West offers words, only, as Syria killing rages

AMMAN/BEIRUT: Syrian government artillery barrages killed dozens of civilians in Homs on Thursday, activists said, as President Bashar al-Assad, bolstered by Russian support, ignored appeals from world leaders to halt the carnage.

The United Nations secretary-general condemned the “appalling brutality” of the operation to stamp out the revolt against Assad, and Turkey’s ambassador to the European Union warned of a slide into civil war that could inflame the region.

Diplomats from Western and Arab powers, lining up meetings that could mean some decisions soon, condemned Assad in strong language. But having ruled out military intervention, they were struggling to find a way to convince him to step down.

Syria’s powerful ally Russia, meanwhile, said no one should interfere in the country’s affairs.

In Homs, witnesses said makeshift hospitals were overflowing in besieged opposition areas with the dead and wounded from nearly a week of government bombardments and sniper fire.

Medical supplies and food were running out and, in the streets, some of the wounded had bled to death as it was too dangerous for rescuers to bring them to safety.

The Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group in Homs, put the death toll on Thursday alone as high as 110 by nightfall, though it remains impossible to verify such accounts:

“This number includes three families whose bodies were dug up from under the rubble of their homes, bodies brought to field hospitals and people who died their from their wounds today,” the group said in a statement sent to Reuters.

A Syrian doctor, struggling to treat the wounded at a field clinic in a mosque, delivered an emotional plea via YouTube video. Standing next to a bloody body on a table, the man, named only as Mohammed, said to the camera, and to the outside world:

“We appeal to the international community to help us transport the wounded. We wait for them here to die in mosques. I appeal to the United Nations and to international humanitarian organizations to stop the rockets from being fired on us.” AGENCIES

Three families massacred in Syria’s Homs: activists

BEIRUT: Three entire families, including women and children, were massacred overnight in the flashpoint city of Homs by the Syrian government’s security forces and thugs, activists said on Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the 20 dead were from the Ghantawi, Terkawi and Zamel families, who were all gunned down in their homes.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based group, said one family numbered five, including a 15-year-old girl and two other children aged five and seven. Another family had seven members and the third eight.

Abdel Rahman said the three families were shot dead after the regime forces and government-backed militiamen known as Shabiha stormed their homes overnight in the Homs neighbourhoods of Karm el-Zeytoun and Naziheen.

Hadi Abdullah, an activist in Baba Amr reached by satellite phone from Beirut, said the 20 victims had their throats slit.

The reports could not be independently verified as the government has prevented most foreign journalists from entering Syria to cover an unprecedented revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The crackdown on the uprising has been concentrated in recent days on Homs, which has become a main centre of resistance. AGENCIES

UN reports mass exodus due to Mali unrest

 

About 22,000 people have fled fighting in Mali to the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mauritania, the United Nations said Tuesday.

 

Adrian Edwards, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told reporters in Geneva that most of the 10,000 refugees who have arrived in Niger are sleeping in the open with little access to shelter, clean water, food or medicine.

 

He said a further 9,000 have arrived in Mauritania and 3,000 have fled to Burkina Faso because of attacks that started Jan. 17 by a Tuareg rebel group known as the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad.

 

The rebels claim they are fighting for independence from the Malian government. Many have returned from Libya following the death of leader Moammar Gadhafi, who included Tuaregs in his armed forces.

 

In just over two weeks, the rebels have attacked at least six towns in the north of landlocked Mali. It s the first time the Tuaregs have picked up arms since the last rebellion ended in early 2009.

 

Felix Kambire, a spokesman for Burkina Faso s security minister, said the 3,000 refugees who have fled there include army officers, paramilitary and high-ranking civil servants.

 

Ousmane Ag Dala, a former civil servant in charge of coordinating development activities in northern Mali, said thousands more refugees have fled to Burkina Faso and even more are expected.

 

“We are fleeing insecurity because we have come to understand that there is difference between those fighting in the north and the rest of us who suddenly found themselves out of their homes and offices,” Dala told The Associated Press Tuesday.

 

“We have made peace in 1963, in 1990 and in 2000 to show the Malian people that we are a nation,” Dala said alluding to the various Tuareg rebellions that occurred in Mali.

