men were said to have died north of the capital in a landslide and weather-induced accident.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15070550
October 5, 2011 at 7:57 am
Haruna Mohammed
Chopper crash in New York’s East River leaves 1 dead
New York (CNN) — A helicopter crashed Tuesday in New York’s East River near midtown Manhattan as it approached a helipad for a landing, killing a woman who was on board and injuring four other people.
The woman who was killed apparently was trapped in the backseat of the Bell 206 chopper and was the sole passenger unable to escape the craft as it inverted and sank, according to officials and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Two of the injured were transferred to the city’s Bellevue Hospital suffering from cardiac and respiratory arrest, said New York Fire Department spokesman Jim Long. Another man was listed in serious condition and was transferred to New York University Medical Center, he said.
Emergency workers were seen assisting one person at the water’s edge near where the incident occurred. Bloomberg said the pilot “was rescued very quickly and brought ashore” and was unharmed.
Four of the people were able to get out of the sunken helicopter by themselves, the mayor said. The woman’s body was recovered about 4:40 p.m., roughly an hour and 10 minutes after the crash.
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/04/us/new-york-chopper-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
October 5, 2011 at 7:59 am
Haruna Mohammed
Unions endorse, will join Occupy Wall Street protests
New York (CNN) — Several unions endorsed the two-week-old Occupy Wall Street movement and plan to join the protesters’ street theater in New York on Wednesday, labor leaders said.
“It’s really simple. These young people on Wall Street are giving voice to many of the problems that working people in America have been confronting over the last several years,” Larry Hanley, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which has 20,000 member in the New York area, told CNN.
“These young people are speaking for the vast majority of Americans who are frustrated by the bankers and brokers who have profited on the backs of hard-working people,” Hanley added in a statement. “While we battle it out day after day, month after month, the millionaires and billionaires on Wall Street sit by — untouched — and lecture us on the level of our sacrifice.”
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Transport Workers Union Local 100 spokesman Jim Gannon said the Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces social inequities in the financial system and draws inspiration from the Arab Spring revolutions in Africa and the Middle East, has advanced issues that unions typically support.
“Their goals are our goals,” Gannon said. “They brought a spotlight on issues that we’ve believed in for quite some time now…. Wall Street caused the implosion in the first place and is getting away Scot-free while workers, transit workers, everybody, is forced to pay for their excesses.
“These young folks have brought a pretty bright spotlight,” Gannon added. “It’s kind of a natural alliance.”
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/05/politics/occupy-wall-street/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
October 12, 2011 at 8:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
New Zealand oil spill ship captain charged
The captain of a cargo ship that has grounded off New Zealand and is leaking oil into the sea has been arrested and charged, officials say.
The captain was charged with “operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk”.
The 775ft (236m) Rena ran aground on a charted reef off the North Island port of Tauranga a week ago.
Officials say the fuel oil leaking from the ship has caused the country’s worst environmental disaster in decades.
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ), which is managing the emergency response, said about 70 containers had fallen off the Rena after more bad weather overnight shifted the vessel into a heavy list.
The ship is carrying 11 containers of hazardous materials, MNZ said, including ferrosilicon which is flammable upon contact with water.
MNZ said the hazardous materials containers were not among those that had fallen overboard.
But New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said stress fractures had been found on the Rena.
“We can’t rule out the risk of the ship breaking up, that’s certainly being monitored,” he said.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15268314
October 21, 2011 at 11:25 am
Haruna Mohammed
Libya plans secret burial for Muammar Gaddafi
Libyan authorities are planning a secret burial for ousted leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi following his capture and death, the BBC understands.
However, it appears there may be a delay in his burial, which under Islamic tradition should take place as soon as possible.
Oil minister Ali Tarhouni told Reuters that Col Gaddafi’s body may be kept “for a few days”.
Nato is expected to declare an end to its Libya campaign in the coming hours.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the death of Col Gaddafi meant Nato’s military intervention in Libya had reached its conclusion.
“Clearly the operation is coming to its end,” he told reporters.
Earlier, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said the Nato operation would end “subject to a few transitory measures in the week to come”
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15398866
October 24, 2011 at 9:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Turkey earthquake: Desperate search for survivors
Rescue teams are desperately searching for people trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake hit Turkey’s eastern Van region on Sunday.
More than 200 people died and 1,000 were injured in the 7.2 magnitude quake, many of them in the town of Ercis, where dozens of buildings fell.
Tens of thousands have been sleeping outside in freezing conditions.
The death toll is expected to rise. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been visiting the area.
Turkey is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because it sits on major geological fault lines.
Two earthquakes in 1999 with a magnitude of more than 7 killed almost 20,000 people in densely populated parts of the north-west of the country.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15425268
October 24, 2011 at 9:35 am
Haruna Mohammed
Tropical Storm Rina forms near Honduras, Nicaragua
(CNN) — A tropical depression in the western Caribbean Sea strengthened into Tropical Storm Rina on Sunday night, dumping heavy rain on northeastern Honduras.
As of 11 p.m. ET, Rina was about 115 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of the eastern tip of the Honduran/Nicaraguan border, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was also about 210 miles (340 kilometers) south-southwest of Grand Cayman.
Rina packed maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) and was moving north-northwest at 8 mph (13 kph).
“The center of Rina is expected to pass north of the northeastern coast of Honduras during the next couple of days,” the hurricane center said late Sunday night.
