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Saturday, April 30, 2011

Kate Middleton and Prince William

Kate Middleton and Prince William exchange wedding vows at Westminter Abbey. Some 1,900 guests watched the couple exchange their vows, with many millions watching at home. Thousands of people are lining the procession route the couple will take from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace after the service. Despite the risk of showers, the pair will travel in an open-topped 1902 State Landau carriage for the procession, which was used by Prince William parents for their wedding in 1981. The day has started off dry and cloudy in London but the Met Office says there is a risk of heavy showers developing later on. Temperatures in the capital are expected to reach a high of 19C (66F) in the afternoon. The prince is wearing the red tunic of an Irish Guards colonel - his most senior honorary appointment - but the bride s dress design is being kept secret. Prince William married Kate Middleton in regal splendor at London’s Westminster Abbey Friday as huge crowds and a global TV audience watched Britain’s biggest royal celebration for three decades. Kate, wearing a stunning ivory and white satin wedding dress with long lace sleeves, a veil and a flowing train, stood composed at the altar with the second in line to the throne who wore a smart scarlet military tunic. “I will,” the future king and queen each pronounced solemnly in turn, before William put a ring fashioned from a nugget of Welsh gold on her finger and then Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams pronounced them man and wife. It is the richest display of pageantry since William’s late mother Diana married Prince Charles in 1981 and offers Britain’s royal family a chance at renewal after Charles and Diana’s bitterly public split. The absence of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, was keenly felt, and music played at the wedding 30 years ago and at her funeral in the same abbey were played during Friday’s service. Two billion people – a third of the world’s population – are expected to watch Diana’s eldest son wed the commoner he began dating at St Andrews university in Scotland eight years ago. As a sea of hundreds of thousands of people waved Union Jacks in London, Kate waved to the crowd as she arrived at the abbey with her father Michael in a Rolls-Royce limousine. She took four minutes to walk down the aisle, which was lined with trees specially brought in to create the feel of an English garden. William Arthur Philip Louis – as Diana’s eldest son and the second in line to the throne was called during the service – arrived at the church 45 minutes earlier accompanied by his younger brother and best man Prince Harry. Kate however did not promise to obey her husband in her marriage vows – following in the footsteps of Diana, who married Charles on July 29, 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral. Charles and Diana divorced 15 years later. Palace officials confirmed her dress was by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, the iconic British designer who committed suicide last year. Guests inside included footballer David Beckham, singer Elton John and “Mr Bean” actor Rowan Atkinson. Fifty members of the royal family and dozens of foreign royals were due after William. Queen Elizabeth II granted the couple the titles Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a wedding gift earlier in the day. Hundreds of thousands of campers transformed The Mall, the wide boulevard leading to Buckingham Palace, into a sea of Union Jack flags. “They will make the monarchy fashionable again. It’s good for the country,”said Louise Akehurst, 25, an administrator from London. William, a 28-year-old Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot, has long been seen as the great hope of the royal family for the future after a string of failed marriages and scandals. Sandra Russell, 65, who is of French-British nationality, said she thought the marriage would be successful because Kate is “much older than Diana was at the time, much more mature and they are marrying for love.” “Carles was under the pressure of his family.” People here are still angry at him, and Camilla (his second wife) too. I hope William will be the next king.” After the service, the newlyweds will travel in a horse-drawn open carriage from the abbey to Buckingham Palace where the couple will follow tradition by appearing on the balcony with the rest of the royal family and kissing. More than 8,500 journalists and technical staff are covering the wedding for a global audience. And the world will join in the party. New York’s iconic Empire State Building will be illuminated in blue, white and red in honor of the royal couple.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

zaviews NeWz ( United States, Philippine & Royal wedding)

