El Hierro still on yellow alert, but no fears of an imminent eruption

 

UME Emergency Military Unit was deployed to El Hierro on Wednesday as the island remained on yellow alert amid fears of a volcanic eruption. The Defence Minister, Carme Chacón, was also due to travel there on Wednesday afternoon to supervise their work, and spoke of the UME’s deployment as a preventive measure to assist emergency services in any evacuation over the increased seismic activity on the island. EFE indicates that there is a 15 percent probability of an imminent eruption, but the island’s government has ruled out any need to evacuate the island. The President of El Hierro’s Cabildo, Alpido Armas, said, ‘That’s not going to happen. We will not need to evacuate 4,000 people. If there is an eruption, it will not be a violent one and the worst that can happen is that a 200 metre mountain emerges’. Fifty three people were evacuated from Frontera due to the seismic activity and it’s understood that they will not be allowed home for the moment. Local schools there were also closed as a precaution because of the risk of landslides. The last volcanic eruption on El Hierro was in 1793, when the Lomo Negro volcano erupted. The last on the Canary Islands was just 40 years ago on La Palma.

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Former deputy editor received £25,000 from News of the World publisher after starting work as consultant with police force

Former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis leaving Hammersmith police station in July. Photograph: Murray Sanders/Mail On Sunday

The relationship between the police and the News of the World has come under fire again amid revelations that Neil Wallis, the former deputy editor of the News of the World, was paid by the paper's publisher for "crime exclusives" while working for the Metropolitan police.

Wallis was secretly paid more than £25,000 by News International after he left the paper and got a contract to work two days a month as a PR consultant with the Met. One story earned him a single payment of £10,000.

The Daily Telegraph claims that internal records obtained by Scotland Yard show that he was paid for providing News International with details of a suspected assassination attempt on the Pope during his visit to the UK last year.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the contract it had with Wallis's PR firm, Chamy Media, "had a confidentiality clause, a data protection act clause and a conflict of interest clause within it".

He added that Wallis did not have access to the Met's IT systems.

The revelations that Wallis received money from News International while working for Scotland Yard will raise questions about conflicts of interest.

Last month, it emerged that Andy Coulson, the former editor of the News of the World, continued to receive payments from News International as part of a severance deal after he was employed by the Tory party as its director of communications.

Wallis's solicitor has made a complaint alleging that the police had leaked the information regarding the payments.

 

 

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Suit Planned Against News Corp. in U.S. Over Phone Hacking

 