Rina is expected to drop a total of 2 to 4 inches of rain over eastern Honduras, with isolated maximum amounts of 7 inches possible in some spots, according to the center. The rainfall could cause “flash flooding and mudslides over mountainous terrain.”
source : http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/24/world/americas/tropical-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
October 26, 2011 at 8:50 am
Haruna Mohammed
Floods bring Accra to a standstill; create panic and fear
A sea of rain waters has brought the capital of the nation to excruciating standstill Wednesday morning.
The most important centre of convergence or ‘rite of passage’ for most of the city’s dwellers – the Kwame Nkrumah Circle – has been cut off by a sea of brown waters lying peacefully but bringing pain and anguish to commuter who are simply watching helplessly.
Following torrential rains Tuesday night, the Odawna river overflowed its banks making any attempt to cross the road a perilous endeavour.
Vehicles from the north and north-western parts of Accra leave their passengers at the Ghanaian Times junction and simply turn and by 7am Wednesday the road between the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle and the Ghanaian Times Junction had turned into a sea of frustrated commuters.
While some stranded commuters cursed, huffed and puffed, others rolled their sleeves and trousers and waded a few meters into the brown out of bravado and a desire to make comic a frustrating situation, rather than a genuine attempt to cross to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle – which was only a few hundreds of meters away.
There is unimaginable chaos and pandemonium as drivers try to outdo each other in a turn out of the junction.
The Graphic road is worse and no one is daring to go through that route to the Central Business District of Accra.
At a little past 8am the floods receded and vehicles started streaking slowly to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle albeit with great caution.
source : http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201110/75420.php
October 27, 2011 at 8:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Bangkok floods: Thousands flee as waters approach
Thousands of residents are rushing to leave the Thai capital Bangkok, which is braced for potentially severe flooding over the weekend.
The city’s bus and train stations and many roads are jammed by crowds of people attempting to flee.
People in several northern districts of the capital – some of which are now 90% submerged by rising water – have been told they should evacuate immediately.
More than 360 people have died in Thailand’s worst flooding in decades.
The crisis is an early test for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who took office in August and has previously been criticised for failing to take the flood threat seriously enough.
“It’s a crisis, because if we try to resist this massive amount of floodwater, a force of nature, we won’t win,” Ms Yingluck said.
“But if we allow it to flow freely then people in many areas are prepared.”
Any lingering sense of complacency has long gone, says the BBC’s Rachel Harvey in Bangkok.
‘Food rationing’
Over the weekend the influx of run-off water from Thailand’s inundated central plains is expected to combine with seasonal high tides to flood more parts of the capital.
Thai authorities have declared a five-day holiday, to run from Thursday through to Monday, in Bangkok and in 20 provinces affected by the flooding to allow residents to relocate.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15471849
November 1, 2011 at 7:33 am
Haruna Mohammed
Earthquake rattles northwest China
(CNN) — A magnitude 6.0 earthquake rattled northwestern China on Tuesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake struck at 8:21 a.m. (8:21 p.m. Monday ET), according to the USGS. It was centered in northern Xinjiang province at a depth of nearly 28 km (17 miles) below the surface, the agency reported.
The epicenter was 96 km from the city of Yining and about 130 km from China’s border with Kazakhstan, the USGS said. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/asia/china-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
November 1, 2011 at 8:43 am
Haruna Mohammed
Threat of disease from historic flooding looms in Thailand
(CNN) — Worries about high tides overwhelming parts of Thailand in recent days have morphed into fears about water- and insect-borne diseases in the flood-ravaged country.
Bangkok’s central business district has avoided major flooding so far, but outlying areas are chest- or waist-deep in water.
“The water in those parts is a filthy black color containing sewage, garbage and dead animals with a nasty smell. Mosquitoes are also breeding rapidly,” said Igor Prahin of Bangkok.
More than 370 people have died since the flooding began after heavy monsoon rains.
U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Kristie A. Kenney said Monday that “the worst may be over for central Bangkok,” but about 2 million people are still affected by the flooding. The United States has pledged a total of $1.1 million in aid.
CNNGo: Updated travel information for tourists
Charities working in the country have warned of diseases such as diarrhea, dengue fever and malaria in the coming days and weeks.
“There are places on the outskirts of Bangkok and in other parts of the country which have been flooded for nearly two weeks,” said Matthew Cochrane of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
“The country’s prime minister has said that the city has ‘dodged a bullet’ — the economic impact of central Bangkok being flooded would have been huge, and thankfully that did not happen — but a huge part of the country is still under water,” Cochrane said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/asia/thailand-flood/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
November 9, 2011 at 7:40 am
Haruna Mohammed
Legendary fighter Joe Frazier dies at the age of 67
Former world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier has died at the age of 67. He had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer.
Known as ‘Smokin Joe’, the legendary fighter will be best remembered for being the first man to beat Muhammad Ali in New York in 1971.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15637983
November 10, 2011 at 6:52 am
Haruna Mohammed
Turkey earthquake: Rescue teams search for survivors
Rescue teams are searching for dozens of people trapped in rubble after a 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey, killing at least seven people.
Twenty-five buildings have collapsed, including a six-storey hotel in the city of Van, where journalists and aid workers were staying, officials said.
Emergency workers said 23 people had been rescued alive but that up to 100 more remained unaccounted for.
Last month, a 7.2-magnitude quake in the same area killed 600 people.
All but three of the buildings which toppled in Wednesday’s quake were empty, Turkey’s deputy prime minister said, as they had been evacuated following the 23 October tremor.