United States       The new document confirms that Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug 4, 1961. The White House on Wednesday released a longer version of President Barack Obama s US birth certificate to try to quiet charges from some Republicans that he was not born in the United States. Obama called the controversy over his birth certificate a “side show” that distracted from important issues such as the federal budget. He told reporters at the White House “I have watched with bemusement, I’ve been puzzled at the degree to which this thing just kept on going.” Questions about his birth have been pushed in recent weeks by real estate tycoon Donald Trump, who says he is considering a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. “We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We ve got better stuff to do. I ve got better stuff to do. We ve got big problems to solve. And I m confident we can solve them, but we re going to have to focus on them -- not on this,” Obama added. The new document confirms what a shorter version has said, that Obama was born in Hawaii on Aug 4, 1961, but provides a little more information, such as that he was born at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital.
Philippine      A third of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line with most poor families. Residents clashed with the police on Wednesday and prevented an attempt to demolish a shanty community razed by fire last week in Manila. They threw rocks and bottles and put up barricades to stop city hall workers from demolishing their homes. Firefighters fought back with water cannons but failed to disperse the protesting crowd who used children to prevent baton-wielding police from breaking their ranks. The riot ended when authorities halted their operations temporarily. Nobody was reported injured by the incident. Authorities banned the residents from entering the area and declared it a danger zone due to the large fire that burned more than 900 shanties and displaced thousands of residents last week. They were ordered to secure the compound. The local government has promised to relocate the affected residents, but there are those who chose to stay in their homes. Authorities say they have advised the residents still living in the burnt community since last week to flee the area as they continue their investigations into the fire. A third of the Philippine population lives below the poverty line with most poor families choosing to live in makeshift shanties made of light materials on empty lots.
Royal wedding     Enthusiasts from around the world have already arrived in London ahead of the big day.There s still two nights to go until the wedding of Britain's Prince William to Catherine Middleton. But already royal enthusiasts from all around the world have already arrived in London to camp out on the streets ahead of the big day to ensure they have the best possible places to watch the wedding. They have been lucky in that Britain s normally, shall we say “variable” weather has been extraordinarily mild for the time of year. But even so pitching themselves in the centre of the UK capital days ahead of the royal wedding wouldn t be for everybody. But nothing would deter Bernadette Christie from Alberta Canada outside Westminster Abbey - the church where the royal couple will exchange their vows. It seems anything is worth it just to catch a glimpse of the UK s latest royal couple to wed and all the parades and celebrations surrounding the big event. For ardent royalist John Loughrey who was at Prince Charles wedding to Lady Diana 30 years ago - it is not the hard pavement that is stopping him sleeping. And these early birds are perhaps wise to stake a place now. They are expected to be joined by more than 200 thousand others on the day of the wedding all trying to get a glimpse of the happy couple.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Libya

Heavy fighting killed at least 10 people in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata on Saturday. “Since eight o clock this morning, we have received 10 dead and 50 wounded, which is usually the number for a full day,” said Doctor Khalid Abu Salra at the main Hikma hospital in the western port city. “We re overwhelmed, overwhelmed. We lack everything: personnel, equipment and medicines,” the doctor said. Ambulances pulled up outside the hospital every three or four minutes, and they also brought in wounded soldiers loyal to Colonel Moamer Gaddafi’s regime, as paramedics frantically wiped blood off stretchers. Misrata has been the scene of deadly urban guerrilla fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and outgunned rebels for more than six weeks. Saturday’s upsurge in the fight for the port city comes after the Gaddafi regime said it had given its army an “ultimatum” to stop the rebellion in the city, 200 kilometres (120 miles) east of the capital Tripoli. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim said, “There was an ultimatum to the Libyan army: if they cannot solve the problem in Misrata, then the people from (the neighbouring towns of) Zliten, Tarhuna, Bani Walid and Tawargha will move in and they will talk to the rebels.” "If they don t surrender, then they will engage them in a fight," he told journalists. On Saturday, an aid ship chartered by the International Organisation for Migration delivered 160 tonnes of food and medicine to Misrata before it evacuates around 1,000 stranded refugees, mostly Nigerians.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

zaviews NeWz (Japan, Libya, Yemen)

Japan            The earthquake was measured at 5.1 on the Richter scale. According to the American geological survey the earthquake jolts were felt near the east bay area of Honshu. So far no causalities have been reported. Hundreds of aftershocks have rocked the ground and frayed nerves in the five weeks since Japan s massive earthquake and tsunami, forcing survivors to relive the terror almost daily.
Libya                The United Nations called to stop the war in Libya and urged the belligerents to come to talks. The UN appealed for a ceasefire in the Libyan city of Misrata, saying at least 20 children had been killed in attacks by besieging government forces on rebel-held parts of the city. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) said that it would intensify its action against President Gaddafi’s forces by targeting Libya’s telecommunication system. Libya has allowed the United Nations to send humanitarian aid into the besieged city of Misrata. According to reports the situation in Libya is still tense as clashes between pro-Gaddafi forces and the rebels continue. In the past 24 hours more than 100 people have been killed in clashes. NATO forces carried out airstrikes in the city of Misrata and they also targeted the tanks of pro-Gaddafi forces in Tripoli and other cities. On the other hand, the United Nations called for a cease fire as the European Union readied to send their peacekeeping force in Libya.
Yemen             Police shot dead two anti-government protesters, besides injuring at least 100 others in Yemen. The police opened fire on demonstrators, who were protesting against the government, in the capital city, Sana’a. Two protesters were killed while 100 others were injured in the incident. A police official said that the protesters had abducted 10 policemen amid the riots. The gulf states tried to convince President Abdullah and opposition to come to talks but the opposition refused proposal that a generated another mayhem in the sole democratic republic in Arabian peninsula. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

zaviews NeWz (Cuba, Britain, Japan & Nigeria)

