Tuesday 7 October 2008
Saturday 13 September 2008
Sunday 10 August 2008
Russia takes control of South Ossetian capital
ERGNETI, Georgia (Reuters) - Russian troops took most of the capital of the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia on Sunday after a three-day battle but the United States condemned Moscow's "dangerous and disproportionate" action.
Russia poured troops and tanks across its southern border into Georgia and bombed Georgian targets after Tbilisi attempted on Thursday evening to retake South Ossetia, a small pro-Russian province which broke away from Georgia in the 1990s.
In a possible opening of a second front in the conflict, Georgia accused Russia of starting a military operation on Sunday in Abkhazia, another separatist region of Georgia to the west of South Ossetia. Moscow denied involvement.
The crisis has alarmed the United States, Georgia's main ally, and unnerved investors in Russia, who sold stocks and the rouble heavily on Friday on concerns the conflict could spiral.
The West is vying for influence with Russia over oil and gas supply routes in the region and Russia is rankled by Georgia's pro-Western policies and its drive for NATO membership.
Georgia and Russia have accused each other of causing widespread civilian casualties since the fighting began.
State-controlled Russian television repeatedly spoke of a "humanitarian catastrophe" in South Ossetia after the Georgian attack, with more than 2,000 dead and thousands homeless.
A Georgian government source said on Saturday that 129 Georgian civilians and military had been killed and 748 wounded, many because of Russian bombing inside Georgia. Russia denied hitting civilian targets.
Moving south from the Caucasus mountains, Russian forces took control on Sunday of most of Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, which has been devastated by intense fighting.
Russia's military commander on the ground, Gen. Anatoly Khrulyov, was wounded by shrapnel when his convoy came under Georgian fire, Russian agencies reported.
"As of today most of the city (Tskhinvali) is controlled by Russian peacekeeping forces," Colonel-General Anatoly Nogovitsyn of the Russian General Staff, told a briefing in Moscow.
Georgia confirmed it forces were quitting the city.
Viewed from the town of Gori inside Georgian-controlled territory, Tskhinvali appeared quiet. A Reuters correspondent reported hearing only one burst of what sounded like artillery fire, though there were reports of isolated sniper fire.
STRAIN RELATIONS
The White House deplored Russia's action, which included bombing at least three Georgian targets outside South Ossetia.
President George W. Bush's deputy national security adviser James Jeffrey told reporters in Beijing, where the president was attending the Olympics, that Moscow's actions could have a "significant long-term impact" on relations.
"We deplore the dangerous and disproportionate actions by Russian forces and we would be particularly troubled if these attacks are continuing now as the Georgians are pulling back," he said.
Pope Benedict called for an immediate halt to the fighting, expressing "profound anguish" that the violence had caused many innocent victims and forced many civilians to leave their homes.
Russian television showed what it said were pictures from Tskhinvali of burnt-out buildings, wounded civilians receiving medical treatment in basements and crying mothers complaining of a lack of food and water.
"The Georgian tanks fired at everything they saw, including women and children," one man said after his evacuation over the border to the Russian region of North Ossetia.
A woman evacuee clutching her two children said she feared the worst for her husband.
"It's so difficult to be here and know my husband is still in South Ossetia," she said.
ABKHAZIA
In Geneva, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the plight of thousands of civilians caught up in fighting in and around South Ossetia, a region of 70,000 people.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin cut short his visit to the Olympics and flew on Saturday to a field hospital in North Ossetia, visiting wounded troops and evacuees, and denouncing what he termed Georgia's "crimes against its own people".
Potentially widening the conflict, the Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh said on Sunday he had ordered 1,000 troops to push Georgian forces out of the Kodori Gorge, a strategic pocket of territory in Abkhazia, and called up reservists.
Georgia denounced what it termed "new aggression" by Moscow in Abkhazia, a strip of land along the Black Sea coast which also broke away from Georgian control.
"They have started the operation to storm Kodori Gorge," Georgian Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said.