Besir Atalay said that the rescue work was concentrating on those structures – two collapsed hotels and one apartment building.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15669753
November 21, 2011 at 7:03 am
Haruna Mohammed
A giant rock formation resembling a city wall has been discovered under the Taiwan Strait.
The 220m stretch of basalt rock was found by biodiversity researcher Jeng Ming-hsiou.
He said it was likely to have been formed by a volcanic eruption up to 1,800 years ago.
SOURCE : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7811730.stm
November 30, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Haruna Mohammed
British workers strike over retirement benefits
London (CNN) — Mass strikes began across the United Kingdom on Wednesday, with up to 2 million workers walking off jobs in schools, hospitals and police stations in protest over proposed pension reforms.
Chaos was predicted at Heathrow airport in London, one of the world’s busiest international airports, but Wednesday morning operations were more or less normal.
Lines at immigration were moving smoothly, but BAA, the company that operates Heathrow, said they could get worse and incoming passengers could expect waits of two to three hours because of strikes by border control staff.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/30/world/europe/uk-public-sector-strike/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
December 1, 2011 at 6:53 am
Haruna Mohammed
Britain evacuates all embassy staff after Iran protesters storm compounds
London (CNN) — Britain has closed its embassy in Iran and evacuated all its staff from that country following the attack on the embassy compound in Tehran Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.
Iran has also been ordered to close its embassy in London immediately, with its staff given 48 hours to leave, Hague said in a strongly worded statement to the UK Parliament.
Protesters stormed Britain’s embassy and a separate compound Tuesday in Iran’s capital, sparking outrage in the United Kingdom. The buildings should have been guarded by Iranian security officers.
Some demonstrators proceeded to vandalize and loot the homes of staff and the ambassador’s residence, destroy furniture, steal their property and set fire to the main embassy office building, Hague said.
“This is a breach of international responsibilities of which any nation should be ashamed,” Hague said.
While relations between Britain and Iran have been strained in recent times, he said, “We should be absolutely clear that no difficulty in relations can ever excuse in any way or under any circumstances the failure to protect diplomatic staff and diplomatic premises.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/30/world/europe/uk-iran-demonstrations/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
December 1, 2011 at 6:55 am
Haruna Mohammed
Deteriorating diplomatic ties between countries :
1. Iran and Uk : Both expelling ambassadors
2. Sudan and Kenya : Both expelling ambassadors
3. Israel and Palestine
December 5, 2011 at 7:00 am
Haruna Mohammed
Unclear whether Iran shot down drone, a U.S. official says
(CNN) — Iran’s military on Sunday claimed it shot down a U.S. drone into eastern Iran.
State media cited a military official who identified the aircraft as an RQ-170 Sentinel.
NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said a U.S. unarmed reconnaissance aircraft was flying a mission over western Afghanistan — which borders Iran — last week when operators lost control.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the incident said the crew operating the unmanned drone reported a loss of flight control just before the drone went down.
U.S. officials believe the drone Iran is referring to may be the same one, but the U.S. government has not confirmed that it was shot down, the source said.
The RQ-170 Sentinel is a stealth drone developed for the Air Force to help provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Although the Sentinel was developed for the Air Force, the U.S. official did not say whether it was the U.S. military or the U.S. intelligence community operating the drone at the time of the incident.
The official said the drone’s mission was to fly over Afghanistan. American officials over the years have been adamant that U.S. assets do not fly over Iranian air space.
Iranian media reported that the RQ-170 was slightly damaged and in the hands of Iranian forces.
“Armed forces with a dominant control over the country’s borders managed to identify and down the invading plane,” the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
The unnamed Iranian military official called it a “clear example of aggression” and added that Iran is “fully ready to counter any aggression,” the report said.
In July, Iran’s military made a similar claim, saying it downed a U.S. “spy drone” flying near its Fordo nuclear enrichment plant in Qom province. But Iran backtracked on the statement a few days later, saying the incident was actually part of a training exercise.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/04/world/meast/iran-drone/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
December 5, 2011 at 4:07 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Two black holes most massive ever found, astronomers say
Black holes: They’re most destructive monsters in the universe. We already knew they can be powerfully massive. Now scientists say they’ve found the most massive ones yet, as reported in the journal Nature.
How big?
The mass of each is about 10 billion times the mass of our sun. The previous black hole record holder, first measured in 1977, has a mass of about 6 billion suns.
And for each black hole, the “event horizon” – basically areas from which nothing can escape their gravity – is about five times the distance between our sun and Pluto.
“We started this search several years ago,” said black hole hunter Chung-Pei Ma of the University of California, Berkeley. Using Hawaii’s huge Keck telescope, and the Gemini and McDonald obseravtories, Ma says her team “targeted the biggest galaxies in the nearby universe because the biggest galaxies are most likely to host the most massive black holes.”
source :http://lightyears.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/05/two-black-holes-most-massive-ever-found-astronomers-say/?hpt=hp_t3
December 6, 2011 at 6:56 am
Haruna Mohammed
3 dead, at least 15 missing after capsizing off Dominican coast
(CNN) — Only three bodies have been found near the site where a boat carrying about 100 migrants capsized off the Dominican Republic’s coast, authorities said Monday.
Authorities believe at least 15 people are missing, Civil Defense officials said. Others survived, officials said, but have not spoken publicly for fear of repercussions from authorities.
The boat was headed for Puerto Rico when it capsized early Sunday morning, authorities said.