Cuba              The move came after the ruling party approved a flurry of measures to save the controlled economy. Fidel Castro confirmed his exit from the Communist Party leadership on Tuesday, ceding power to his brother, Raul, as delegates prepare to vote on changes that could bring term limits to key posts. The move came after the sixth Communist Party Congress approved a flurry of measures aimed at keeping Cuba s centrally planned economy from collapse but without any broad embrace of market-oriented change. "Raul knew that I would not accept a formal role in the party today," Fidel wrote in an article on the Cubadebate.cu portal, referring to his absence from the party s newly elected central committee. Castro, 84, had served as first secretary in the central committee of the party -- which underpins the country s Communist government -- since the party s creation in 1965. Fidel said he had handed over the functions of the party head to Raul when he ceded power to his brother because of his own declining health in 2006, though he retained the first secretary title
Britain            is sending military officers to help Libyan rebels improve their organisation, communications and logistics, Foreign Secretary William Hague said Tuesday. He said the “military liaison advisory team” would not be involved in training or arming the rebels fighting Maummar Qadhafi’s regime, nor would it help plan their military operations. In a statement, Hague said the government had agreed to send a contingent “drawn from experienced British military officers” to reinforce the diplomatic team already in the eastern city of Benghazi, where the rebels are based. Hague insisted the deployment was “fully within the terms” of the UN Security Council Resolution on Libya that authorised international air strikes to protect civilians from fighting between Qadhafi’s forces and the rebels. “These additional personnel will enable the UK to build on the work already being undertaken to support and advise the TNC (Transitional National Council) on how to better protect civilians,” he said. “In particular they will advise the TNC on how to improve their military organisational structures, communications and logistics, including how best to distribute humanitarian aid and deliver medical assistance.” Britain had in recent weeks decided to supply the rebels with “non-lethal assistance” to help them protect civilians, including telecommunications equipment and protective body armour, Hague added.The UN resolution expressly forbids any foreign occupation of Libyan soil. “Consistent with our obligations under that resolution, our officers will not be involved in training or arming the opposition’s fighting forces,” the foreign secretary said. “Nor will they be involved in the planning or execution of the TNC’s military operations or in the provision of any other form of operational military advice.”

Japan              The overall release of radiation from Japan's tsunami-hit nuclear plant will not increase much between now and when it is finally brought under control, the UN atomic watchdog said Tuesday. Japan has been working feverishly to bring the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, 250 kilometres (155 miles) northeast of Tokyo, into safe shutdown since it was hit by a 14-metre (46-foot) tsunami on March 11, triggering the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), said on Sunday it aims to reduce radiation leaks within three months and to achieve a so-called "cold shutdown" within six to nine months. So far, the overall radioactivity release has been around 10 percent of that seen at Chernobyl 25 years ago, the Japanese authorities have said. And the International Atomic Energy Agency's head of nuclear safety, Denis Flory, said the amount would not increase much further. "There has been high bursts of radioactivity from the beginning," Flory told a regular news briefing here. Currently, radioactivity was still leaking "at low level" but those leaks were decreasing.
Nigeria              Nigeria’s main northern cities were under curfew on Tuesday as protests broke out after the announcement of Goodluck Jonathan’s election as president. Mr Jonathan, 53, was officially declared winner of last Saturday’s presidential election by an overwhelming majority. The Independent National Electoral Commission, commended by domestic and international observers for conducting Nigeria’s fairest poll since the country returned to civilian rule in 1998, gave Mr Jonathan 58 per cent of the vote. His nearest challenger, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, polled 31.8 per cent. But the results have exposed stark divisions between the north and south of the country that pose an immediate challenge to Mr Jonathan’s presidency and have prompted widespread rioting in areas that voted for his main rival. Mr Jonathan was victorious in all but one of the southern states, and managed to avoid a run-off by securing more than 25 per cent of the vote in 32 of Nigeria’s 36 states. “People are protesting as much against poverty and frustration as they are against the results,” said Clement Nwankwo, a political activist with the Abuja-based Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre. “This is an expression of anger at underdevelopment of the region and the role of leaders in that. That is what makes it so dangerous.” In other circumstances, Mr Jonathan’s victory would be a Cinderella triumph for the zoologist from Obuiga in the Niger delta. Born to impoverished parents in 1957, the year oil was discovered in the area, his rise to the pinnacle of Africa’s most populous nation and third-biggest economy has been nothing short of a fairy tale. Mr Jonathan’s rapid elevation through the ruling People’s Democratic party (PDP) hierarchy was aided by a powerful old boy’s network that regarded him as a stopgap measure. For many Nigerians, especially in the delta region, which provides the oil that sustains the economy, Mr Jonathan’s victory is seen as a triumph for ethnic minorities. There has never been an elected president from the delta.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