 

Col. Assane Ag Medi, a former rebel officer of the Malian army, said he arrived in Burkina Faso with some 60 vehicles full of refugees.

 

“Despite my loyalty to the defense and security forces of my country, I have been forced to leave my country like many others including family members of ministers, officers, diplomats,” he said. “That means national unity is endangered.”

 

Burkina Faso s government was to meet with its partners later Tuesday to figure out how to meet the needs of the refugees.

Floods force mass evacuations in Australia

 

Flood waters rose Monday in parts of Queensland but residents of a threatened town in the Australian state were thrown a lifeline with news that the levee on a swollen river might hold.

 

Thousands of Australians have been forced to abandon their homes as a record deluge sweeps through areas still reeling from last year s devastating flooding, with St George, in Queensland s south, under most threat Monday.

 

Many of its residents fled Sunday evening to evacuation centres in nearby Darby or the state capital Brisbane, although some 400 stayed to help limit the damage despite a mandatory evacuation order.

 

Local mayor Donna Stewart said the Balonne River in St George, flooding for the third time in less than two years, had reached 13.48 metres (44 feet) and was expected to keep rising until at least Tuesday night.

 

Forecasters earlier estimated it could top 15 metres, breaching the town s 14.5-metre levee, but they have now revised down the predicted peak to just over 14 metres, making it touch and go whether the levee will hold.

 

“It s not out of the question it ll go above the 14.5 level but it s more likely not to,” said Bureau of Meteorology hydrologist Chris Leahy as authorities dumped mountains of dirt around town to shore up its defences.

 

State Premier Anna Bligh said it had been the largest ever evacuation of a town in Queensland. “The heartbreaking job of calculating the loss is still in its early stages,” she said.

 

Reports said about 30 houses and businesses had been inundated so far.

 

“There will be more planes and we expect to take about another 400 (residents) out today, so in a town of just under 3,000 people we don t expect to see very many people stay,” added Bligh.

 

While most residents have fled, Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said officers would stay to prevent looting. “We are going to do everything we can to make sure people s homes are safe,” he told reporters.

 

Federal politician Barnaby Joyce, who lives in the town, said watching the flood crisis unfold was “a little bit scary” with the river raging near his home.

 

“There is something that sounds a little bit like the sea but it is not actually the sea, it s a river and it is just outside the back door,” he told ABC radio.

 

St George has seen major flooding twice in the past two years, once in March 2010 and again last year during Queensland s flooding disaster, which claimed 35 lives and swamped vast tracts of farmland and tens of thousands of homes.

 

Flooding has been hitting parts of Queensland and New South Wales over the past week but has claimed just one life, a woman whose car was swept from a roadway in Roma, further north of St George.

 

In that town and nearby Mitchell, a mopping up operation has begun with state Police Minister Neil Roberts saying the scale of the damage was slowly emerging.

 

“Preliminary assessments show that in Mitchell 280 homes or more have been damaged with water above the floor boards,” he told reporters.

 

“In Roma, it s at least over 400. That s very significant damage and a very significant dislocation for those individuals.”

 

Australia: Mass evacuation due to heavy floods

 

Flood waters rose Monday in parts of Queensland as the Australian state raced to complete the largest evacuation in its history with police boosting their presence to prevent looting.

 

Thousands of Australians have been forced to abandon their homes as a record deluge sweeps through areas still reeling from last year s devastating flooding.

 

The area in most danger Monday was the town of St George, in Queensland s south, with most of its residents fleeing Sunday evening, although some 400 have stayed to help limit the damage despite a mandatory evacuation order.

 

Local mayor Donna Stewart said the swollen Balonne River in St George, flooding for the third time in less than two years, had reached 13.48 metres (44 feet) and was expected to keep rising until at least Tuesday night.

 

Forecasters have estimated it could top 15 metres, breaching the town s 14.5-metre levee, with fears mounting for other small towns south of St George, including Cunnamulla and Dirranbandi.

 

State Premier Anna Bligh said it was not looking good.

 

“The town of St George has no prospect of holding back that water with the levee that they built,” she told ABC radio, but said there had been no “panic or disorderly behaviour”.

 

It had been the largest ever evacuation of a town in Queensland, she added.