Search teams have been looking for the missing near the northern coastal city of Nagua, Rep. Jose Luis Cosme said, while anxious family members await word about their loved ones.
“It is truly a scene of anguish,” said Cosme, who was on the coast when the three bodies were found Sunday.
Water rescuers stopped searching Monday as tides rose due to bad weather. Helicopters surveyed the waters from above.
Forecasters had predicted stormy weather before the boat set sail.
In the past, boats packed with immigrants were a common sight near Nagua, which is about 200 miles from Puerto Rico.
“We are in a strategic location. Before, there were frequent trips, but that had dropped off,” Cosme said. “This surprises me.”
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/05/world/americas/dominican-republic-boat/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
December 8, 2011 at 7:21 am
Haruna Mohammed
Five dead in helicopter crash near Las Vegas
(CNN) — A helicopter that was taking passengers on a tour over Hoover Dam near Las Vegas crashed Wednesday evening, killing the pilot and all four passengers, a spokesman for the National Park Service said.
The crash occurred 4.5 miles west of Southern Nevada Water Authority in the Lake Mead Recreational Park, east of Las Vegas, said the spokesman, Andrew Munoz.
The Eurocopter AS350 helicopter crashed around 5 p.m. under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor told CNN.
Sundance Helicopters said the aircraft was on a tour from the airport to the Hoover Dam and back. The company’s website said it operated a fleet of 23 helicopters.
“All our helicopters are maintained with exacting precision and our pilots are trained and then retrained with ongoing recertification in excess of FAA requirements,” it said.
source : http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/07/us/nevada-helicopter-crash/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
December 12, 2011 at 6:58 am
Haruna Mohammed
Human-like Life Could Exist on Newly-discovered Planet
A newly-discovered Earth-like planet could very well contain continental features where normal human-like life could exist. Or it could be more of a water world with an ocean containing life forms similar to dolphins.
That’s according to Dr. Alan Boss, of the Carnegie Institution for Science, one of the researchers involved in discovering the new planet.
This past Monday, NASA announced that its Kepler space telescope confirmed the first planet orbiting a star in its “habitable zone,” the region where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface.
Some scientists described this planet, known as Kepler 22B, as “Earth-like” with a star similar to our sun.
Located some 600 light-years away, Kepler 22B is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth. And while scientists don’t yet exactly know if the planet is predominantly rocky, gaseous or liquid composition, its discovery has excited scientists who now say we’re now one step closer to finding other Earth-like planets throughout the cosmos.
If it is truly made of rock, as some speculate, Dr. Boss says it might look something like our own Earth with probably a fair amount of water on it as well.
source : http://blogs.voanews.com/science-world/2011/12/09/human-like-life-could-exist-on-newly-discovered-planet/
December 16, 2011 at 10:14 am
Haruna Mohammed
Christopher Hitchens dies after battle with cancer
British-born author, literary critic and journalist Christopher Hitchens has died, aged 62, according to Vanity Fair magazine.
He died from pneumonia, a complication of the oesophageal cancer he was suffering from, at a Texas hospital.
Vanity Fair said there would “never be another like Christopher”.
He is survived by his wife, Carol Blue, and their daughter, Antonia, and his children from a previous marriage, Alexander and Sophia.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter described the writer as someone “of ferocious intellect, who was as vibrant on the page as he was at the bar”.
“Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls.”
Mr Hitchens was born in Portsmouth in 1949 and graduated from Oxford in 1970.
He began his career as a journalist in Britain in the 1970s and later moved to New York, becoming contributing editor to Vanity Fair in November 1992.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16212418
December 20, 2011 at 9:22 am
Haruna Mohammed
North Korea leader lies in state
Mourners in North Korea have been paying their last respects at the open coffin of late leader Kim Jong-il.
State TV showed pictures of his son and heir, Kim Jong-un, and other senior officials at a memorial palace.
Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack caused by overwork and stress at the age of 69, state media said.
A period of official mourning is under way. Kim Jong-il, who had been in power since the death of father Kim Il-sung in 1994, will be buried on 28 December.
North Korean state media said its people continued to grieve late into the night.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16261060
December 21, 2011 at 9:28 am
Haruna Mohammed
First Earth-sized planets spotted (KEPLER 22F)
Astronomers have detected the first Earth-sized planets, which are orbiting a star similar to our own Sun.
They have described their findings as the most important planets ever discovered outside our Solar System.
source : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16280102
January 31, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Shield plan to save Earth from asteroids
In a project drawn straight from the script of a science fiction film, European scientists are working on a shield to protect the Earth from asteroids.
While the planet faces no imminent risk of a catastrophic collision with an extra-terrestrial body, the European Commission has invested $5 million in what it calls “threat mitigation”.
Scientists are tasked with looking for ways to deal with so-called “Near Earth Objects” that threaten the planet.
Al Jazeera’s Tarek Bazley reports.
source: http://www.aljazeera.com/video/europe/2012/01/201213110401288724.html
January 31, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Asteroid near misses and the threats to come
The space rock, named 2011 MD, reached within 11,000 miles of our atmosphere and gave off a light bright enough to be seen through a small telescope.
It was first spotted by a robotic telescope in New Mexico. An alert was then put out by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center in Massachusetts.
* In September 2010 Nasa scientists revealed two asteroids had narrowly avoided Earth after passing within the moon and our planet’s orbit.
The two objects were identified by the Nasa-funded Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona, during a routine sky scan.