zaviews NeWz (United States, Libya, Syria & Ivory Coast)

United States          Three days of Violent storms have spread destruction in Carolina, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. At least 45 people have been killed and more than 80 have been injured in three days of violent storms in the southern United States. More than 100 buildings have been destroyed and the electricity supply system was also disrupted. Violent tornados completely destroyed 60 homes while 400 more were damaged. The rescue workers faced difficulty in relief and rescue efforts due to the intensity of the storm. In the southern United States, the month between March and July are known as the season of tornados. Every year, the storms and tornadoes on average claim more than 70 lives.

Libya           At least 6 more people have been killed as pro-Gaddafi forces attacked Misrata, Libya on Sunday. According to sources, heavy shelling and bombing on Misrata city claimed 6 lives while 47 others were wounded. Sources claimed that Obama administration had started looking for a refuge site in Africa for Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi if he were forces out of the country, and talk were underway with the regional leaders on this. Foreign arms supply to rebels had also started as rebels’ commander Abdul Fatah confirmed that he had received arms from the friend countries but did not disclose the names.

Syria             Syrian President Bashar al-Assad pledges to end the decades-old state of emergency in a week. The president expressed his consent to come on table with the dissidents and pledged to lift the country s 48 year-old emergency law during a television address to his nation. He also vowed to introduce reforms in Syria. An Egyptian court ordered that the former ruling party of ousted president Hosni Mubarak should be dissolved. All assets of the National Democratic Party will be seized and handed to the government, the supreme administrative court ruled. Fighting between Libyan President Gaddafi’s forces and rebels intensified. A missile fired by Gaddafi’s men killed six rebels and injured 20 others near Brega. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation aircrafts continued bombing on state forces. Meanwhile, a large number of foreigners are evacuating.

Ivory Coast          About 70 people arrested along with Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo were released. President Alassane Ouattara s minister said that Gbagbo’s family members and house staff were among the freed people. “30 members of his family, including his grandchildren, were released and taken to a destination we are keeping confidential," Ouattara s Justice Minister Jeannot Ahoussou Kouadio, said.

Monday, April 18, 2011

zaviews NeWz (Bolivia, Royal wedding, United States)

Bolivia               A squadron of 700 police officers descended on a mob of nearly 5,000 rural teachers. Teachers, miners and health workers are demanding a higher wage increase than the 10 percent offered by the government. The demonstrations started last week in La Paz and have now spread to all nine of Bolivia s departments as the Bolivian Workers Central group, the country s largest umbrella union, called for a strike to demand higher wage increases to offset rising consumer prices. The rural teachers and the working class who were once adamant supporters of President Evo Morales and helped him come to power as the country s first indigenous leader in 2002 are now starting to call his leadership into question.

Royal wedding       The princess-to-be and her family will stay at Goring Hotel ahead of the royal wedding. London s only 5 star family-run hotel will host Kate Middleton on her last night as an unmarried woman and commoner. Middleton s close family including her mother Carole and sister Pippa, her maid of honour, will also stay at the luxury family-owned Goring hotel in central London the night before the wedding. She will stay in the hotel s most opulent suite, which opened in 1910. The Goring had recently spent 150,000 pounds ($245,400) giving the top-floor apartment a makeover ahead of her stay.