lawyer representing some of Britain’s phone hacking victims said on Friday that he was planning legal action in the United States against the News Corporation, the parent company of Rupert Murdoch’s global media empire. Enlarge This Image Luke Macgregor/Reuters Mark Lewis said he had held discussions about the steps needed to proceed against the News Corporation in New York. Multimedia Interactive Graphic Key Figures in the Phone Hacking Case Graphic Statements by Top Figures in the Hacking Scandal Interactive Feature Anatomy of the News International Scandal Related Millions May Go to Girl’s Family in Hacking Case (September 20, 2011) Times Topic: British Phone Hacking Scandal (News of the World) In a series of interviews in London, the lawyer, Mark Lewis, said he had held discussions with American lawyers about the steps necessary to open proceedings against the News Corporation in New York, and that he expected the process to begin soon. He said he had hired Norman Siegel, a New York lawyer who has represented many of the families of those killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, to handle the case. In an interview with Sky News, a British television network that is part of the Murdoch empire, Mr. Lewis said that the legal action in the United States would focus on the “News Corporation’s liability for actions by its foreign subsidiaries,” including the tabloid The News of the World, which has been at the center of the phone hacking scandal and was closed in July. He said the lawsuits would focus on the revelations of widespread phone hacking in Britain and on accusations that the police were bribed to assist in the tabloid’s pursuit of scoops. Mr. Lewis did not respond to voice mail messages requesting an interview on the issue. In another development, Andy Coulson, a former editor of The News of the World, has sued News International, the News Corporation’s British subsidiary, because it stopped paying for his legal fees in the hacking case, the BBC reported. Mr. Coulson, who was arrested in July in connection with the investigations into phone hacking and payments to police officials under his editorship, resigned in January as the communications director for Prime Minister David Cameron. Mr. Lewis, based on his remarks in the interviews with Sky News, the BBC and the newspaper The Guardian, appeared to be relying, as a basis for the American legal action, on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1977 statute that holds American companies and their executives liable for corrupt activities abroad, including bribery of foreign officials. In the Sky News interview, he said part of the reason for pursuing the News Corporation in American courts was the prospect of higher damage settlements than are customary in the British courts. The prospect of defending itself against civil suits in American courts would add a daunting new dimension to the challenges facing the News Corporation as a result of the phone hacking revelations in Britain. But some legal experts in Britain said that Mr. Lewis’s announcement was a publicity stunt, and that the move could complicate legal proceedings in Britain. Mark Thomson, a British lawyer who also represents phone hacking victims, issued a brusque statement disassociating himself from Mr. Lewis’s action. Mr. Thomson said the class-action lawsuit he has filed on behalf of his clients will go to trial in Britain in January, adding, “My clients are not taking part in the reported action in New York.” This week, News International offered a settlement of about $3.2 million, and a further payment of about $1.6 million to go to charity, to the family of Milly Dowler, a teenage murder victim whose voice mail messages were intercepted by The News of the World. The scandal has led to strong pressures on James Murdoch, a son of Rupert Murdoch who leads the company’s European and Asian operations. Both denied any prior knowledge of the practices at The News of the World.

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Phone hacking: Ex-editor Coulson sues newspaper group

 

Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson is suing his ex-employer after it stopped paying his legal fees in relation to the phone-hacking scandal. His lawyers have filed papers at the High Court against News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers. Mr Coulson was arrested in July over NoW phone-hacking allegations. He denies knowledge of the practice. It has emerged some UK victims of alleged hacking are considering US legal action against News Corporation. US lawyers have been asked to explore the possibility of a case against Rupert Murdoch's media group. Arrangement ended Papers were filed at the High Court by Mr Coulson's lawyers on Thursday. BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said: "Even though Andy Coulson hasn't worked for the publishers of the now-defunct News of the World for more than four years, the paper's owners were still paying his legal fees in relation to the hacking investigations. "But following Rupert Murdoch's appearance at the Home Affairs Select Committee in July the arrangement ended." Mr Coulson resigned as Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications in January, saying that the ongoing coverage of the phone-hacking scandal was making it too difficult for him to do his job. But he has always said he knew nothing about phone hacking under his editorship of the News of the World. Met stories claim Meanwhile, the Telegraph newspaper has claimed that News International paid Mr Coulson's former deputy, Neil Wallis, for stories when Mr Wallis was working for the Metropolitan Police. Mr Wallis became executive editor of News of the World after Mr Coulson left and, after his tenure, left to work as a PR consultant at Scotland Yard. Neil Wallis worked for News of the World before working as a PR consultant for the Met It is understood the contract involved him working two days a month at £1,000 a day, for Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson and Assistant Commissioner John Yates. Mr Wallis was arrested in July and his arrest was followed by the resignations of those two senior officers. The Telegraph claims that while Mr Wallis was on the payroll at Scotland Yard, he was paid more than £25,000 by News International to pass on information for stories. It alleges he was paid £10,000 for one story alone. On Friday night, Neil Wallis's lawyer issued a statement alleging that Scotland Yard had leaked information about Mr Wallis. Scotland Yard have confirmed they received a letter of complaint from the lawyer. They say Neil Wallis had signed a conflict of interest clause in his contract when he worked for them and also that he did not have access to the Met's IT systems. The allegations came on the same day it emerged News International had already agreed some settlements with UK victims of phone hacking. Mark Lewis, UK lawyer for a small group of alleged victims, told the BBC News channel: "Although events might have happened in territories abroad, the American organisation can be responsible. "News Corporation - although it's an American organisation, although these claimants are to large extent British and the events that might have happened in Britain, although some happened while people were away - they are meant to have some control under American law, have a great deal of control over what happens in foreign subsidiaries." He added: "We are looking at the practices of control effectively - of directors, and of knowledge of directors, and knowledge or what should have been knowledge of directors, of a large corporation based in America." Payouts US lawyer Norman Siegel told BBC News he was at an "exploratory phase" of examining evidence that had emerged in the UK to see if US federal laws or New York state laws may have been violated. When contacted on Friday, News Corporation declined to comment. The News of the World phone-hacking scandal led to the closure of the UK tabloid in July after 168 years in print. A number of people have been arrested, including Mr Coulson, as part of Scotland Yard's investigation - Operation Weeting - into phone-hacking allegations. Settlements already agreed by News International include: a reported £700,000 to Gordon Taylor of the Football Association; £100,000 in damages plus costs to actress Sienna Miller; £20,000 in damages to football pundit Andy Gray. It is thought that a £2m settlement has been agreed with the family of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, with Mr Murdoch also thought to be making a personal donation of £1m to charity as part of the deal. The revelation that the voicemail of Milly's mobile phone had been hacked, when she was missing but before her body had been found, reignited the phone-hacking scandal in July.