 

“The heartbreaking job of calculating the loss is still in its early stages,” she said.

 

Reports said about 30 houses and business had been inundated so far.

 

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the Moonie Highway on the outskirts of town was now flooded and the only way out was by air.

 

“There will be more planes and we expect to take about another 400 (residents) out today, so in a town of just under 3,000 people we don t expect to see very many people stay,” added Bligh.

 

While most residents have fled, Queensland Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said officers would stay to prevent looting.

 

“We are going to do everything we can to make sure people s homes are safe,” he told reporters. St George has seen major flooding twice in the past two years, once in March 2010 and again last year during Queensland s flooding disaster, which claimed 35 lives and swamped vast tracts of farmland and tens of thousands of homes.

 

Flooding has been hitting parts of Queensland over the past week but has claimed just one life, a woman whose car was swept from a roadway in Roma, further north of St George.

 

An 18-month-old baby girl drowned in a dam on a property south of St George, although authorities said it was not directly linked to the floods.
 

One dies, 3 hurt as houses catch fire in Hyderabad

TrendPK.com

HYDERABAD: A young man was burnt to death as one of the tents of gypsy people caught fire at Thatta Road near Jharak here on Sunday.

Children and woman who also were injured in the incident are being treated at Civil Hospital.

The injured people are reported in a critical condition, with 80% of the burnt body.

The died young man is identified as Laxman.

Locals said that the incident is deliberate and some people wanted to destroy their homes.

On the other hand, police said that the tent homes caught fire suddenly and it was not done deliberately. TrendPK

Fire near Reno burns several homes; 10,000 flee

RENO, Nev.: Firefighters were able to stop the progress of a fast-moving brush fire near Reno Thursday, but not before the wall of flames burned several homes and forced about 10,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods.

Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said more than 230 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was still uncontained and had grown to nearly 6 square miles late Thursday. It was eerily similar to another unusual winter fire that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno two months ago.

“Several” homes had been destroyed before nightfall Thursday, Hernandez said. He said he didn’t know the exact number but told reporters “the news is not good.”

There were no immediate reports of any deaths or injuries.

A Reno television station reported at least 10 homes had burned since the fire of unknown origin broke out shortly after noon along U.S. Highway 395.

Washoe County officials declared a state of emergency, and Gov. Brian Sandoval followed with a statewide declaration.

By nightfall, the fire had burned to the city’s southern outskirts. Flames were visible 10 miles away in the downtown casino district.

“It’s moving at a very fast rate,” Washoe County sheriff’s Deputy Armando Avina said. “The winds are extremely powerful in this area.”

Winds that had gusted to 82 mph died down after nightfall and rain started falling, much to the delight of fire crews. The flames were stopped at Galena High School, where Vice President Joe Biden spoke Thursday before the fire forced him to leave early.

The strong winds coming across the Sierra ahead of a winter storm had delayed Biden’s visit, and he was two hours late to give the speech at the school on the south end of town.

With the smell of smoke in the air, Biden told the audience about 25 minutes into his address that he was cutting his remarks short.

Meanwhile, about 300 students were evacuated from Pleasant Valley Elementary School, and deputies went door to door asking people to leave their homes in Pleasant Valley, Old Washoe Valley and Saint James Village, Avina said.

Erika Minnberry, 28, said she didn’t become concerned at first because smoke from the fire appeared far enough away.

“Probably 30 minutes later, it was up to our house because of the high winds,” she said. “I felt pure survival adrenaline. When we drove away, the smoke was so thick, we could barely see ahead of us. Now I feel anxiety. I couldn’t find my two cats at the time and I hope they’re OK.”

KRNV-TV reported that 10 homes had burned, including a half dozen in the Washoe Valley Estates neighborhood. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported explosions could be heard in the area.

Firefighters were concentrating on using crews and trucks to protect homes in the path of the flames, Hernandez said.

He estimated firefighters had saved about 1,000 structures and said another 80 to 120 firefighters were expected to arrive to help before midnight.

“To say we are in the thick of battle is an understatement,” he told reporters.

Hernandez said the fire was “almost a carbon copy” of a huge wild fire on the edge of the Sierra foothills that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno in November. It burned about 3 square miles and also forced the evacuation of 10,000 people.