Russian general Nogovitsyn denied Moscow was taking part in any operation in Abkhazia beyond its agreed peacekeeping role.
"We are not going to undertake any actions which are going to lead to escalation of the situation in this region," he said.
Russia's navy also entered the conflict, deploying a flotilla off Georgia's Black Sea coast. There was no official comment on their mission but the Interfax news agency said they would stop weapons and military gear reaching Georgia by sea.
Friday 1 August 2008
Solar eclipse dazzles Russia, China
The full solar eclipse swept across the Arctic and Siberia before ending in western China, where it kicked off the month in which Beijing hosts the Olympic Games.
Andrew Potter reports.
Friday 25 July 2008
7 small blasts in Bangalore, 1 dead
Jul. 25 - Seven low intensity blasts rocked the Southern city of Bengaluru (Bangalore) on Friday afternoon killing one woman and injuring seven others.
An ANI report.
Thursday 24 July 2008
Bull-ring collapses during fight
Jul 23 - Dozens of people were injured on Monday (July 21) in a Colombian town when bleachers collapsed at a bull fight.
Bull fighting at the Planadas Bull Fair in Colombia was interrupted when a section of the stands collapsed causing nearly 100 people to crash down.
No one died, but two were severely injured.
The incident was captured by televisions cameras at the event.
The majority of the people in the stands were children, who were watching the "Superman Bullfighter" presentation at the time of the collapse.
Santas' ho-ho-hot summer bash
Jul 23 - Santas get together for a mid-summer convention before the hard work starts next Christmas.
The main aim is having fun but waistline, climate change and standardisation of chimney sizes are high on the agenda at this year's event in Denmark attended by more than 150 Santas from 12 countries.
Paul Chapman reports.
Chimp in daring zoo break-out
Jul 23 - Dodging tranquillizer darts and yelping at his captors, a brazen chimp staged his own version of The Great Escape.
At Ishikawa Zoo, western Japan a 42-year-old chimpanzee named Ichiro led the audacious break-out from his pen and refused to come down from the roof.
At one point the chimp even grabbed the zoo worker's tranquillizer gun, but luckily it fell to the floor. Eventually the chimp was lured with a banana and then sedated.
It is thought the chimp was trying to find shelter from the sweltering heat that Japan has been having. Temperatures are expected to reach 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday (July 23).
Sunday 20 July 2008
Friday 18 July 2008
Video games are about connectivity
Jul 16 - The E3 Media & Business Summit kicked off in full force Tuesday (July 15) with big name producers promising bigger and better features and games. Online interaction seems to be the theme of new consoles and games.
Lindsay Claiborn reports.
Speaker:Matt Barlow, Microsoft's General Manager of Marketing for XBox
JibJab strikes again
Jul. 16 - JibJab's latest musical satire "Time for some Campaignin'" pokes fun at the U.S. presidential selection process by adapting Bob Dylan's 1964 song, "The Times They are a-changin".
The video satirically spotlights the quadrennial American process of selecting a president with animated images of John McCain and Barack Obama. The video portrays Obama as a liberal unicorn-riding candidate in a fantasy world and McCain as a war-obsessed cranky old man.
The video was produced by brothers Evan and Gregg Spiridellis, who began JibJab in 1999 and gained famed in 2004 with a video of George Bush and John Kerry singing "This Land is your Land."
Thursday 17 July 2008
Not dirty dancing - poodle prancing
In Japan, where dog hotels, canine cafes, and even dog-friendly cars are the norm, dancing lessons for pets seems like a natural progression in the lucrative pet industry.
At Tokyo's "Wan-Nyan World Tama", which means "Bow-Meow World" in Japanese, classrooms are filled with aspiring poodle prancers.
Lyndee Prickitt reports.
Tree houses to attract tourists
Obama anger over satirical cartoon
Jul 15 - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has failed to see the funny side of a magazine cartoon poking fun at smears directed at him.
The cover of this week's New Yorker magazine portrays the Illinois senator in a fez and robe bumping fists with wife Michelle, who sports an Afro, a rifle and military garb.