United States           Three days of severe storms and tornadoes in the southern United States have killed at least 39 people, downing power lines and wrecking hundreds of buildings along its path, officials said on Sunday. North Carolina accounted for the bulk of casualties and property losses, with 22 people killed and more than 80 others injured. Significant damage was reported in at least 15 counties and power was out to more than 200,000 people. Seven people died as a result of the storms in Alabama, seven died in Arkansas and one died in Mississippi, and two people were killed in Oklahoma when a tornado flattened buildings. It appeared to be the deadliest U.S. storm since February 2008, when 57 people died from tornadoes in the south and Ohio Valley, said AccuWeather.com meteorologist Andy Mussoline, who said the 39 death roll may change. "I would expect that total to rise, unfortunately," Mussoline said. The storms began in Oklahoma on Thursday and then moved through the South and hit the East Coast by Saturday. There were 241 tornadoes reported, with 50 confirmed.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Zaviews worldwide News (Ivory Coast, Egypt, Bolivia, Israel, Pakistan & Syria)

Ivory Coast         Some of the victims were non-Ivorians but from other west Africa countries. UN investigators have found more than 100 bodies in the past 24 hours in western Ivory Coast in what appeared to have been ethnically driven killings, the UN human rights office said Friday. "The human rights team investigating in west Cote d Ivoire found more than 100 bodies in the past 24 hours in three locations," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "All the incidents appear to have been at least partly ethnically motivated," he added. About 40 bodies were found in Blolequin, west of Duekoue, and "perpetrators appear to be Liberian mercenaries." "The team also went to a nearby town of Guiglo, where they saw more than 60 bodies," he said, adding that some of the victims included people who were non-Ivorians but from other west Africa countries. "Certainly there has been an escalation in the past two weeks," he added.

Egypt        Seven army officers defied a warning from the ruling military council when they joined protesters. Tens of thousands of Egyptians massed in Cairo s Tahrir Square on Friday two months after president Hosni Mubarak was ousted to demand the trial of former regime elements, slamming the military rulers for stalling on reforms. Waving flags and holding banners in a protest dubbed the "Day of Trial and Cleansing," protesters vowed to press the ruling military council to deliver on promises of reform and justice. Seven army officers defied a warning from the ruling military council when they joined the protesters  call for former regime elements to face trial. "Our demands are your demands. We want a civilian government. We want to try corrupt people," one officer said to loud cheers. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, that took power after Mubarak was ousted on February 11, warned that anyone protesting in military uniform on Friday would face trial in a military court. A general and several military police officers went to the makeshift podium to speak with them. Meanwhile, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh rejected a mediation offer by Gulf nations that called on him to resign, denouncing the proposal in a speech before tens of thousands of cheering supporters in the capital Friday. An even larger group of demonstrators nearby and hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country demanded his ouster.

Bolivia           Miners and other union workers have launched massive protest in in La Paz. The workers - including miners, teachers and health workers - are demanding higher wages in light of inflation that is eroding their pay. “Today, the cost of basic family basket (of food) has gone up almost four times in price. You used to be able to eat lunch for 6 Bolivians; now, it costs 15. Fifteen!” said Omar Carrion, a teacher and union leader. “And there is no person who could live on 20 Bolivians a day. That s reality in our country. That s why today we demand raises in our salary, for teachers to have level hours and for everyone to benefit from salary increases-- not just for teachers, but for doctors, for salaried workers, for police, for prosecutors-- for everyone, because we all eat,” he added. Bolivian President Evo Morales had agreed to a 10 percent pay rise, but only for a few key sectors. The protesters were demanding a more generous and more inclusive policy. Miners set off dynamite, as police tried to disperse crowds with tear gas and jets of water, which they fired from armored vehicles. As the cries rose against President Evo Morales, the demonstration showed how the 51-year-old statesman has fallen out of favor with his former stronghold: the Bolivian working class who helped him to come to power as the country s first indigenous leader in 2002. Communications Minister Ivan Canelas said the government was willing to talk, but strikers must abandon violence. “There is good willingness to hold talks, to dialogue through the ministers in the area. We believe the workers all have the right to protest but not to generate violence. This situation has caused discontent by the population because of the fear caused by miners throwing dynamite,” he said. The government has stuck by a 10 percent pay rise, which will only go to the army, police and certain workers in health and education. Many of Morales  supporters turned against him at the end of last year when he said he would be cutting fuel subsidies. After huge protests erupted across the nation, Morales backtracked the decision, at least temporarily. Prices have been spiraling since and many poor Bolivians say they can no longer afford to feed their families.

