A huge clean-up operation is under way in the Philippines after Typhoon Nesat battered the capital Manila and the main island, Luzon. The death toll rose to 18 with 35 still missing after heavy rain and powerful winds triggered storm surges.
Most deaths occurred in and around Manila, officials said.
Nesat is now in the South China Sea with 120km/h (75mph) winds and due to reach China’s Hainan Island on Thursday evening or early Friday.
Power supplies were gradually being restored to central Manila on Wednesday, officials said, and services on the Metro resumed.
However, more than a million people in Luzon remained without power.
Emergency teams were clearing away fallen trees, debris and broken-down cars while schools and offices reopened.
Civil defence chief Benito Ramos said crews were also repairing and clearing 61 road networks across Luzon damaged by landslides, debris and flooding.
Some areas are still under water including Manila Ocean Park and Taft Avenue. The US Embassy, which was flooded on Tuesday, remained closed.
(BBC)
September 28, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Fighters backing Libya’s interim rulers prepared to renew their advance into the coastal city of Sirte on Monday after NATO aircraft bombed targets in Muammar Gaddafi’s home town to sap the resistance of the deposed leader’s troops.
Anti-Gaddafi forces had pushed to within a few hundred meters of the center of Sirte, one of the last bastions of pro-Gaddafi resistance in Libya, but drew back on Sunday while NATO aircraft launched their attacks.
Sirte lies between the capital Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi, both now held by the National Transitional Council, whose fighters toppled Gaddafi last month, six months into a campaign that is not yet over.
Taking Sirte would be a huge boost for the NTC as it tries to establish credibility as a government able to unite Libya’s fractious tribes and regions, and a blow for Gaddafi, widely believed to be on the run inside Libya.
(Reuters)
September 26, 2011 at 10:20 am
Nasa says its six-tonne UARS satellite penetrated the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean early on Saturday. The spacecraft was expected to fall to Earth by about 0500 GMT – officials say it is not possible yet to give a precise time.
The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is the largest American space agency satellite to return uncontrolled into the atmosphere in about 30 years.
Officials said the risk to public safety was remote.
A statement on the Nasa UARS website read: “The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California said the satellite penetrated the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. The precise re-entry time and location are not yet known with certainty.”
There have been some unconfirmed reports on Twitter that suggested debris might have fallen in western Canada.
Most of the decommissioned spacecraft should simply have burnt up, but modelling work indicated perhaps 500kg could have survived to the surface.
Any pieces of debris should have been scattered over a 800km path; but with more than 70% of the Earth’s surface covered by water, many experts said the pieces were most likely to end up in the ocean.
(BBC)
September 24, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has returned to the country from Saudi Arabia three months after surviving an assassination attempt, officials say. Yemen TV said President Saleh arrived in the capital, Sanaa, by private plane at dawn. No other details were given.
He went to Saudi Arabia in June for treatment following a rocket attack on the grounds of the presidential palace.
President Saleh, who has been in power for more than 30 years, has faced months of protests urging him to quit.
Correspondents say his return raises the risk of all-out civil war.
“We’re definitely going to have an escalation of violence, but let him come back – we want him to come back and be tried for his crimes,” said protest organiser Mohammed al-Asl.
Activists have been camped out in an area of Sanaa dubbed Change Square since January demanding an end to his rule.
(BBC)
September 23, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Greece is being hit by a 24-hour public transport strike in the latest protest against government austerity measures. Train, bus and taxi services have been crippled and air traffic controllers will stop work for several hours. There will also be a mass protest of public sector workers later in Athens.
The government has toughened its measures, cutting pensions further and suspending more civil servant posts.
It says this must be done to receive a vital 8bn-euro (£6.9bn) tranche of aid.
This is the latest segment of a 110bn euro ($150bn) package of loans established by eurozone countries and the IMF to help Greece pay its huge debts.
The government says its tougher measures are an attempt to secure the continued backing of international creditors and prevent a default on debt payment.
(BBC)
September 22, 2011 at 7:35 pm
Twins who were born joined at the head have been successfully separated by a team of British doctors. Baby girls Rital and Ritag Gaboura, who are 11 months old, were separated on 15 August after four operations at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
They do not appear to have suffered neurological side effects. Only one in 10 million sufferers survive their rare condition. The Sudanese infants were flown to the UK by the charity Facing the World.
Conjoined twins are very rare and only 5% of conjoined twins are craniopagus, which means they are fused at the head.
About 40% of twins fused at the head are stillborn or die during labour and a third die within 24 hours.
The nature of the twins’ condition meant significant blood flowed between their brains.
(BBC)
September 18, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Afghan forces have killed the last insurgents who attacked the US embassy, Nato headquarters and police buildings in Kabul, after a 20-hour stand-off. The Afghan authorities say a multi-storey building where the gunmen were holed up has now been cleared.