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European banks head towards another meltdown

 

Shares in some of Europe's largest banks fell by 10pc as the cost of insuring European lenders' senior bonds rose to record levels, according to credit default swap prices. The Markit iTraxx Financial Index of contracts on the senior debt of 25 banks and insurers climbed to an all-time high 315.5 basis points. The last banking crisis was regarded by most eurozone members as an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon caused by lax lending controls that resulted in major UK and US institutions either collapsing or having to take costly state-funded bail-outs. To offset the threat of another crisis spreading across the eurozone, European regulators ordered their banks to increase their liquidity buffers. Government bonds were generally viewed as the most liquid and least risky assets to hold. However, this policy has come back to haunt them, leaving many lenders across the region seriously exposed to the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. French banking giants BNP Paribas and Société Générale are among the hardest hit. Recent estimates suggest BNP has eurozone sovereign debt exposure of about €75bn (£65bn), amounting to roughly 6pc of total assets, including €14bn of Greek debt and €21bn of Italian government bonds. The other two major French banks, SocGen and Credit Agricole, each have exposures of a similar size. Between them, France's banks have about €56bn of Greek sovereign bonds alone, and have so far taken 20pc writedowns on this.

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signs of an institutional run on French banks

 

Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, urged Europe's leaders to bail out their fragile banks, as the boss of the eurozone's biggest bank, BNP Paribas, rejected fears that the financial sector was "in peril". Addressing journalists in Washington at the opening of the IMF's annual meeting, Lagarde said that Europe must tackle "this twin problem of sovereign debt and the need to strengthen capital buffers". She said: "It is critical that to fuel growth, banks be in a position to finance the economy, to finance enterprises, to finance households, to finance local governments. To do that they need to have the balance sheet that will actually support credit to the economy." Despite the recent stress tests carried out by the European Banking Authority, which suggested that most of the banks were well-placed to cope with the sovereign debt crisis, the IMF estimates that banks have taken a €300bn (£260bn) hit in the past year as a result of the growing risk of default by Greece and other vulnerable eurozone countries. Lagarde's call came as Baudouin Prot, BNP's chief executive, emphatically denied reports that it was in talks with Middle Eastern investors about securing a capital injection. "I formally deny this," he said. "We have no particular contact because we don't need a capital increase." But French bank shares – which have lost 50% of their value in three months – continued to fall as markets endured one of their worst trading days since 2009. BNP was off more than 5% and close rival Société Générale fell almost 10%. In the UK, bailed-out Lloyds Banking Group was down more than 10%, bearing the brunt of anxiety about a slowdown in economic growth. The FTSE 100 closed down 4.7% with large falls from mining companies, which make up a large part of the index and whose fortunes are closely tied to global economic prospects. Out of the 100 stocks, only technology company Autonomy – supported by a bid from Hewlett-Packard – fell by less than 1%. A survey from the crucial manufacturing sector, which chancellor George Osborne had hoped would lead an economic recovery, exacerbated the nervous mood by suggesting industry had been hit hard by the collapse of confidence around the world. The CBI's monthly industrial trades survey showed declining orders, both at home and abroad, and a rising backlog of finished goods, in the latest evidence that the recovery has stalled. Minutes from the latest meeting of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee revealed on Wednesday policymakers were preparing a new round of quantitative easing to respond to the worsening outlook. The gloom was echoed in the eurozone, where the early, "flash estimates" from the closely watched purchasing managers surveys signalled a sharp downturn in both manufacturing and services growth, adding to fears that Europe could be heading for a new recession. The Greek government announced new austerity measures this week to persuade investors that it is committed to tackling its debts. But investors are still fretting about the potentially devastating impact of a default on the region's banks. BNP insisted on Thursday that it could maintain a core tier one ratio – an important measure of financial strength – of 9% by January 2013 even if it sustained losses through the eurozone crisis. But Mohamed El-Erian, boss of the world's biggest bond investor Pimco, warned in a blog on the FT's website that there were "signs of an institutional run on French banks".

