A powerful earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Thursday but there was no reports of any casualties and damage while meteorologists played down the risk of tsunami.The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered 6.0 on the Richter scale. Indonesian meteorologists put the magnitude at 6.1, centered closed to Nias island off the coast of Sumatra.There were some reports of panic on Nias, where hundreds of people were killed by another strong quake in March 2005.Senior Indonesian seismologist Fauzi told Jakarta-based Radio Elshinta the earthquake appeared too small to trigger a tsunami, Reuters said.... http://www.cnn.com censor News |
Editor - 09:02:00 07-27-06 |
Russia censured over Chechen man |
The European Court of Human Rights has held Russia responsible for the disappearance and presumed death of a Chechen man, in a landmark ruling. Khadzhi-Murat Yandiyev, 25, disappeared after being detained by Russian troops in Chechnya in 1999. The case was brought by his mother, Fatima Bazorkina, after she saw TV footage in 2000 in which a Russian officer ordered her son to be shot. Mrs Bazorkina sued Russia for failing to adequately investigate the case. Russia had argued that there was no formal order to execute Mr Yandiyev and no hard evidence that he was dead. But the judges said it had to be presumed that he was dead and they held Russia liable for his death. This is the first such case the court is hearing from the Chechen conflict. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5219254.stm
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Editor - 08:59:00 07-27-06 |
Chinese police say activist broke own neck. Anyone believe this? |
Chinese police investigating the alleged beating of a land rights activist have concluded that he broke his own neck, prompting accusations of a whitewash from the paralysed man's family and human rights organisations. Fu Xiancai a vocal opponent of the 3 Gorges Dam says he was attacked by an unknown assailant on June 8 while he was on his way home from the Zigui public security bureau, where police officers warned him to stop complaining to lawyers and foreign journalists. Chinese investigators say activist Fu Xiancai, who was paralysed after a severe beating, inflicted the blows himself, according to a rights body. Mr Fu, who campaigned for people displaced by the Three Gorges Dam, was beaten up returning home after he was summoned by police in Hubei province. The June beating was so severe he is not expected to walk again, according to Human Rights in China (HRIC). ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5219890.stm
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Editor - 08:56:00 07-27-06 |
Afghan helicopter crash kills 16 |
All 16 people on board a helicopter which crashed in south-eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday were killed, the US-led coalition says. Spokesman Col Tom Collins said 12 bodies had been recovered and troops were searching for four others. "There are no survivors," he said. The dead include two US civilians and two Dutch military personnel. It is not known what caused the helicopter to crash in mountains about 35km (22 miles) from the city of Khost. Col Collins said two of the dead on the Russian-made Mi-8 helicopter were Dutch soldiers serving in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). "There is no indication yet as to what caused the crash of the aircraft," he told reporters. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5217800.stm
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Editor - 08:47:00 07-27-06 |
Israel calls up 30,000 troops; fighting continues |
Israel's government decided Thursday against expanding its offensive against Hezbollah but called up at least 30,000 troops to begin training for duty in Lebanon. Hezbollah's leader reportedly was to meet with Syrian and Iranian officials in Damascus. The decision came as Israel's Justice minister said that world leaders, in failing to call for an immediate cease-fire during a Rome summit that ended Wednesday, have given Israel a green light to push harder to wipe out the Lebanese guerrillas. The high-level conference of key Mideast players in Rome ended in disagreement: Most European leaders urged an immediate cease-fire but the United States was willing to give Israel more time to punish Hezbollah and ensure an international force can move into south Lebanon to keep the peace. "We received yesterday at the Rome conference permission from the world .... to continue the operation, this war, until Hezbollah won't be located in Lebanon and until it is disarmed," ... http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-07-27-lebanon-fighting_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 08:44:00 07-27-06 |
Overhaul cleared for review panel |
Nearly six months after public outrage thwarted a Dubai-owned company's bid to purchase some U.S. port operations, the House and Senate yesterday quietly approved bills to overhaul the panel that approved the deal. The House approved a bill on a 424-0 vote that members from both parties said balanced U.S. security with foreign investment. "We improve our security in the right way," said Majority Whip Roy Blunt, Missouri Republican and lead sponsor of the bill. The Senate approved its version by unanimous consent yesterday afternoon. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican, said the measure "strengthens the [panel] review process in a number of ways." Notable differences between the bills remain. Both versions include changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The interagency panel, headed by the Treasury Department, is charged with reviewing security implications of foreign acquisitions or mergers affecting U.S. assets.... http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20060727-120628-1192r.htm
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Editor - 08:41:00 07-27-06 |
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