The first asteroid, christened 2010 RX30, was about 65 feet (20 metres) in diameter and flew past at a distance of 154,000 miles.
The second, called 2010 RF12, was roughly two-thirds the size of its big brother and was estimated to pass within just 49,088 miles of Earth.
While they were visible to many amateur stargazers, space agency researchers said neither asteroid posed a risk.
Nasa estimates that asteroids smaller than 25 metres in diameter are likely to burn up while entering the atmosphere and cause no damage.
Threats to come: Known asteroids heading this way.
* In July 2010, Nasa experts gave details of an asteroid measuring more than 1,800 feet wide (548 metres), which has a one-in-a-thousand chance of colliding with Earth in 2182.
That collision promises to create more damage than that of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Preceding this, Apophis, a 25 million ton celestial body is expected to narrowly miss our planet three times in succession.
The first near-miss is expected on the superstitious date of Friday 13th 2029.
source : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/9044785/Asteroid-near-misses-and-the-threats-to-come.html
January 31, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Asteroid Eros at its closest since 1975 on January 31
Hello asteroid 433 Eros … and goodbye. We got a slightly panic-y sounding comment from a Facebook friend yesterday about asteroid 433 Eros, which will be making its closest approach to Earth since 1975 today (January 31, 2012). Afterwards, I saw a few misleading headlines about this event. Yes, Eros is passing closer on Tuesday than it has in some decades. In fact, although I had a tough time finding the information, its perigee – or closest point to Earth – appears to be January 31 at around 11 UTC – or 5 a.m. CST – which means it has already passed closest. The closest point of Eros was not very close. At its closest, it was about 16,608,000 miles (26,729,000 km) away – some 70 times the moon’s average distance. It was some 80 times farther than the closest point of a much smaller body that passed safely within the moon’s orbit on November 8, 2011. That object was called 2005 YU55. So there was – and is – absolutely no danger at all from 433 Eros at this 2012 passage.
Please, Read More here : http://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-eros-at-its-closest-since-1975-on-january-31
February 1, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Haruna Mohammed
ALIEN SPACESHIPS TO ATTACK EARTH IN NOVEMBER 2012!
Three giant alien spaceships are again heading for Earth! Scientists predict the new ships will arrive in November of 2012.
UFO encounters continue to increase – as documented on WWN. And today scientists at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), an independent non-commercial organization, made a major announcement:
“Three giant spaceships are heading toward Earth. The largest one of them is 200 miles wide. Two others are slightly smaller. At present, the objects are just moving past Jupiter. Judging by their speed, they should be on Earth by the fall of 2012,” said John Malley, the lead extraterrestrial expert at SETI.
Three similar giant ships landed in China and the Indonesia Sea in November, 2011. They were identified as alien spaceships from Planet Gootan. Three more giant Gootan ships are headed her for November, 2012.
Read two of WWN’s many stories about the three Gootan ships landing in 2011:
THE STORY ABOUT THE LANDING OF THE THREE SHIPS IN NOVEMBER 2011
THE GOOTANS ARE HERE
The new Gootan spaceships have been detected by HAARP search system. The system, based in Alaska, was designed to study the phenomenon of northern lights. According to SETI researchers, the objects are extraterrestrial spaceships. They will be visible in optical telescopes as soon as they reach Mars’s orbit – sometime in November of 2012. The US government has been reportedly informed about the event.
SETI researchers have spent fifty years monitoring space. Dr. Malley said that they have conclusively proven that “we are just newcomers in this huge and unexplored world. Many believe that there are many other civilizations in space besides our own civilization.”
Wikileaks recently released many classified documents that prove that NASA and high-level U.S. official are aware of the three spaceships and are making plans to battle the spaceships. They have been concealing information from the U.S. public for decades. Wikileaks also confirms that the UFO sightings over the last three months prove that the alien invasions (long predicted by SETI) has begun. The three spaceships will mark the official beginning of the alien invasion.
Malley said that a Chinese official, Mao Kan, had obtained over than 1,000 secret NASA photographs depicting not only human footprints, but even a human carcass on the surface of the Moon. Some of the bones in the carcass were missing, the official said. The human corpse must have been dropped on the Moon from an alien spaceship, whereas the extraterrestrials kept some tissue samples for research.
Dr. Ken Johnston, former Manager of the Data and Photo Control Department at NASA’s Lunar Receiving Laboratory, said that US astronauts had found and photographed ancient ruins of artificial origin on the Moon. US astronauts had seen large unknown mechanisms on the Moon.
Both Johnston and Mao Kan agree that three more Gootan spaceships are heading for Earth.
Beginning in August of 2012 the U.N. will begin preparing citizens of the world for the second attack of the three Gootan spaceships and a subsequent alien attack, which they predict will be “a large-scale assault.”
source: http://weeklyworldnews.com/headlines/26535/alien-spaceships-to-attack-earth-in-2011/#
February 2, 2012 at 7:05 am
Haruna Mohammed
Passenger ferry sinks off Papua New Guinea
A ferry carrying an estimated 350 passengers has sunk off the north coast of Papua New Guinea (PNG), officials have confirmed.
Captain Nurur Rahman, from the PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA), told the BBC nearly 200 people had been rescued – most of them from the water.
Efforts are continuing to pick up as many as possible before sunset.
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her country was sending help.
The MV Rabaul Queen, operated by PNG company Star Ships, was travelling between the towns of Kimbe and Lae.