Officials say at least seven people, including four policemen, were killed as well as nine of the insurgents.
The attack, the most complex in Kabul to date, comes as US and other foreign forces begin to withdraw their troops.
Nato and the US embassy said none of their staff were among the casualties.
The Taliban said it was behind the attack, although Afghan officials blamed the Haqqani network, an insurgent group linked to the Taliban and al-Qaeda but which operates independently.
Afghan forces worked their way through the multi-storey building which overlooks the heavily fortified diplomatic quarter, exchanging fire with the militants on the floors above well into Wednesday.
Afghan officials then confirmed that all the attackers were dead and the fighting was over.
“Conditions in Kabul city are back to normal and all our countrymen can go about their daily lives without any worries,” said an interior ministry spokesman.
(BBC)
September 14, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Taliban suicide fighters launched a multi-pronged attack in Kabul on Tuesday, firing rockets toward the U.S. and other embassies in central Kabul, and sending two suicide bombers to the city’s West later in the afternoon. The Taliban have launched a high-profile attacks on multiple targets in the capital in the past, but this is the first time they have organized simultaneous assaults on such separate parts of the city.
Near the heavily fortified diplomatic district, insurgents took over a multi-storey building under construction and fired rockets in the direction of several embassy and NATO compounds.
In western Kabul, just a few kilometers away, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to a police building killing a policeman.
A second suicide bomber wounded two people when he detonated his explosives near the Habibia high school, also in the west of Kabul, the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.
The U.S. embassy said its personnel were safe following the attack in the diplomatic district of the capital, while British Ambassador Sir William Patey confirmed the nearby U.S. embassy had been a target.
“Aware of attack on US Embassy. All UK Embassy staff accounted for,” Patey said on Twitter.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group was armed with rocket-propelled grenades, suicide bomb vests and AK-47s, and was targeting government buildings, the U.S. embassy and the headquarters of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
He also confirmed that the group had sent two suicide attackers to west Kabul, and said they had attacked a military convoy near the airport. The last claim could not be verified.
(Reuters)
September 13, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Newly crowned Miss Universe Leila Lopes hopes her victory will allow her to assist her native Angola further escape its history of war and impoverishment and said she plans to focus on combatting HIV around the globe. Speaking in a timid voice early Tuesday shortly after taking the crown in South America’s largest city, the 25-year-old Lopes said that “as Miss Angola I’ve already done a lot to help my people.”
“I’ve worked with various social causes. I work with poor kids, I work in the fight against HIV. I work to protect the elderly and I have to do everything that my country needs,” she said. “I think now as Miss Universe I will be able to do much more.”
Responding to questions, Lopes said that she has never had cosmetic surgery of any kind and that her three tips for beauty were to get a lot of sleep, use sun block even when it’s not sunny and to drink lots of water. She said her smile was her best weapon in the competition.
Asked about racism in light of the fact that she’s one of the few blacks ever crowned Miss Universe, Lopes said that “any racist needs to seek help. It’s not normal in the 21st century to think in that way.”
Lopes is Angola’s first winner. She beat out 88 other competitors to win the title during the 60th anniversary of the world’s biggest beauty pageant. She replaces last year’s winner, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.
She deftly handled the interview question that is asked of the remaining top five contestants. She was questioned about what physical trait she would change if she could.
“Thank God I’m very satisfied with the way God created me and I wouldn’t change a thing,” Lopes said. “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I intend to follow these for the rest of my life.”
The first runner-up was 23-year-old Olesia Stefanko of Ukraine and the second runner-up was Priscila Machado of Brazil. The third was Miss Philippines and the fourth Miss China.
(Associated Press)
September 13, 2011 at 12:03 pm
One of the sons of the Libyan leader, Col Muammar Gaddafi, has arrived in neighbouring Niger. Niger’s justice minister said Saadi Gaddafi had been in a convoy which was heading towards the capital, Niamey.
Col Gaddafi’s whereabouts are unknown. He has said he will die in Libya.
Anti-Gaddafi troops now control most of Libyan territory, including the capital Tripoli. They have been trying to seize several cities controlled by loyalists, including Bani Walid and Sirte.
On Sunday, rebel forces resumed their attack on Bani Walid, supported by Nato air strikes. Officials say their forces are now within reach of the centre of the town.
Some of Col Gaddafi’s family have fled to Algeria. Several convoys of former Gaddafi loyalists are also said to have streamed over Libya’s southern border with Niger recently.
(BBC)
September 12, 2011 at 7:51 am
President Barack Obama has said, the United States was stronger 10 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks and Americans would “carry on” despite continued threats against their safety. Marking Sunday’s 10th anniversary of the “9/11″ attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, Obama noted that al Qaeda’s strength had been sapped by relentless U.S. efforts in the decade since the tragedy killed nearly 3,000 people.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals, there should be no doubt: today, America is stronger and al Qaeda is on the path to defeat,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
New York police amassed a display of force on Friday, including checkpoints that snarled traffic in response to intelligence about a car or truck bomb plot linked to the anniversary.