The Obama campaign, which has taken aggressive measures to knock down these perceptions, is not amused and says most readers would consider it tasteless and offensive.
The Editor of The New Yorker disagrees.
Sonia Legg reports.
Tuesday 15 July 2008
Saturday 12 July 2008
Getting the dirt on swamp soccer
Jun. 25 - Strachur in Scotland plays host to the new sport of swamp soccer.
The set up for swamp soccer is very simple. Take a five-a-side size pitch, remove all the grass and add gallons of water.
Unsurprisingly no training is required; all that is needed is a sense of fun and a fearless spirit when it comes to mud, mess and mayhem.
Want to get hitched? Study up first!
Jul 10 - A father of the bride in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh used an unusual method of arranging a groom for his daughter: he gave potential suitors a test on the five-element theory of the creation of the human body.
Matthias Williams reports.
SOUNDBITES:
And Finally... *Burp*
Jul. 10 - Methane measuring, "free hug day", drive-in weddings, and a five-year-old piano prodigy.
Monday 7 July 2008
India, Russia eye Brahmos export
Jul. 7 - The Indian and Russian governments are keen to export the Brahmos cruise missile which is a joint venture between the two countries according to project director A. Sivathanu Pillai.
An ANI report.
Suicide blast at Indian embassy
Jul 7. - A suicide car bomber hit the Indian Embassy in Kabul killing more than 40 people. The bomber struck on a busy market in the Afghan capital. Dozens of people queuing for visas at the Indian embassy were among the casualties.
The gates of the embassy were blown off and the walls and buildings inside were damaged by the force of the blast, said an Indian diplomat who declined to be named.
SOUNDBITES:
Sunday 6 July 2008
Wife carrying contest
People from all over the world travelled to the country of the midnight sun to compete in the bizarre races in which husbands have to carry their spouses around an obstacle course.
Penny Tweedie reports.
Thursday 3 July 2008
Robo barman pulls first pint
The robot, currently on tour for Asahi beer, promises to deliver service with a smile and no back chat. Japanese beer makers Asahi are expecting to sell their newest recruit for over 100,000 pounds or just over 198,000 US dollars.
Soundbites:
Hayley Platt Reuters.
Interview with Bruce Fein Attorney for Tamils for Justice
Interview with Bruce Fein Attorney for Tamils for Justice 2
Interview with Bruce Fein Attorney for Tamils for Justice 3
Interview with Bruce Fein Attorney for Tamils for Justice 4
Interview with Bruce Fein Attorney for Tamils for Justice 5
Pressure builds on China's athletes
Yao is recovering from a foot injury and Liu pulled out of one race due to injury and was disqualified from another because of a false start. Many are left wondering whether the pressure on the two Chinese sports stars is too great.
Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports.
SOUNDBITES:
"As far as I'm concerned, the Olympics is the most magnificent opportunity in my life. But great competition always brings pressure. I have to face two challenges: pressure and possible glory. You can't have one without the other."
Wednesday 2 July 2008
Pulling a truck with her hair
Driven by a passion for breaking records, Rani Manchi attempted this feat having already accomplished pulling various other vehicles.
Crash diet for Japan's fat monkeys
About 50 Rhesus monkeys, who live in an enclosure at Ohama park in Osaka, have been steadily gaining weight for several years. Some became so fat they couldn't move around.
The primates are now on a crash diet, with their calorie intake being cut nearly sixty-percent.
Sonia Legg reports.
Beirut eatery opens with a bang
"Buns and Guns", a new fast food restaurant, operates with the motto "a sandwich can kill you" and serves customers a variety of sandwiches named after weapons and explosive materials.
Hayley Platt reports.
Soundbites:
Thursday 12 June 2008
Muscling in to the record books
Kirill Shimko and Pavel Soroka were attached to the 30 tonne tank with harnesses and ropes, pulling themselves along ladders on the ground. The two strong men covered a distance of 5.10 metres.