It sent out a distress signal in the early hours of Thursday.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which is assisting PNG’s National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA), has confirmed that the vessel sank approximately 16km (9.9 miles) off Finschhafen.
Eight ships and three helicopters are at the scene helping with the rescue.
In a statement, AMSA said four of the ships on scene were recovering survivors. It said its Dornier aircraft, which has multiple life rafts on board to drop to survivors, was also on the scene.
Capt Rahman told the BBC he had reports of people floating in life jackets where the boat sank.
A Star Ships spokesman told the AFP news agency that “bad weather” was believed to have sunk the ship.
“[There are] survivors. At the moment rescuers from Australia are at the site. No fatalities have been reported yet,” the spokesman said.
Star Ships is one of PNG’s biggest ship operators.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16848536
February 2, 2012 at 7:07 am
Haruna Mohammed
Scores killed in Egypt football match riot
At least 73 people have been killed in clashes between rival fans following a football match in the Egyptian city of Port Said, state television reports.
The deaths occurred as supporters invaded the pitch after a game between top-tier clubs Masry and al-Ahly on Wednesday.
The BBC’s Jon Leyne says a lack of the usual level of security in the stadium may have contributed to the clashes.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16845700
February 2, 2012 at 7:23 am
Haruna Mohammed
Asteroid 433 Eros To Make Closest Approach Since 1975
On Tuesday, January 31, asteroid 433 Eros will come closer to Earth than it has in 37 years, traveling across the night sky in the constellations Leo, Sextans and Hydra. At its closest pass of 16.6 million miles (26.7 million km) the relatively bright 21-mile (34-km) -wide asteroid will be visible with even modest backyard telescopes, approaching magnitude 8, possibly even 7. It hasn’t come this close since 1975, and won’t do so again until 2056!
433 Eros is an S-type asteroid, signifying a composition of magnesium silicates and iron. S-types make up about 17 percent of known asteroids and are some of the brightest, with albedos (reflectivity) in the range of 0.10 – 0.22. S-type asteroids are most common in the inner asteroid belt and, as in the case of Eros, can even pass within the orbit of Mars.
Occasionally Eros’ orbit brings it close enough to Earth that it can be spotted with amateur telescopes. 2012 will be one of those times.
Eros was discovered on August 13, 1898, by astronomers Carl Gustav Witt in Berlin and Auguste Charlois in Nice. When Eros’ orbit was calculated it was seen to be an elongated oval that brought it within the orbit of Mars. This allowed for good observations of the bright asteroid, and eventually led to more accurate estimates of the distance from Earth to the Sun.
In February 2000 NASA’s NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft approached Eros, established orbit and made a soft landing on its surface, the first mission ever to do so. While in orbit NEAR took over 160,000 images of Eros’ surface, identifying over 100,000 craters, a million house-sized boulders (give or take a few) and helped researchers conclude that the cashew-shaped Eros is a solid object rather than a “rubble pile” held together by gravity.
Read more: http://www.cosmostv.org/2012/01/asteroid-433-eros-to-make-closest.html#ixzz1lCoY99iI
February 4, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Europe is developing an asteroid shield… but it won’t be in time for the 19-mile wide monster hurtling past Earth next week
Scientists are trying to find a way to protect Earth from the giant rocks which travel around the Milky Way.
Scientists are trying to find a way to protect Earth from the giant rocks which travel around the Milky Way.
Run out of Berlin with funds from the EU, the NEOShield project, which will look for a way to protect earth from the space rocks, is expected to take three years to complete.
Some of the ideas being tossed around at the moment include repelling asteroids with projectiles or explosives or using gravity to change its course.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2092626/Asteroid-shield-wont-time-19-mile-wide-monster-hurtling-past-Earth-week.html#ixzz1lRGbwZ8L
February 4, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Russians stage rival protests over Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Russians defied bitter cold in Moscow on Saturday to demand fair elections in a march against Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule, while supporters of the prime minister staged a rival rally drawing comparable numbers.
Smaller protests were held in other cities across the vast country maintaining pressure on Putin one month before a March 4 presidential election he is expected to win. Putin’s public image was shaken in December by allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections and protests unthinkable a year ago.
Their breath turning to white vapor clouds in the frigid Moscow air, tens of thousands of protesters marched within sight of the red-brick Kremlin walls and towers, chanting “Russia without Putin!” and “Give us back the elections!”
Putin was president from 2000 until 2008, when he ushered Dmitry Medevedev into the Kremlin because of a constitutional bar on three successive terms as head of state. Putin became prime minister but remained the dominant leader.
Putin presents himself as a man of action working for the good of the people and dismisses rivals as divided and lacking in any realistic policies to overcome the country’s problems of industrial decay and poor transport and communications.
On Saturday, he was 1,500 km (900 miles) from Moscow, promising angry residents of the Ural Mountains town of Roza the state would move 3,800 people from homes threatened by shifting ground on the edge of the biggest open-pit coal mine in Eurasia.
“You see what we are doing, we are dealing with concrete problems of the people who live here,” Putin said when asked about the demonstrations.
source: http://news.yahoo.com/russians-stage-rival-protests-over-putin-102647991.html
February 4, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Latest news of Astroids/meteorites falling on earth
Source : http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/
February 4, 2012 at 7:06 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Shootout at South Sudan peace meeting kills dozens
(CNN) — At least 37 people were killed during a shootout at a meeting to resolve cattle disputes in South Sudan, officials said Saturday, the latest in a spate of violence in the world’s newest nation.