At a Saturday morning meeting, Obama told national security and intelligence officials to pursue all threat information “vigorously” and also stressed vigilance against potential attacks needed to extend beyond the anniversary weekend.
Rudolph Giuliani, the mayor of New York at the time of the attacks, said the country still had work to do to become better prepared for further threats.
“People often ask me, ‘Is America safer now than it was before September 11?’ The answer is: ‘Yes, but not as safe as we should be,’” he said in the weekly Republican address.
“We’ve made significant improvements in intelligence gathering and in airport security. But much work remains,” he said, citing port security and preparedness levels at state and local governments as requiring improvement.
(Reuters)
September 11, 2011 at 9:21 am
Egypt has declared a state of alert as protesters remain on the streets of Cairo, following the storming of the Israeli embassy on Friday. Security forces fired tear gas and drove armoured vehicles at protesters, who responded by throwing stones and petrol bombs. Hundreds were injured.
The protesters broke into the embassy building, entering consular offices and throwing out documents, officials said.
Israel’s ambassador has flown out of Egypt back to Tel Aviv.
Hundreds of protesters remain near the embassy, burning tyres in the street, chanting slogans against Egypt’s military rulers.
Egypt’s governing military council is meeting later on Saturday to address the situation, says the BBC’s Bethany Bell in Cairo.
Riot police remain on the streets and live gunshots have been heard, our correspondent says, while the air is still thick with tear gas.
(BBC)
September 10, 2011 at 1:27 pm
The US has warned of a “specific, credible threat” ahead of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, possibly in New York or Washington DC. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the threat was “uncorroborated”, but security would be boosted at bridges, tunnels and on public transport.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said spot checks in the New York subway would be more frequent in coming days.
President Obama called on the US to “redouble” anti-terror efforts.
US TV network ABC News reports that three individuals – one a US citizen – entered the US in August aiming to carry out a terror attack. There was no confirmation about whether this information was linked to the threat detailed by US officials.
A service marking the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks in which almost 3,000 people died will be held on the site of the World Trade Center on Sunday.
US President Barack Obama and former President George W Bush will attend the ceremony.
(BBC)
September 9, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has dismissed as lies and psychological warfare the speculation that he has fled to Niger. The comments, made in a telephone call to Syrian TV, apparently came from inside Libya.
Col Gaddafi also promised his forces would defeat Nato and the National Transitional Council. Earlier Niger said it was considering how to deal with him if he decided to enter the country to seek refuge.
The country’s foreign minister told the BBC Niamey would decide later whether to accept Col Gaddafi or hand him to the International Criminal Court (ICC). There has been speculation that Col Gaddafi may go to Niger after groups of loyalists fled there in recent days.
Libya’s rebel-led authorities have asked Niger not to take him in.
(BBC)
September 8, 2011 at 10:19 am
At least nine dead and 24 people have been injured from the blast occured this morning outside one of the entry gates to the Delhi High Court complex , Indian media reports say. Around 100 to 200 people were waiting in queue outside gate No.5, to get passes for entry into the court complex, they also said.
(JNW)
September 7, 2011 at 11:48 am
A powerful explosion occured outside gate No. 5 of the Delhi high court at 10:15am. Special commissioner Dharmendra Kumar confirms that 24 people are injured. Unconfirmed reports say that the bomb was kept in a suitcase. Gate no. 5 is the main gate of the Delhi high court where most of the lawyers and litigants enter.
A lot more people are at the court as today is Wednesday, the day for public litigations.
(Hindustan Times)
September 7, 2011 at 11:19 am
Muammar Gaddafi was last tracked heading for Libya’s southern border, the man leading the hunt for the deposed leader told Reuters, and French and Niger military sources said scores of vehicles carrying pro-Gaddafi forces had crossed into Niger.
Hisham Buhagiar, who is coordinating efforts to find Gaddafi, said reports indicated he may have been in the region of the southern village of Ghwat, some 300 km north of the border with Niger, three days ago.
“He’s out of Bani Walid I think. The last tracks, he was in the Ghwat area. People saw the cars going in that direction …. We have it from many sources that he’s trying to go further south, toward Chad or Niger,” Buhagiar said in an interview on Tuesday.
French and Niger military sources said a convoy of up to 250 vehicles was escorted to the northern city of Agadez by the army of Niger, a poor and landlocked former French colony. It might, said a French military source, be joined by Gaddafi en route to adjacent Burkina Faso, which has offered him asylum.
(Reuters)
September 7, 2011 at 9:00 am