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Muammar Gaddafi has fled Sabha

 

The National Transitional Council are investigating an unconfirmed report that Muammar Gaddafi has fled from Sabha, NTC spokesman reports.  NTC spokesman also states that Libyan government forces now control most of Sabha with small pockets of resistance from pro-Gaddafi snipers.

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Pakistan bus attack kills dozens

 

25 Shia Muslim pilgrims have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a bus in western Pakistan, officials said. The pilgrims were going through Mastung district in Baluchistan province, en route to the Iranian border, when the attack occurred, said a senior district official, Saeed Umrani. Two motorcycles blocked the path of the bus and three gunmen stormed the vehicle, opening fire on the roughly 40 pilgrims inside, said a local tribal police officer, Dadullah Baluch, after interviewing survivors and eyewitnesses. At least 25 people were killed and more than a dozen injured in the attack on Tuesday, he added. The dead and wounded were being taken to a hospital in Quetta, about 35 miles to the north, he said. Pakistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state. Although most Sunnis and Shias live there relatively peacefully, extremists on both sides often target each other's leaders and activists. The Sunni-Shia schism over the true heir to the prophet Muhammad dates back to the seventh century.

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Taliban turban bomber kills Afghan ex-president

 

A Taliban suicide bomber with concealed explosives in a turban on Tuesday assassinated former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading government peace efforts, police said. The bomber struck during a meeting at the Kabul home of Rabbani, who was last year appointed chief of the Afghan High Peace Council that President Hamid Karzai tasked with negotiating with the Taliban. His death is the most high-profile political assassination since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power and comes just two months after Karzai's brother Ahmed Wali Karzai was also killed. The attackers arrived at Rabbani's house with Mohammad Massom Stanikzai, Rabbani's deputy, for a meeting before the turban bomber detonated his explosives, according to one source amid conflicting reports of the incident. A member of the High Peace Council, Fazel Karim Aymaq, said the men had come with "special messages" from the Taliban and were "very trusted." Kabul criminal investigations chief Mohammad Zaher said two men "negotiating with Rabbani on behalf of the Taliban" arrived at his house, one with explosives hidden in his turban. "He approached Rabbani and detonated his explosives. Rabbani was martyred and four others including Massom Stanikzai (his deputy) were injured." The bomber struck close to the US embassy, making it the the second attack within a week in Kabul's supposedly secure diplomatic zone. The killing prompted Afghan President Hamid Karzai to cut short his visit to the United States, his spokesman said, adding he was still expected to meet US President Barack Obama as scheduled before leaving. An AFP reporter saw an ambulance at the scene and said police had blocked off surrounding roads. The reporter also heard guards at the house shouting for an ambulance for Rabbani's deputy. Two of the former president's political allies, who did not want to be named and speaking before police confirmed Rabbani's death, wept as they told AFP he had been killed. "Yes, he is dead," said one of the two sources by telephone. The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but the insurgency led by its militia has hit Kabul increasingly hard in recent months. The Pakistani government swiftly condemned the assassination, describing Rabbani as a "friend" with whom Islamabad was working closely on peace efforts. "The people of Pakistan stand by their Afghan brothers and sisters in this moment of grief," a joint statement released by President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said, just days after the United States accused the Pakistani government of having ties to Taliban faction the Haqqani network. Among the most high-profile attacks was last week's 20-hour siege of the US embassy and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters