A civil war between Sunni and Shia Muslims is spreading rapidly through central Iraq, with each community seeking revenge for the latest massacre. Yesterday a suicide bomber driving a van packed with explosives blew himself up outside the golden-domed mosque in Kufa, killing at least 59 and injuring more than 130 Shia. In the past 10 days, while the world has been absorbed by the war in Lebanon, sectarian massacres have started to take place on an almost daily basis, leading observers to fear a level of killing approaching that of Rwanda immediately before the genocide of 1994. On a single spot on the west bank of the Tigris river in north Baghdad, between 10 and 12 bodies have been drifting ashore every day.In Kufa, a city on the Euphrates 90 miles south of Baghdad, the suicide bomber drove his vehicle into a dusty square 100 yards from a Shia shrine at 7.30am. ... http://news.independent.co.uk censor News |
Editor - 07:50:00 07-19-06 |
India joins Beirut sea evacuation |
India has diverted four of its warships to Beirut to evacuate Indian nationals who want to flee conflict in Lebanon. An Indian embassy official told the BBC that the first Indian ship was likely to enter Lebanese waters by Thursday. There are an estimated 12,000 Indians in Lebanon. Sri Lanka, which has about 80,000 citizens there, is also trying to evacuate those who want to leave. Separately, Bangladesh has asked for help locating and evacuating its nationals stranded in the country. It asked the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday to try to establish how many Bangladeshis might be there. Thousands of Bangladeshis work in the Middle East, most of them in Saudi Arabia.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5191366.stm
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Editor - 07:48:00 07-19-06 |
New building collapses in Nigeria |
A building has collapsed in Nigeria's main city of Lagos, killing 10 people and trapping scores of people. The block of flats collapsed on Tuesday evening and rescuers have so far pulled 30 people from the wreckage. Heavy lifting equipment has arrived at the site to help people using their bare hands to reach those inside. But a BBC correspondent at the scene says there are fears for the trapped in the rubble as they are no longer reachable by mobile phone. Overnight, distraught relative were in touch with those inside, but the calls had stopped by morning. Earlier, rescuers say they heard the trapped people crying out for help. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5194344.stm
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Editor - 07:44:00 07-19-06 |
Turkey risks US anger over plan to attack Kurds |
The Turkish army may move into northern Iraq if violence by Turkish-Kurdish guerrillas continues, officials said yesterday. Such a move could put Turkey on a collision course with the United States, which has repeatedly warned against unilateral action in Iraq.But the Turkish government is facing increasing domestic pressure to act after 15 soldiers, police and guards were killed in fighting with the guerrillas in the past week."The government is really in a bind," said Seyfi Tashan, the director of the Foreign Policy Institute at Bilkent University in Ankara. "On the one hand they don't want things to break down with the United States. On the other hand, the public is crying for action."... http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1185357.ece
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Editor - 07:42:00 07-19-06 |
Bernanke Says Fed Must Be Mindful of Past Increases |
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said policy must be mindful of the future effects of past interest rate increases while remaining on guard against ``persistently higher inflation.'' ``We must take account of the possible future effects of previous policy actions -- that is, of policy effects still `in the pipeline,''' he said in the text of testimony to the Senate Banking Committee in Washington. ``The extent and timing of any additional firming that may be needed to address inflation risks will depend on the evolution of the outlook for both inflation and economic growth.'' After raising interest rates at every meeting of policy makers for two years, Bernanke now confronts an economy that's slowing, at the same time prices are climbing. Oil surged to a record last week and a government report released less than two hours before his statement showed consumer inflation, excluding fuel and food, rose more than economists forecast in June. ... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a1cuEjsZX_4I&refer=top_world_news
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Editor - 07:41:00 07-19-06 |
Alzheimer's Patients May Soon Get 1st Skin Patch to Treat Brain Degeneration |
Alzheimer's patients may soon get the first skin patch to treat the creeping brain degeneration, a novel way to deliver an older drug so that it's easier to take and might even work a little better. The patch, which infuses the drug Exelon through patients' skin, headlines a trio of innovative potential treatments unveiled Wednesday at an Alzheimer's meeting in Spain. Also under study are a prostate cancer drug that may help dementia, too, and an immune therapy to ward off the sticky gunk that is Alzheimer's brain-clogging hallmark. The Exelon patch is furthest in the pipeline, with maker Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. poised to seek U.S. sales approval by year's end. "It would be good to have an alternative" to oral medication, Dr. Bengt Winblad of Sweden's Karolinska Institute, who led the patch research, said in a telephone interview. "It's a useful approach, a new treatment strategy that would be very appreciated not only by the patients, but the caregivers." ... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2210894
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Editor - 07:38:00 07-19-06 |
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