One U.N. officer was wounded during the meeting at Unity state, which was attended by several staff members of the world body, according to Kouider Zerrouk, a spokesman for the U.N. mission in Juba.
Seven U.N. staff members and three local officials traveled to Mayendit County to investigate a wave of violence from cattle raiding on the borders of Unity and Warrap states.
During the meeting Wednesday, the county commissioner from neighboring Lake state appeared and interrupted the meeting, yelling angry remarks at his Mayendit county counterpart, the spokesman said.
The shooting followed soon after.
“Four pick-up trucks carrying armed men believed to be the SPLA (South Sudan army) and SSPS (South Sudan police service) then appeared and started shooting indiscriminately at the Mayendit county commissioner’s compound,” Zerrouk said.
A local official said it was unclear why the Lake state official had an armed convoy.
“We are asking ourselves why the county commissioner would come with such a heavily armed convoy,” said Gideon Gatpan Thor, the minister of information for Unity state. “He was uninvited, so we are still asking him to answer these questions. We want to know what his intentions were.”
The clashes killed at least 16 people from Unity and 21 from Lake, including six civilians from both states, the minister of information said.
The U.N. officer injured in the attack is in stable condition at a hospital in Juba, South Sudan’s capital.
“It appears that the U.N. team was not the target of the attack but were at the wrong place at the wrong time and were caught up in the incident,” the minister of information said.
The meeting was initiated after a violent cattle raid four days earlier in Warrap state. The attackers, believed to be from Unity state, stole thousands of cattle and killed 74 people. Most were women and children.
The latest clashes come after a particularly violent month of cattle raids in Jonglei state. In late December, officials in the town of Pibor said more than 3,000 were killed in cattle raids after 6,000 armed youths from the Lou Nuer tribe attacked the Murle people.
The U.N. said the number is more likely in the hundreds, but it said 120,000 were affected and in need of immediate assistance.
Weeks later, the Murle attacked the Lou Nuer people in retaliation and killed more than 100 people in two separate attacks.
The main purpose behind the raids is to steal cattle, a livelihood for the people who live in the barren regions, but the violent clashes end with killings and child abductions.
The victims are largely defenseless women and children.
In a country struggling with violence six months into its independence, and recovering from decades of civil war, weapons have flown freely into the hands of cattle raiders.
What used to be rural-style attacks, with sticks and arrows, have been replaced by automatic weapons, killing thousands and displacing even more.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/04/world/africa/south-sudan-cattle-battles/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
February 4, 2012 at 7:07 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Thousands stranded by floods in eastern Australia
(CNN) — Heavy rains left thousands stranded in eastern Australia on Saturday as authorities warned of more flooding and urged several communities to flee to higher ground.
About 16,500 people are isolated because of flooding in New South Wales, with evacuation orders in place for several communities, the New South Wales Emergency Services said.
In the neighboring state of Queensland, authorities issued flood warnings for three towns, Surat, Roma and Mitchell, and warned residents living downstream of rivers to move to higher ground.
Residents of the southwestern Queensland town of Charleville are hoping that its protective levees will hold back the rising waters.
Emergency officials ordered evacuations early Saturday as they warned that the river was expected to top the levee banks within 12 hours.
Food and medical supplies have been flown to isolated communities elsewhere in Queensland.
In New South Wales, officials issued natural disaster declarations for several areas.
Flood waters have started to recede around North Moree after five days of major flooding, the New South Wales Emergency Services said, but many of the town’s streets remain closed.
Aerial assessments show some 300 homes and businesses have been inundated — making it the worst flooding in nearly 60 years, CNN affiliate Seven Network reported.
The State Emergency Service carried out 18 flood rescues from Friday to Saturday, Seven Network reported, including half a dozen people stuck on a shed roof near Moree with snakes swimming underneath them.
The airline Qantas put on a special flight to Moree on Saturday with supplies of fresh food and milk, the network added.
Major flooding has also affected communities along the Namoi River, leading to the rescue of at least one person trapped in a vehicle on a flooded bridge.
The town of Wee Waa is cut off, with all roads made impassable by flood water and the local airport also out of action, the New South Wales Emergency Services said. Major flooding is expected to continue there until the middle of next week.
Other communities affected by the Namoi River include Boggoabri, Narrabri Bugilbone and Goangra, with flood waters closing roads and inundating some rural properties..
Emergency officials urged people not to walk, ride or drive through flood waters, as this is the main cause of death and injury during floods.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/04/world/asia/australia-floods/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
February 4, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Europe’s cold snap claims more lives
London (CNN) — Eastern and central Europe continue to shiver under a blanket of heavy snow Friday, with more deaths reported after bitter cold overnight temperatures.
Ukraine is probably the worst affected, with Poland, Romania, Serbia and Belarus also suffering much more severe winter conditions than usual.
Thirty-eight people have died of hypothermia in Ukraine over the past 24 hours, the state-run news agency Ukrinform reported Friday morning, citing government ministries.
The latest deaths take the total number killed in Ukraine in the cold spell that started January 27 to 101, the news agency said.
Meanwhile, temperatures in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, continue to plummet. Friday morning’s lows dipped to 27 degrees below zero Celsius (17 degrees below zero Fahrenheit), and it was the ninth day in a row that temperatures had dropped below minus 15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit).
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/world/europe/europe-cold-snap/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
February 4, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Summer floods swamp towns in eastern Australian
4 February 2012 Last updated at 16:23 GMT Help
Flooding in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales has forced thousands of families from their homes.