which left 14 people dead. Rabbani was president of Afghanistan from 1992 until the Taliban took power in 1996 and headed a country wracked by civil war. Karzai's brainchild, the High Peace Council was intended to open a dialogue with insurgents who have been trying to bring down his government since the US-led invasion overthrew their regime. The 68-member council, hand-picked by the president, was inaugurated on October 7, 2010, amid mounting reports of secret peace talks with Taliban leaders and key insurgent groups. Delivering his acceptance speech, Rabbani said he was "confident" that peace was possible, according to a statement from the palace. "I hope we are able to take major steps in bringing peace and fulfil our duties with tireless effort and help from God," he was quoted as saying. According to Human Rights Watch, Rabbani is among prominent Afghans implicated in war crimes during the brutal fighting that killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of Afghans in the early 1990s.

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US vintage aircraft crash leaves three dead and 54 injured

 

The plane, a P-51 Mustang, dubbed the "Galloping Ghost" that was being flown by Jimmy Leeward, 74, crashed at 4.30pm local time (11.30pm GMT) into a box seat area in front of the main grandstand at the Reno Air Races,. "I heard his engine and looked up. He was within 100 feet. He was coming right down on top of us," witness Fred Scholz told CNN, adding that the plane had first flown closer to the stands than allowed. "It just happened very quick." The Federal Aviation Administration halted the air race after the crash, and was investigating the incident alongside the National Transportation Safety Board, an FAA official said. Video apparently taken from the stands and posted on YouTube showed a plane plunging nose-down into the tarmac as spectators were heard gasping: "Oh, my God." Debris billowed near the crash site, and officials then told spectators to remain where they were so emergency workers could get to the scene. The FAA official, spokesman Ian Gregor, said that multiple spectator fatalities and critical injuries were reported. FAA inspectors had been observing the race at the time of the crash, he said. The head of the Reno Air Racing Association, Michael Houghton, put the number of injured at 54 people and said the 74-year-old pilot was among those killed. He said that there appeared to be a "problem with the aircraft that caused it to go out of control". At least 15 people were in a critical condition after the crash, which a spokesman for the event called a "mass casualty situation" in a written statement. Mark Hasara of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a veteran of the Air Force who attended the race and witnessed the crash. "As soon as I saw his nose pointed at the ground, I knew he wasn't going to recover," Mr Hasara told Reuters. The Reno Air Races, which began in the mid-1960s and is an event that is held annually, feature planes facing off in multi-lap races at an airfield north of Reno. Renown Regional Medical Center spokesman Dan Davis said that at least two people were killed, a man and a woman, but they were not identified. Stephanie Kruse, a spokeswoman for the regional emergency medical service authority, said 15 of the injured were in a critical condition. "This is a very large incident, probably one of the largest this community has seen in decades," Ms Kruse told the Associated Press. "The community is pulling together to try to deal with the scope of it. The hospitals have certainly geared up and staffed up to deal with it." Mr Houghton said that Mr Leeward, from Ocala, Florida, was a real estate developer who had been racing planes since the mid-1970s. He added that most of Leeward's family had been at Friday's event. Ronald Sargis, a witness who was sitting in the box-seat area, said spectators could tell the plane was in trouble before it crashed. "About six or seven boxes down from us, it impacted into the front row," Mr Sargis told KCRA-TV in Sacramento. He added: "It appeared to be just pulverised." Another eyewitness, Maureen Higgins of Alabama, told the Associated Press that the pilot was on his third lap when he lost control. "I saw body parts and gore like you wouldn't believe it. I'm talking an arm, a leg," Ms Higgins said.

