Security has been tightened in the Chad capital, N'Djamena, amid reports that rebels are moving towards the city. A BBC correspondent says that tanks are stationed in key areas, such as outside the presidential palace, and military vehicles are on patrol. Troops have been recalled to base despite the Muslim holiday of Eid - the biggest festival of the year in Chad. The rebels began their offensive in the east at the weekend but are now said to be near the central town of Mongo. The BBC's Stephanie Hancock in Chad says there are reports that the outskirts of the capital are heavily fortified with government troops. Rapid advance On Monday night, the rebels claimed to have seized the town of Am Timan, some 600km from N'Djamena but they are now reported to be just five hours' drive from the capital. The government has denied that Am Timan had fallen and urged the capital's residents to stay calm. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 09:24:00 10-24-06 |
Brazilian miner buys Canada rival |
Brazilian firm CVRD has become the world's second-biggest mining company, after securing its C$19bn ($17bn; £9bn) takeover of Canadian nickel miner Inco. CVRD has bought 76% of Inco shares for C$15bn, and says it intends to buy the remainder for the same price - C$86 per share - by 3 November. The Brazilian firm, already the world's largest iron ore miner, will now be the largest nickel producer as well. It is the second-largest miner overall, behind Anglo-Australian BHP Billiton. Canadian assurances CVRD says it plans to dissolve Inco's board and delist the company's shares on both the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. But to ensure approval for the takeover by Canadian authorities, CVRD has agreed to base its nickel business in Toronto, with the unit having a Canadian chief operating officer and senior Canadian management. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6081390.stm
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Editor - 09:22:00 10-24-06 |
U.S. soldier still missing in Baghdad Military official says translator of Iraqi descent may have been abducted |
After 24 hours of house-to-house searches in an upscale Baghdad neighborhood, the U.S. military still had not found a U.S. soldier who was missing and believed kidnapped.U.S. and Iraqi forces threw a security cordon around the central Karradah district on Monday night and Iraqis seeking to pass through the downtown area on Tuesday were turned away at roadblocks. Army Kiowa OH-58 reconnaissance helicopters were seen repeatedly circling the area in pairs.U.S. soldiers patrolling Karradah showed photocopies of the man’s photograph to residents in a search for leads. The missing soldier’s name and other personal details have not been officially released, although American troops who raided Baghdad’s al-Furat TV on Monday said they were looking for an abducted American officer of Iraqi descent who went to join family members in Karradah.... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15395225/
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Editor - 09:19:00 10-24-06 |
Ethiopia says technically at war with Somali Islamists |
Ethiopia is "technically" at war with Somalia's Islamists after their declarations of jihad against Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said on Tuesday.The Ethiopian leader, in an interview with Reuters, also for the first time put a rough figure — "a few hundred at most" — on the number of armed military trainers controversially sent over the border to help Somalia's isolated interim government. "The jihadist elements within the Islamic Court movement are spoiling for a fight. They've been declaring jihad against Ethiopia almost every other week," Meles said. "Technically we are at war." Despite that, Addis Ababa was showing restraint over the Somali crisis and would only intervene if Ethiopian territory was threatened, he said. ... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2602603
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Editor - 09:06:00 10-24-06 |
Army alert to counter Chad rebels |
Security has been tightened in the Chad capital, N'Djamena, amid reports that rebels are moving towards the city. A BBC correspondent says that tanks are stationed in key areas, such as outside the presidential palace, and military vehicles are on patrol. Troops have been recalled to base despite the Muslim holiday of Eid - the biggest festival of the year in Chad. The rebels began their offensive in the east at the weekend but are now said to be near the central town of Mongo. The BBC's Stephanie Hancock in Chad says there are reports that the outskirts of the capital are heavily fortified with government troops. On Monday night, the rebels claimed to have seized the town of Am Timan, some 600km from N'Djamena but they are now reported to be just five hours' drive from the capital. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6079772.stm
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Editor - 09:05:00 10-24-06 |
Global ecosystems 'face collapse' |
Current global consumption levels could result in a large-scale ecosystem collapse by the middle of the century, environmental group WWF has warned. The group's biannual Living Planet Report said the natural world was being degraded "at a rate unprecedented in human history". Terrestrial species had declined by 31% between 1970-2003, the findings showed. It warned that if demand continued at the current rate, two planets would be needed to meet global demand by 2050. The biodiversity loss was a result of resources being consumed faster than the planet could replace them, the authors said. They added that if the world's population shared the UK's lifestyle, three planets would be needed to support their needs. The nations that were shown to have the largest "ecological footprints" were the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Finland. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6077798.stm
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Editor - 09:03:00 10-24-06 |
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