The T34 Soviet tank was assembled from parts salvaged from vehicles destroyed during World War II in Belarus.
Representatives from the Interstrong international records club witnessed the event. They awarded Shimko and Soroka medals and certificates and are approaching the Guinness Book of Records for recognition of the feat.
Perfect martini, reinvented
10 of the world's best 'liquid chefs' gather in London to find new mixes for the classic perfect martini.
Cocktails are more popular than ever, and the growing trend for high-end products and designer drinks has seen the rise of the 'liquid chefs'.
10 of the best showed off their skills by creating the 'perfect martini' at London's Browns hotel.
Tessa Unsworth reports.
Wednesday 11 June 2008
Dog team ready for Olympic security
Jumping through hoops and sniffing out unusual smells are just some of the tasks these dogs will perform to help security guards at the Beijing Olympics.
Kitty Bu reports.
Sofa racing in Lisbon
The Sofa Races were staged by telecommunications giant, Vodafone, which provided the specially adapted couches, equipped with wheels and brakes. All the competitors, both winners and losers, won tickets to Rock in Rio, together with the members of the cheerleader team voted the best at supporting their team. But only the winners of each of the five races were entitled to the coveted Vodafone Best Seat, a VIP area offering an uninterrupted view of the World stage.
Helen Long reports.`
Quickcut: Tiger and Dalmatian
Bombay - the White Tiger - was born in captivity in America but was rejected by her mother and sent to Germany, ending up in Circus Williams where she was introduced to Jack, a four year-old Dalmatian.
The two have developed a relationship and circus animal trainer Manuel Willie says there is no danger for the dog.
Cow urine: a diabetes cure?
Scientists at Bangalore Veterinary college say a new study shows that cow's urine may lower blood sugar levels.
Tessa Unsworth reports.
Tsunami warning system launched
Jun. 11 - Indonesia starts the next phase of its programme to set up a tsunami early warning detection system.
Indonesia plans to complete the installation of more than 22 special buoys with sea-floor pressure sensors by next year but so far international funding has been slow coming.
Paul Chapman reports.
Dozens die in burning plane
The aircraft was carrying 217 passengers and crew from Jordan to the Sudanese capital when witnesses said it veered off the runway.
Sarah Irwin reports.
Tuesday 3 June 2008
Monday 2 June 2008
Blast at Danish embassy in Islamabad
Saturday 31 May 2008
Lost Amazon tribe shuns contact
Brazilian officials say the photographing of a rare 'lost' tribe of Amazon Indians deep in the rainforest will help safeguard their future.
They've released photos of alarmed tribe members pointing bows and arrows at an aircraft carrying photographers. Of more than 100 tribes who've had no contact with the rest of the world, experts say more than half live in either Brazil or Peru. Conservation groups such as Survival International say all are in grave danger of being forced off their land, killed and ravaged by new diseases.
Susan Flory reports.
SOUNDBITE: Lindomar Padilha, Anthropologist, saying (Portuguese):"The most important thing is this is a new discovery. We're talking about a people that have a long residence - they were photographed in their villages - that's very interesting."
Thursday 29 May 2008
Honda unveils mini-vans for dogs
May 29 - Honda Motors taps into the dog-lovers' market with latest dog-friendly mini-van. The new 'Freed' mini-van, launched in Japan promises to be the answer to dog owners who simply won't leave their pets behind.
Dan Sloan reports.
Gujjars besiege Delhi over job quota
May 29 - Members of the Gujjar community blocked highways and burned car tires leading to the national capital, New Delhi on Thursday increasing the scale of their battle for job and university quotas.
An ANI report.
Tuesday 27 May 2008
Saturday 24 May 2008
The Google of Europe?
Founded in 2007 by two former journalists, Zemanta was one of the winners of a competition staged by Seedcamp, a UK based technology incubator that set out find the 'Google of Europe' in its inaugural competition in 2007. Zemanta has since received $1.5 million in funding from the UK investment funds Eden Ventures and the Accelerator Group. Reuters European Technology Correspondent Matt Cowan travelled to Ljubljana to meet the founders and find out how they are targeting the Silicon Valley with a technology that brings Google logic to content creation.