Israel             Israeli officials say it so often they've taken to apologizing for using the example, acknowledging it's become a cliché: Israel and Hamas can lob shells into and out of the Gaza Strip indefinitely without risking actual war, the explanation begins. Each side wants to appear tough, and over four years the call and response has grown as delicately calibrated as a minuet. But should one of Hamas' hastily fired, unguided rockets happen to land on a kindergarten, all bets are off. So more than one kind of madness appeared to be operating Thursday when a Hamas fire team in Gaza aimed an anti-tank missile at a big yellow school bus on the Israeli side, and pulled the trigger. The heat-seeking missile struck the rear of the vehicle, leaving the only student on board, a 16-year-old boy, with a critical head wound, and the Israeli government under intense pressure to take the conflict to another level. Indeed, on Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the bus attack "crossed the line" and hinted more strikes will be forthcoming beyond Israel's immediate response. Artillery and air strikes wounded three on Thursday, and the next morning killed five. In addition to two militants, Friday's fatalities included an elderly man, a housewife and her daughter. The spiral toward war tightens even though by every account neither Israel nor Hamas actually wants one. Operation Cast Lead, as Israelis called the bombardment and incursion on the eve of President Obama's inauguration, cost the militant Islamist government, by its own account, some 700 fighters, and the Jewish State another layer of a hide that is remarkably thick but not impervious to international outrage. The criticism cascaded in with coverage of the three-week bombardment, and the resulting hundreds of civilian deaths.

Pakistan            The arrested bomber of the Sakhi Sarwar shrine in Dera Ghazi Khan, apologised to the Pakistani nation on Friday and said that he had been told to bomb the areas of non-Muslims.
During investigations, Omar told officials that there were 350 people receiving suicide bombing training in the militant hideouts of Waziristan. He said that these included Uzbeks, Tajiks, Arabs and Punjabis. Omar said that he used to be blindfolded and taken for training. He said that the in-charge of the camp was Sangeen Khan who used to constantly be away on travel. He also disclosed that the second bombing was supposed to take place between the rescue and media teams.


Syria         At least 22 protesters were killed in bloody clashes with Syria security forces on Friday witnesses said, as the unrest that has engulfed the country closed its third week. Syria state TV reported that 19 policemen were killed in the fray as well, attacked by armed groups of demonstrators retaliating for security forces' brutal crackdowns over the past few weeks. Syrian security forces killed 17 protesters in the southern city of Daraa on Friday when they fired at a demonstration against Baath Party rule, a hospital source and activist said. An additional two were reported dead in Homs, with another three killed by security forces in the city of Harsata. Protest organizers have called on Syrians to take to the streets every Friday for the past three weeks, demanding reform in one of the most authoritarian nations in the Middle East. The protests have rattled the regime of President Bashar Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for nearly 40 years.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Zaviews worldwide News (Japan, Brazil, Libya, Israel, Mexico & Afghanistan)

Japan               A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.4 shook the northeast of Japan late on Thursday. A tsunami warning was issued for the coast already devastated by last month s massive quake and the tsunami that crippled a nuclear power plant. No damage from Thursday s quake was detected at the plant and Japan’s public television NHK said. Workers had been evacuated without reports of any injuries. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage elsewhere but people in areas covered by the tsunami warning should evacuate to higher ground, NHK said. Japan is struggling to bring the Fukushima Daiichi plant under control after the March 11 quake and tsunami, which killed, or left missing, about 28,000 people.

Brazil                      A heavily armed man entered his former Rio school Thursday and opened fire, killing 10 children and wounding 18 people before taking his own life, officials said in a tragedy that has shaken Brazil. Rio de Janeiro state’s health department chief Sergio Cortes presented the new toll for the attack, revising it downward from 13 dead and 22 wounded announced earlier by fire officials in the chaotic few hours after the attack. Authorities identified the shooter as 24-year-old Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, a former student at the public school. Police said he left a letter saying he wanted to commit suicide, but they also said he appeared to have prepared for a major deadly assault, bringing into the school two revolvers and loads of ammunition just as students and staff were arriving at the morning bell. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said she was “shocked and disturbed” at the shooting. “Innocent children lost their lives and their future,” she said in a brief television appearance. Her education minister, Fernando Haddad, described the attack as “an unprecedented tragedy in Brazil,” adding that “this is a day of mourning for all Brazilian education.” Colonel Evandro Bezerra, a fire department spokesman, told TV Globo News several of the dead had been shot in the head. The multi-storey Tasso da Silveira primary school in Rio’s Realengo district served children between nine and 14 years old. “Employees of the school told officers that the young man arrived well-dressed and carrying a backpack, and said he told them he had been invited to speak with students in a school conference,” Bezerra said. “That’s how he gained access to the third floor,” where he launched his attack on at least one classroom, sending terrified students running down the stairs and out the building. Military Police Colonel Djalma Beltrame said police stormed the school and wounded the attacker, “but the man killed himself with a gunshot to the head.”