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Social media chiefs grilled over UK riots

 

The makers of BlackBerry have admitted social media could be used for "malicious purposes" but the vast majority of users are law-abiding, during a grilling by British MPs on August's riots. Stephen Bates, managing director of Research in Motion in Britain and Ireland, insisted on Thursday social media was generally a "force for good", a position backed by executives from Facebook and Twitter during the hearing in London. "There's no dispute that... social media was used for malicious purposes," Bates told parliament's home affairs committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the four nights of unprecedented riots in English cities.

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Kelly Brook gets naked for snakes

 

Kelly Brook has posed naked with snakeprint painted on her skin to back up her claim "Animals Belong in the Wild, Not in Your Wardrobe." The model teamed up with animal rights group PETA as part of a campaign against the use of exotic animal skins in fashion, and unveiled the portrait to coincide with the start of London Fashion Week. Kelly said: "It makes my skin crawl to think about the violent ways snakes, lizards, alligators and other exotic creatures are raised and killed for boots, bags and belts. "Our message is to support the designers who are creative without being destructive, and go for the great fakes that pay tribute to the animals' beauty without killing them." Kelly posed for the nude portrait at Bryan Adams' Chelsea studio. Hollywood star Joaquin Phoenix is also part of the campaign, narrating an undercover video which shows how snakes are nailed by their heads to trees and skinned alive, and how lizards are snared in the wild.

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Artificial volcano' experiment

 

A bizarre "artificial volcano" experiment taking place at a disused Norfolk airfield next month could help save the planet from global warming. Scientists will attempt to pump water up a hose suspended one kilometre off the ground beneath a helium-filled balloon. The test will provide valuable data that could pave the way to a giant geoengineering project in decades to come. The long-term vision is to tether 20 kilometre-long pipes to balloons the size of Wembley stadium. Light-scattering particles would be pumped high into the atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays and cool the earth. The effect would be similar to that of a volcanic eruption spewing out clouds of sulphate droplets which can have an impact on the climate. Dr Matt Watson, from the University of Bristol, who is leading the Spice (Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering) project, said: "This is a controversial and potentially alarming subject. "We're going to try to pump tap water to a height of one kilometre through a pipe as a test of the technology." The test will take place on a disused airfield at Sculthorpe, north Norfolk, using a dirigible "blimp" balloon of the type commonly used to carry adverts or take photos. Dr Hugh Hunt, from Cambridge University, who will head the Sculthorpe test, said: "To pump water to one kilometre you need a pressure of 100 bar. When we start thinking about 20 kilometres we're talking about 4,000 bar of pressure."

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World atlas re-worked as climate change alters the face of the planet

 