Matt Cowan reports.
Interactive toilet makes a splash
The booth was developed by two Belgian beer fans who used their skills in software development and engineering to conjure up 'Place to Pee'.
Helen Long reports.
SOUNDBITES:
Sunday 18 May 2008
Mango eating competition
Around 30 people took part, having to eat as many mangoes as possible in 3 minutes. And if they could stomach any more, the winners were rewarded with a fresh box of the fruit.
The competition was a part of the six-day Konkan FestivalTaking the bed for a spin
Taking part in Fredersdorf, southeast of Berlin, this is the 20th "Bettenrennen" (bed race).
Dressed as storks, playboy bunnies and chickens, participants raced past some 5,000 spectators in colourfully made beds, some of which reminded onlookers of everything but a bed.
The only criteria necessary to race were that beds had to be "fast, crazy and original."
Saturday 17 May 2008
Friday 16 May 2008
Sucide bomb in Sri Lanka capital
May 16 - A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber crashed his motorbike into a police bus in the Sri Lankan capital, killing 10 people.
Scores were wounded in the blast, which occurred in the capital Colombo, in an area close to the country's presidential and military headquarters.
Helen Long reports.
Bin Laden's battle cry for Palestine
May 16 - In a new and as yet unauthenticated audio tape, Osama Bin Laden vows to continue fighting for the Palestinian cause.
The tape's release coincides with Israel's 60th anniversary this month as a nation.
Bin Laden said the Jewish state was at the heart of the Muslim battle with the West and an inspiration to the 19 bombers who carried out the attacks on U.S. cities on Sept. 11, 2001.
Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports.
New video shows power of earthquake
This footage was shot on 12 May 2008 in An county - just 100km from the epicentre of the 7.9 magnitude quake in Wenchuan county.
The death toll stood at 21,500 on Friday (16 May 2008) but with thousands of people still trapped under rubble, that toll is expected to rise. Five million people are believed to be living in temporary shelters.
Girl rescued from China quake
Around 20,000 people are confirmed dead after Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake and 25,000 were buried in areas rescuers have struggled to reach, battling landslides, buckled roads and collapsed bridges.
The Communist Party told officials to "ensure social stability" as the quake spawned rumours of chemical spills, fears of dam bursts and scenes of collective desperation.
Sonia Legg reports.
Many dead in Nigeria pipeline fire
May 16 - At least 100 people were killed and scores injured when a ruptured fuel pipeline exploded in a suburb of the commercial capital Lagos.
The accident happened after a bulldozer engaged in a roadbuilding project burst the concealed pipeline.
A huge fireball swept through homes and schools in Ijegun village, which lies about 50 kms (30 miles) from the the centre of Nigeria's biggest city Lagos.
Helen Long reports.
Thursday 15 May 2008
Solar bra gives eco-friendly charge
May 14 - Triumph's latest solar bra aims to put a photovoltaic charge into undergarment demand - or at least a cellphone.
Featuring a built-in solar panel, the bra captures and redistributes the sun's bounty and can generate enough energy to power a cell phone or an iPod.
Dan Sloan reports.
Reuters Quickcut: Flying man
May 14 - Known as 'Fusion Man', a former pilot has stunned crowds by flying a jet-propelled wing for nearly ten minutes at a peak speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
Yves Rossy, a Swiss former military pilot and Airbus commander for Swiss airlines completed an official demonstration on Wednesday (May 14, 2008) in the Swiss Chablais region, where he was released from a plane at 2438 metres (8000 feet) with his wing folded.
He deployed his craft after a short free-fall and began his flight. After a flight of almost ten minutes, he deployed his parachute, folded the wing and landed at the Bex airdrome.
