Hundreds of civilians have been wounded in recent fighting in the Somali capital between Ethiopian-backed government forces and Islamic insurgents, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday. More than 430 people, the vast majority of them civilians, have been admitted to hospitals since January, when government and Ethiopian forces drove out a ruling Islamic group, said Pascal Hundt, the head of the ICRC Somali delegation. This month alone 200 wounded have been brought in, including at least 30 women and 24 children. "It is a war zone," Hundt told The Associated Press as more wounded were taken to hospitals after another night of violence in which at least 10 people were killed. He said dozens of people had been killed since the start of the year, but that recording exact numbers was difficult because often the dead were quickly buried rather than taken to hospitals where ICRC staff were working.... http://www.cnn.com censor News |
Editor - 10:05:00 02-24-07 |
Build-Or-Sell Dilemma Becomes More Common Among Precocious Internet Entrepreneurs |
Facebook.com's mastermind, Mark Zuckerberg is sitting on a potential gold mine that could make him the next Silicon Valley whiz kid to strike it rich. But the 22-year-old founder of the Internet's second largest social-networking site also could turn into the next poster boy for missed opportunities if he waits too long to cash in on Facebook Inc., which is expected to generate revenue of more than $100 million this year. The bright outlook is one reason Zuckerberg felt justified spurning several takeover bids last year, including a $1 billion offer from Yahoo Inc. "We clearly have a bias toward building than selling," Zuckerberg said in a recent interview. "We think there is a lot more to unlock here." The build-or-sell dilemma facing Zuckerberg is becoming more common among the precocious entrepreneurs immersed in the latest Internet craze, a communal concept of content-sharing that has been dubbed "Web 2.0."... http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=2901407
full News |
Editor - 10:01:00 02-24-07 |
Balls used to plug Java mud flow |
Indonesian engineers have lowered the first series of concrete balls into a mud volcano to try to plug an eruption which has destroyed thousands of homes. At least four of the giant, chain-linked spheres were dropped into the crater, but technical problems halted work at the East Java site. Workers plan to drop 1,500 balls, each weighing up to 250kgs (500lbs). Some scientists say the mud geyser was likely triggered by gas drilling, but the gas company blames an earthquake. The geyser began spouting the noxious muck nine months ago at a gas drilling site in East Java. It has since buried factories and thousands of homes, and displaced an estimated 13,000 people. Experts warn the torrent could continue for months, if not years, to come... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6392995.stm
full News |
Editor - 09:56:00 02-24-07 |
Snow closes Colorado and Kansas roads, threatens Upper Midwest |
A large, fast-moving snowstorm closed sections of major highways in the Plains on Saturday and threatened to dump more than a foot of snow on the Upper Midwest.Interstate 70, the major cross-country route, was closed in both directions Saturday from Denver to the Kansas line, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.The weather service reported wind gusts of 68 mph in the area.In western Kansas, the highway's westbound lanes were closed from Goodland to the Colorado line, said Steve Swartz, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Kansas authorities also closed sections of other highways in the region. Goodland is about 170 miles east of Denver.A stretch of about 125 miles of I-80 was closed in both directions in western Nebraska, from Ogallala to the Wyoming line. Wind gusting to 52 mph drove wet snow. "It's nasty," said Carol McKain of the Nebraska State Patrol.... http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2007-02-24-bigstorm_x.htm?csp=34
full News |
Editor - 09:52:00 02-24-07 |
Another promotional campaign angers Boston |
Less than a month after highways and bridges were shut down during a bomb scare touched off by an advertising stunt, a new marketing scheme has led angry city officials to shut down a historic site. A clue in a Dr Pepper promotion suggested a coin that might be worth as much as $1 million was buried in the 347-year-old Granary Burying Ground, the final resting place of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other historic figures. After contestants showed up at the cemetery gates early Tuesday, the city closed it, concerned that it would be damaged by treasure hunters. "It absolutely is disrespectful," Boston Parks Commissioner Toni Pollak told The Boston Globe. "It's an affront to the people who are buried there, our nation's ancestors." British candy and soft drink maker Cadbury Schweppes PLC, which makes Dr Pepper, canceled the Boston portion of the 23-city coin hunt promotion on Thursday, acknowledging it had hidden the coin in the downtown graveyard that ... http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-02-24-boston_x.htm?csp=34
full News |
Editor - 09:50:00 02-24-07 |
Gen: Iraqi Handover May Be Delayed U.S. Commander In Diyala "Not Optimistic" That Control Of Region Can Be Achieved By Year's End |
A U.S. general warned Saturday that an upsurge in violence outside the capital may delay plans to hand over at least one of the 18 provinces to the Iraqis by the end of the year. Plans call for all provinces to be transferred to Iraqi security control by Dec. 31. But increased attacks by Sunni insurgents could delay the transfer of Diyala province, which lies just northeast of Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon told The Associated Press. Mixon is the commander of U.S. forces in northern Iraq, which includes Diyala. "The potential is there" to hand over provinces "except in Diyala, where the future remains in question," Mixon said. "I'm not optimistic" about Diyala "given the current situation." A new security crackdown in Baghdad has encouraged mostly Sunni extremists to flee the capital for surrounding provinces, especially Diyala, Mixon said.... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/24/iraq/main2510016.shtml?source=RSSattr=World_2510016
full News |
Editor - 09:47:00 02-24-07 |
|
post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
|