Libya                      A NATO airstrike hit Libya's Sarir oilfield, damaging a pipeline connected to a Mediterranean port. “British warplanes have attacked, have carried out an airstrike against the Sarir oilfield which killed three oilfield guards and other employees at the field were also injured,” Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim told reporters in Tripoli. There was no immediate official comment from Britain s Ministry of Defence. Kaim said that the strike damaged a pipeline connecting to Libya s Hariga port, adding that it was against international law and not covered by the UN resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. The Sarir oilfield is located in Libya s Sirte basin, which contains around 80 percent of its proven reserves. The major oilfield was discovered in 1961. A rebel spokesman earlier said production at rebel-held oilfields in eastern Libya has stopped after they came under attack from forces loyal to leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Israel                    Gaza militants on Thursday fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, critically injuring a teenager, prompting the army to pound the Strip, killing three and wounding more than 30. After the missile slammed into the bus, the Palestinians lobbed at least 45 mortar rounds into southern Israel, hitting a house, and the army responded by staging multiple raids across the enclave, one of which hit an ambulance, Palestinian medics said. As the rockets flew over the border, Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defence system intercepted a projectile heading for the southern port city of Ashkelon, in what was the first time the system has ever been successfully used in a combat situation. The bus attack was the first time an anti-tank missile had hit a civilian target in Israel, prompting Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak to order the army "to act swiftly" in response. "An anti-tank missile was fired directly at the bus," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP shortly after the attack on the school bus which was passing in front of kibbutz Nahal Oz, just across the border from Gaza City's eastern flank. A spokesman for the Israeli medical services said a 16-year-old boy was critically wounded in the attack, while the bus driver sustained only light injuries. Television footage showed the yellow bus with the back end badly damaged and the windscreen blown out, as a small teddy bear lay on the ground among shards of glass and pools of blood. The bus had just finished dropping off dozens of schoolchildren.
Mexico               Fifty-nine bodies were found in eight mass graves in a rural area in Tamaulipas, a state in northeastern Mexico, officials said. Police found the mass graves while checking out reports that people traveling on a bus had been abducted in late March in the area. The mass graves are in La Joya, a rural community outside the city of San Fernando, near where the bodies of 72 migrants, the majority of them Central Americans, were found on Aug. 24. Eleven suspects were arrested in La Joya and five people being held captive were freed, officials said. "In the first six graves, 11 bodies were found, while 43 were found in the seventh and five more in the eighth," the Tamaulipas state government said in a statement. President Felipe Calderon issued a statement condemning the killings and calling for an extensive investigation to determine who is responsible for the murders and who the victims are. The killings "underscore the cowardice and total lack of scruples" of Mexico's criminal organizations, Calderon said. Mexicans should condemn the violence unleashed by criminals, the president said. The government is totally committed to "continuing to deal with crime with complete firmness," Calderon said. Investigators from the Tamaulipas Attorney General's Office are gathering evidence to try to identify the bodies and find the killers.

Afghanistan               Armed men launched an attack on a police training centre just outside the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, the provincial police chief told AFP. “Some armed men have entered a police building, a training facility. They have been exchanging fire with police for the past hour. We have no report of casualties yet,” Khan Mohammad Mujahid said. The building is also used as an army and police recruitment centre, he added. A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were thought to be three attackers armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. An AFP reporter at the scene reported hearing an explosion and gunshots. He said the area had been sealed off by police and helicopters were flying overhead. Kandahar is the de facto capital of southern Afghanistan and seen as a traditional Taliban heartland area. It has seen a number of insurgent attacks on police in recent months, including in February, when 19 people were killed in a string of attacks focused on the city’s police headquarters claimed by the Taliban. Nato-led forces say the area is now safer following intense fighting in recent months but police and officials are still regularly targeted. Around 130,000 US-led Nato troops, about two-thirds of them from the United States, are in Afghanistan fighting a nearly 10-year insurgency led by the Taliban and other militants. Limited withdrawals are due to start in a handful of areas from July, ahead of a planned transition to Afghan control of security across the country in 2014.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Zaviews worldwide News (Israel, Japan, Ivory Coast, Yemen, & Guatemalan)