Reuters QuickCut is a video snapshot of the most compelling images from around the world.Yves Rossy, a Swiss former military pilot and Airbus commander for Swiss airlines completed an official demonstration on Wednesday (May 14, 2008) in the Swiss Chablais region, where he was released from a plane at 2438 metres (8000 feet) with his wing folded. He deployed his craft after a short free-fall and began his flight. After a flight of almost ten minutes, he deployed his parachute, folded the wing and landed at the Bex airdrome
Reuters QuickCut is a video snapshot of the most compelling images from around the world.
Map websites a threat to security?
May 13 - Indian government ministries and security agencies will meet to tackle concerns over websites such as Google Earth showing satellite maps of military installations that could be targeted by militants.
A Times Now report.
Tracking terror attacks in India
May 14 - Terror has struck India seven times in the last two years. The target in each case being crowded public areas including courts, religious places and trains.
Lucknow, Varanasi, Faizabad, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Malegaon, Mumbai and now Jaipur have borne the brunt of these attacks sending a chill up India’s spine each time.
A Times Now report.
Wednesday 14 May 2008
Tuesday 13 May 2008
Monday 12 May 2008
On video: China quake scene
May 12 - Amateur video shows a student attempting to shelter from a powerful earthquake as it strikes southwest China.
The quake hit Sichuan province with its epicentre about 100 km (60 miles) from the provincial capital, Chengdu.
Within a few hours after the tremor hit on Monday (12 May 2008) the Chinese authorities had raised the estimated death toll to up to 5,000.
Powerful quake strikes China
May. 12 - One of the worst earthquakes since 1976 strikes western China, with reports of hundreds buried under collapsed buildings.
Initial reports, after the quake struck on Monday (12 May 2008) put the death toll at just above one hundred, but with many hundreds of school students buried under collapsed buildings. The quake, of magnitude 7.8, hit Sichuan province but its effects were felt in the capital, Beijing and as far away as Thailand. State television said Premier Wen Jiabao was flying to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan.
Kitty Bu reports.
Sunday 11 May 2008
Saturday 10 May 2008
Friday 9 May 2008
Tanks roll back into Red Square
The event has involved 8,000 troops, tanks, missiles launchers and aircraft.
It was the first major public appearance for Russia's new president Dmitry Medvedev standing alongside Vladimir Putin, newly installed as prime minister. The display marks the 63rd anniversary of Russia's World War Two victory.
Volcano forces emergency evacuation
The surprise eruption of the long dormant 3,280-foot (1,000-meter) Chaiten volcano has forced the evacuation within a 30-mile (50-km) radius of the volcano, including more than 4,500 residents of Chaiten six miles from it.
Pavithra George reports.
SOUNDBITE: Chaiten refugee, Marco Fernandez, saying, (Spanish):"What us men at least are going to need is work. And I think that if we can't go back to our homes in Chaiten, why don't they just tell us? Because if Chaiten disappears how are we going to live? This is the only stuff we managed to bring out."
An insurance scheme for camels
Camels are being replaced by mechanized modes of transport in the dessert region and many are even being sent to the Gulf for slaughter for their meat.
An ANI report.
Thursday 8 May 2008
Wanted: Astronauts
People aged between 27-35, with a pilot's medical certificate and advanced science degree or test pilot background are welcome to apply.
Stefanie McIntyre reports.
Chile volcano's spreading ash cloud
Some experts say it could rumble on for years. Residents have been evacuated from the surrounding area after the long dormant volcano began erupting several days ago for the first time in thousands of years. Located in the country's southern Patagonia region, Chaiten has showered towns as far away as neighbouring Argentina in ash.
Michelle Carlile-Alkhouri reports.
Cyclone death toll may top 100,000
A U.S. diplomat said he'd received the information, which sharply revised upwards the official death toll from 22,000.
International pressure is growing on Myanmar's military rulers to allow a full-scale relief operation to be mounted. The U.N. is warning that one million people are homeless and in urgent need of help.
Helen Long reports.
SOUNDBITES: Scott Marciel, U.S. Ambassador for Asean Affairs
Wednesday 7 May 2008
Bush mocked over speech on India
May 7 - The joke's on George W Bush as a satirical play in Amritsar lampoons the US President's recent comments about India's role in rising global food prices.