“It is a wind-driven event and a combination urban-wildland fire,” he said.

As with the November fire, which was sparked by downed power lines, strong winds and dry conditions helped fuel the latest blaze, Hernandez said. The Reno area had gone a winter-record 56 days without any precipitation until light snow fell earlier this week.

“There’s a lot of dry trees,” Avina said. “We’re battling with Mother Nature and these winds.”

A gust of 122 mph was recorded Thursday atop Slide Mountain, which is between the fire and Reno at the Mount Rose ski resort.

More wet weather was forecast Friday, and snow was forecast Friday night. But high winds were expected to continue, with gusts up to 40 mph.

About 2,300 homes in the area were without power Thursday night.

Thomas Young, 48, a freelance writer, said he had just gotten out of the shower at his Pleasant Valley home when the power went out. Draped in only a towel, he looked out a window and saw his barn on fire and flames up to his backyard.

“Right away the flames went up a power line, and I said, ‘We have to get out of here,’” Young said. “We put two dogs and two kids in the car and drove away about three minutes later. Unfortunately, I think my house is burned down from what I saw.”

The flames, up to 40 feet high, raced through sage brush, grass and pines in an area where small neighborhoods are dispersed among an otherwise rural landscape. Washoe County animal services officials were helping round up horses and other livestock for evacuation.

A five-mile stretch of U.S. 395 was closed as heavy smoke reduced visibility to zero.

Trooper Dan Lopez said the highway was closed from the south end of Reno at Mount Rose Highway, or state Route 431, to the north end of Washoe Valley near the Bowers Mansion. Northbound traffic was being rerouted back to Carson City about 15 miles to the south.

The State Patrol said the highway would remain closed through the night. AGENCIES

BBC plans to broadcast 2012 Olympics in 3D, super hi-vision

It’s also planning to broadcast a number of events, including the men’s 100 meters final, in 3D. Imagine that, the imposing figure of Usain Bolt storming down the track toward the camera.

Roger Mosey, the executive responsible for the BBC’s Olympic coverage, said that the corporation was also thinking about testing “super hi-vision” technology. According to a Guardian report, the technology is “so advanced it is not expected to be in homes for a decade.”

Super hi-vision broadcasts could be shown on large screens, around 15 meters (50ft) high, at various sites around the UK. Mosey said the quality is so good that spectators would feel as if they were actually inside the Olympic stadium.

Gaddafi delivers audio message

Libyan rebels in hot pursuit of fugitive despot Col. Moammar Gaddafi claimed to have surrounded his hideout in a Tripoli residential compound but there was no independent confirmation he was actually inside.

At the same time, the man who commanded Libya for nearly 42 years took to the airwaves to deliver an audio message calling on Libyans to “resist these enemy rats” and urging them to “leave your homes and liberate Tripoli.”

However, it was not known when Gaddafi made the recording – his third broadcast since rebels seized his massive home compound Tuesday. He has not been seen in public for weeks.

With a bounty of $1.7 million on his head, and the rebels determined to flush him out and declare a final victory in their six-month uprising, Gaddafi has become, at least temporarily, the world s most wanted fugitive.

A rebel spokesman said Gaddafi was hiding inside a Tripoli apartment building along with an unspecified number of his sons.

The apartment block was near Gaddafi s compound and a “massive” firefight was underway, with heavy resistance coming from the building, however the Pentagon was unable to confirm the rebel claim that Gaddafi was surrounded.

In Washington, a US official said that the CIA was “collecting intelligence about the situation on the ground. The US government, NATO and other foreign partners will continue to gather information to assist the Libyan people with critical security priorities.”

But Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan stressed the US was “not involved in a manhunt.”

Shallow quake hits southwest Pakistan: USGS

QUETTA: A shallow 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit southwest Pakistan on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at 5:53 am (0053 GMT) around 330 kilometres (200 miles) southwest of Quetta, the capital of the province of Baluchistan, at a depth of eight kilometres.

A powerful 7.2-magnitude quake that hit southwest Pakistan in January sent people rushing from their homes in panic but did not cause significant casualties.

Pakistan was hit by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake on October 8, 2005 that killed more than 73,000 people and left about 3.5 million homeless, mainly in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. AGENCIES

Next Page »