It is the second year running that summer rains have caused serious problems in Australia.
Widespread flooding in Queensland last year killed 35 people, damaged crops and infrastructure and hit coal production hard.
The BBCs Duncan Kennedy reports from Sydney.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16889399
February 4, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Haruna Mohammed
European freeze hits transport hubs
4 February 2012 Last updated at 19:32 GMT Help
Freezing weather has hit transport hubs across Europe, closing airports, blocking roads and halting trains.
Bosnian officials have declared a state of emergency in Sarajevo, where snow has paralysed the city.
In Serbia, a state of emergency is in place across much of the country.
Emily Buchanan reports.
source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16889994
February 5, 2012 at 6:51 am
Abdulai Tanko
But these prophecies were for 2011, why are you (Haruna Mohammed) citing this year’s as fulfillment????, but these are common occurences
February 11, 2012 at 10:38 am
Haruna Mohammed
Ice grips Europe’s waterways as deadly cold lingers
London (CNN) — Europe remained gripped by frigid temperatures and snow Friday, with the icy weather closing much of the Danube River to shipping and disrupting travel across the region.
Central and Eastern Europe have borne the brunt of the unseasonably bitter weather, which has led to hundreds of deaths and thousands of cases of frostbite and hypothermia.
Twenty-two countries have posted warnings for extreme cold temperatures and accumulating snow, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said.
The big freeze is not likely to end any time soon, Miller said, with the Arctic air forecast to continue spilling deep into Europe, keeping temperatures well below average and allowing the snow to continue to pile higher and higher.
In Ukraine, the worst-affected country, well over 100 people have died and more than 3,000 have sought hospital treatment.
State news agency Ukrinform said more than 120 ships — most of them foreign — were trapped in the Kerch Strait, linking the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, because of ice.
Parts of the Danube River, one of the most important rivers in Europe for commerce, have nearly frozen over for the first time in 25 years.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/10/world/europe/europe-cold-snap/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
February 16, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Haruna Mohammed
Bus, truck collision kills at least 6 in Ramallah
(CNN) — A bus carrying school children burst into flames after a collision with a truck outside the Palestinian city of Ramallah on Thursday, killing at least six people, authorities said.
Dozens more were injured and are undergoing treatment at Israeli and Palestinian hospitals.
Palestinian medical sources said five of those killed were students traveling with their teacher.
The school bus collided with a truck near a circle that acts as an interchange for traffic between Jerusalem and the West Bank, witnesses said.
Tayser Odeh was commuting when he saw the truck in front of him lose control and start swerving.
Cars coming from the other direction, including the bus, moved to the edge of the road to avoid the truck, he said.
It did not get to the side of the road quickly enough before the truck hit the fuel tank of the bus, sparking a fire that eventually engulfed the entire vehicle.
About 35 children were in the bus, Odeh said, adding that motorists tried to remove as many children as possible, but were not able to save them all.
“This is the most terrible thing I have ever witnessed in my life,” he said.
The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day period of mourning following the accident.
Israeli and Palestinian authorities are conducting a joint investigation into the circumstances of the accident, Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/16/world/meast/mideast-bus-accident/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
March 21, 2012 at 7:14 am
Haruna Mohammed
Hundreds of houses damaged after strong earthquake hits Mexico
Mexico City (CNN) — A strong earthquake damaged hundreds of homes in southern Mexico Tuesday and rattled residents hundreds of miles away in the nation’s capital.
The quake had a magnitude of 7.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and its epicenter was about 15 miles (25 kilometers) east of Ometepec, Guerrero.
Mexican authorities reported the magnitude of the quake as 7.8.
At least 500 homes in the southern coastal state were damaged, Gov. Angel Aguirre told reporters.
The temblor injured at least 11 people, Mexican Interior Minister Alejandro Poire told reporters. Nine of the injuries occurred in Oaxaca state, which borders Guerrero and also suffered damage from the quake, he said.
Two people were injured in Mexico City, about 200 miles (320 km) from the quake’s epicenter.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/20/world/americas/mexico-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
August 9, 2012 at 11:48 am
Haruna Mohammed
Egypt launches airstrikes in Sinai after troop massacre
El Arish, Egypt (CNN) — Clashes intensified Wednesday in Egypt’s North Sinai as Egyptian forces launched aerial strikes on militants in response to a series of attacks by masked gunmen on military checkpoints.
Egyptian army Apache helicopters fired rockets at armed militants, and there were numerous casualties, said Gen. Ahmed Bakr, head of North Sinai security. State-run Nile TV reported that aerial strikes killed at least 20 in the port town of El Arish.
The assault came after masked gunmen launched six simultaneous attacks in North Sinai early Wednesday, wounding five security officers and a civilian. The targets included five security checkpoints and a military cement factory, he said.
Egypt’s military leadership, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, issued a statement Wednesday saying that the operation targeting “armed terrorist elements” in Sinai “has accomplished this task with complete success.”
Two security sources who did not want to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to the media told CNN that militants are concentrated in Jabal Al Halal in mid-Sinai. They are armed with rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft guns and other weapons, including landmines, the sources said.
Security forces had failed in previous attempts to enter what is referred to as “Al Halal Mountain,” the sources said. But air assaults, which began Tuesday night and were continuing Wednesday, killed many of the militants, they said.
source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/08/world/africa/egypt-violence/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
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that story about the sinai has since been retracted by the Egyptian state TV!!
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