An ANI Report.
India to test Agni III nuke missile
May 7 - India is to test the Agni III, a home-grown, long-range nuclear missile capable of hitting targets more than 3000km away, including deep into China.
A Times Now report.
Saddam Hussein's prison diaries
A Times Now report.
Tuesday 6 May 2008
Working poor stand in food lines
The global food crisis is even gripping the world's richest nation.
Fred Katayama reports.
SOUNDBITES:
Obama, Clinton face two big tests
May 5 - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton face crucial tests in their grueling White House fight on Tuesday, when voters in Indiana and North Carolina cast ballots in the latest Democratic showdowns.
Jon Decker reportsReuters QuickCut: Sensational skater
May 5 - A five year old boy shows off his daredevil skills by skating under moving cars.
Skating into the record books P. Obeadh skated 100 times under five moving cars.
Skating back and forth and getting as low as he possibly could to the ground, the five year old amazed the crowds who had gathered to watch him break a record in limbo-skating.
Myanmar death toll climbs
May 5 - The country's ruling military junta says thousands have lost their lives to Tropical Cyclone Nargis.
Initial estimates put the death toll at around 350 but Myanmar's military rulers now fear the true figure is at least 13,000.
Paul Chapman reports.
Monday 5 May 2008
Raj Thackeray under police scanner
May 5 - Mumbai Police are considering whether to take legal action against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, if they find any provocative content in a recent speech about north Indians.
A Times Now report.
(2nd lead)Cyclone devastates Myanmar
Myanmar deaths 'run into thousands'
The death toll only covered two of the five disaster zones where U.N. officials said hundreds of thousands of people were without shelter and drinking water in the impoverished Southeast Asian country.
"The confirmed number is 3,934 dead, 41 injured and 2,879 missing within the Yangon and Irrawaddy divisions," Myanmar TV reported three days after Cyclone Nargis, a storm with winds of 190 kph (120 mph), hit the Irrawaddy delta.
Earlier, official reports put the death toll at 351, but the number of casualties had been expected to rise as authorities made contact with hard-hit islands and villages in the delta, the rice bowl for the nation of 53 million.
The military, which has ruled for 46 years and is shunned by the West, has not yet issued an appeal for international aid.
Its leaders, in the isolated new capital of Naypyidaw, 400 km (240 miles) north of Yangon, said they would go ahead with a May 10 referendum on a new army-drafted constitution that critics say will entrench the military.
The last major storm to ravage Asia was Cyclone Sidr which killed 3,300 people in Bangladesh last November.
In the former capital Yangon, food and fuel prices have soared as aid agencies scrambled to deliver emergency supplies and assess the damage in the five declared disaster zones, home to 24 million people.
"How many people are affected? We know that it's in the six figures," Richard Horsey, of the U.N. disaster response office, told Reuters after an emergency aid meeting in Bangkok on Monday before the state TV announcement.
"We know that it's several hundred thousand needing shelter and clean drinking water, but how many hundred thousand we just don't know."
CRITICAL
The U.N. office in Yangon said there was an urgent need for plastic sheeting, water purification tablets, cooking equipment, mosquito nets, health kits and food.
It said the situation outside Yangon was "critical, with shelter and safe water being the principal immediate needs".
Thailand responded to the disaster, sending a C-130 transport plane loaded with 9 tonnes of food and medicine to Yangon after the airport reopened on Monday.
In Yangon, many roofs were ripped off even sturdy buildings, suggesting damage would be severe in the shanty towns that lie on the outskirts of the city of 5 million people.
Clean water was scarce. Most shops had sold out of candles and batteries and there was no word when power would be restored.
Long queues formed at the few open petrol stations. The price of a gallon of petrol has doubled on the black market, while egg prices have tripled since Saturday.
Sunday 4 May 2008
Saturday 3 May 2008
Friday 2 May 2008
Electric sports car debuts in U.S.