Israel           Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday urged support for “the awakening of the Arab world,” saying the spread of democracy in the region could dramatically improve the staunch US ally’s circumstances. “We believe that the awakening of the Arab world is a great opportunity and that all of us should do whatever we can” to help those seeking “freedom and dignity in their lives,” Peres said after meetings with leaders of the US House of Representatives. “The moment that the Arab world will become free and open and peaceful it will be a major change in the world experience and in the annals of the Middle East,” he said during a public appearance with Republican House Speaker John Boehner and others. Peres thanked Washington for its “unbelievable support morally, politically and otherwise” as Israel struggled “alone as a democratic country in the Middle East, facing dangers and menaces” and fighting wars against its neighbors. Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor also attended the closed-door talks with Peres, who met later with key US senators.

Japan         Japan began pumping nitrogen gas into a crippled nuclear reactor, refocusing the fight against the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years on preventing an explosive buildup of hydrogen gas at Fukushima Daiichi power plant. Workers started injecting nitrogen into the containment vessel of reactor No. 1 on Wednesday night, following a morning breakthrough in stopping highly radioactive water leaking into the sea at another reactor in the six-reactor complex. "It is necessary to inject nitrogen gas into the containment vessel and eliminate the potential for a hydrogen explosion," an official of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) (9501.T) told a news briefing. 



Ivory Coast          A spokesman says fighters attempting to storm Ivory Coast's presidential residence in an attempt to force the strongman out of a bunker got as far as the gates but were repelled by heavy arms fire. Yves Doumbia, a spokesman for the armed group trying to topple incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo and install democratically elected president Alassane Ouattara, said their fighters on Wednesday pierced the perimeter of Mr. Gbagbo's compound. But he said that soon after, they were forced to retreat under heavy fire. He said they were regrouping for a second assault.  
Mr. Gbagbo refused to cede power after losing a November election. He appeared to be on the point of surrender on Tuesday but told French radio on Wednesday that he was not negotiating and had no intention to resign. 
Forces loyal to Ivory Coast presidential claimant Alassane Ouattara stormed the bunker where Laurent Gbagbo was defying efforts on Wednesday to force him to cede power, a spokeswoman for Ouattara told Reuters.


Yemen        Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies are trying to broker a deal to have Yemen’s president step down and hand over power, possibly to an interim council of tribal and political leaders, sources told Reuters on Wednesday. 
Ali Abdullah Saleh’s at times bloody response to protests, inspired by those in Egypt and Tunisia, against his 32-year rule has tried the patience of his US and Saudi backers. 
A variety of official sources say they are now ready to push aside a long-time ally against Yemen-based al Qaeda in the hope of staving off a chaotic collapse of the poorest Arab state. Though diplomats familiar with the negotiations question whether a deal is anywhere close to being struck, the proposal by the Gulf Arabs involves Saleh finally agreeing to stand down and handing his powers for a short time to a national council. “The proposal is to have a governing council grouping all the various political parties and tribes for a period that would not exceed three months,” one Gulf official told Reuters on Wednesday of a plan to be presented to Saleh and his opponents at talks to take place soon in Saudi Arabia. A date is not set. “The council will set the way for elections,” the Gulf official added, echoing other sources in the region and beyond. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Saudi Arabia with its small neighbours Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, made the invitations on Monday. Saleh told GCC envoys on Tuesday that he would come to the talks in Riyadh. The ambassadors were waiting for a response from opposition leaders who they met in Yemen on Wednesday.

Guatemalan       Two Guatemalans who were injected with syphilis in 1940 by the US are demanding compensation. Although a lawsuit has already been filed against the US, now attention is being turned towards the Guatemalan state. The experiments that were carried out on prison inmates, women and mental patients. Federico Ramos, from the small rural town of Acasaguastlan, was a young man in the army when he was one of around 700 Guatemalans unwittingly injected with a disease so the US could test the then-new drug penicillin. “The injections were put into us in there, and one did not know what they were injecting into you. I had purgation [gonorrhea],” said Ramos. Ramos is now 86 and wants justice to be done. So does Manuel Gudiel, who is one year Ramos s junior and says he was infected after having sex with a prostitute who had received a US injection. “No one told the person what injection they were giving, only the doctor knew what was injected and the disease the person had. He knew and gave the person the injection,” explained Gudiel. In March, a group of Guatemalans filed a class action lawsuit against the US government for intentionally infecting them with syphilis.