May 2 - Tesla Motors is opening its first car store at the launch of the new Tesla Roadster, the newest fully electric vehicle available in America.
The Tesla -- a two seater-- can travel 0 to 60 miles per hour in just over 3 seconds and over 200 miles on one charge-- and has no emissions.
Jon Decker reports from Washington.
Soundbite: Elon Musk, Tesla Founder
Desperate for food
Michaela Cabrera reports.
Bricks and pebbles for lunch anyone?
An ANI report.
Male belly dancer bends gender role
The tradition of male belly dancing stretches back to Ottoman times when the primary dancers were boys known as "köçeks."
But since the advent of the modern art form women have dominated the world of belly dancing.
But the revival in male belly dancing is not without its controversies.
For many in the Arab world, seeing a man perform the seductive belly dance steps that are considered the very definition of femininity, is unusual.
Al Qaeda tops terror list
The State Department's annual report on terrorism found that al Qaeda remains the biggest terrorist threat to the United States.
Deborah Lutterbeck reports. SOUNDBITE: State Department Counter Terrorism Coordinator Dell Dailey.
Wednesday 30 April 2008
''The three trillion dollar war''
Apr. 30 - The Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz accuses the White House of dramatically playing down the cost of the Iraq war.
Besides the heavy human price paid by ordinary Iraqis since the invasion of 2003, the former World Bank chief economist argues in his latest book that the economic cost to the U.S. has hit three trillion dollars.
Darcy Lambton reports.
SOUNDBITE: Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Former World Bank Chief economist
Indian baby dropping ritual
Apr 30 - Muslims in western India have been observing a bizarre ritual - they've been throwing their young children off a tall building to improve their health.
The faithful have been observing the ritual at a shrine in Solapur, in western India's Maharastra, for more than five hundred years.
They believe it will make their children strong and say no accidents have ever happened.
Sonia Legg reports.
"Bilawal Bhutto should copy Rahul"
19-year-old Bhutto became chairman after his mother Benazir was assassinated last year, which Khan denounced as undemocratic.
A Times Now reportIndian UN troops accused in Congo
April 30 - The investigation continues into the alleged abuses committed by Indian troops working for the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The peacekeeping forces are accused of supplying arms to militias and smuggling gold and ivory, after an investigation by a BBC reporter.
A Times Now report.
Indian taxi drivers protest
April 30 - Melbourne's CBD is brought to a standstill by hundreds of angry cab drivers demanding more security after an Indian driver was stabbed.
An ANI report.
Iran tries to seal India gas deal
April 30 - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad meets with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a controversial visit to India aimed at pushing a $7.6 billion pipeline deal.
An ANI report.
Austrian dungeon dad in court
Apr. 29 - A 73 year old Austrian man appears before a judge in St Poelten after confessing to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years.
Austrian police sought answers on Tuesday (April 29) on how a father managed to imprison his daughter in a windowless cellar for 24 years and have seven children by her without authorities and neighbours knowing. 73 year old Josef Fritzl was brought before a judge at the regional court in St Poelten in order to have his custody extended. Staff at the jail where he was being held described him as calm and seemingly with little remorse. DNA tests have shown he was the father of Elizabeth's six surviving children.
Penny Tweedie reports.
Mars, Buffett buying Wrigley
Apr. 28 - Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is providing some financial backing for candy maker Mars' $23 billion purchase of global chewing gum giant Wm Wrigley Jr.
The proposed deal creates the world's biggest sweets company and encourage current leader Cadbury to try and win over Hershey.
Conway Gittens reports from New York.
Featured Speaker: Bill Perez, chief executive officer, Wm Wrigley Jr Co
Obama denounces former pastor
Apr. 29 - Barack Obama denounced the Reverend Jeremiah Wright-- his pastor of the past twenty years-- in his strongest language to date.
Obama told reporters that Wright's comments this week do not accurately reflect the person he met 20 years ago and were disrespectful to the senator personally.
Jon Decker reports.