The world's most authoritative atlas has had to erase 15% of Greenland's once permanent ice cover – turning an area the size of the United Kingdom and Ireland 'green' and free of ice. The new edition of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, published today, provides concrete evidence of how the effects of climate change is changing the face of the planet forever – and at an alarming and accelerating rate. Cartographers of the atlas have sourced the latest evidence and referred to detailed maps and records to confirm that in the last 12 years, 15% of the permanent ice cover (around 300,000 sq km) of Greenland, the world’s largest island, has melted away. Modelling predicts that Greenland could reach a tipping point in about 30 years, and after that little would prevent its ice cap from melting completely. Aptly-named ‘Warming Island’ (Uunartoq Qeqertoq) is the first of possibly many more islands that will be spotted off Greenland as the ice continues to retreat. Several miles long, this island is now large enough to be shown on The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World as being separate from the mainland. Jethro Lennox, Editor of The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, said: “With every new edition of the atlas, we are giving people across the globe an up-to-date, accurate and instant picture of the current state of the planet. “With each new map we can see and plot environmental changes as they happen, and are increasingly concerned that in the near future important geographical features will disappear forever.” Over the last few decades, human activities and the effects of climate change have forced the atlas’s cartographers to not only erase ice cover, but also to shrink seas and redraw rivers. Some of the changes being charted are: * The breaking up of the Antarctica ice shelves – the atlas’s new Antarctica image shows the breaking up of the Larsen B ice shelf and Wilkins ice shelf, along with the ‘ice bridge’ that once joined it to Charcot Island. * The shrinking of seas and lakes – the level of the Dead Sea has dropped 12m in the last 12 years – the height of three double-decker buses. The main cause of this is the draining of water from the Sea of Galilee and diverting the flow of the Jordan River in order to turn the desert green. * The rapid shrinking of the Aral Sea in Central Asia as it continues its rapid retreat – it has shrunk by 75% since 1967. * The drying up of rivers, requiring them to be redrawn – most years the Colorado River does not reach the sea due to damming, irrigation, evaporation and water being redirected to cities such as Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. In Mongolia, the Ongyin Gol river has had its flow diverted for gold mining operations. These and some others now shown as ‘intermittent’ could totally dry up by the time the next edition of the atlas is published, four years from now. Four years in the making, The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World is the world’s most prestigious and authoritative atlas – painstakingly researched by a dedicated team of 30 cartographers, with changes to the database made, on average, every 3.5 minutes using a 24-hours-a-day news feed.

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Disaster relief gains access to $500-M World Bank funds

 

 

THE WORLD BANK has given the Philippines a $500-million credit line to help improve disaster preparedness, the multilateral lender said in a statement on Wednesday. The Disaster Risk Management Development Policy Loan with Catastrophe Deferred Drawdown Option (CAT-DDO) gives the country immediate access to funding for emergency relief, recovery and reconstruction following a major natural disaster, the statement read. The government will be able to borrow up to $500 million should there be a Presidential declaration of a state of calamity. Republic Act No. 10121, or the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act, defines “state of calamity” as “a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damage to property, disruption of means of livelihood, roads and normal way of life of people in affected areas as a result of...natural or human-induced hazard.” The country will have three to 15 years to repay debt incurred under this facility, the World Bank said. Amounts repaid in this period will be made available for subsequent borrowings. The Philippines is among the most vulnerable countries in the world to natural disasters, the World Bank noted. On average, more than 1,000 lives are lost every year due to calamities, with typhoons accounting for 74% of fatalities, 70% of agricultural damage and 62% of total damage. “This financing support will help ensure that affected populations -- especially the poor who are the most vulnerable -- receive adequate assistance as soon as possible after a disaster, and that important infrastructure facilities are restored a lot quicker, thus minimizing social and economic dislocation in affected communities,” Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said in the statement. CAT-DDO can provide immediate assistance in the wake of disasters, Mr. Purisima added, while other sources like bilateral aid and concessional funding are still being mobilized. “CAT-DDO will help reduce the government’s fiscal vulnerability in the event of a catastrophic adverse natural event,” the Finance chief said. In late 2009, storms Ondoy and Pepeng battered the country, leaving behind damage estimated at equivalent to 2.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) and increased the number of poor people by about 500,000. In response, the government enacted into law the DRRM Act in May last year and adopted a Strategic National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction shortly after, institutionalizing a comprehensive, integrated approach to disaster management in the country. “The Philippines has drawn up a comprehensive framework for managing impact of natural disasters and has incorporated it in the country’s overall development strategy,” World Bank Country Director Bert Hofman said in the same statement, noting that such framework is crucial for achieving inclusive, broad-based growth. “The poor are among the most at risk from natural disasters,” Mr. Hofman noted. “Reducing their vulnerability to disasters forms an important part of our assistance strategy for the country,” he added. Citing data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the World bank noted that the Philippines incurred an average of P28 billion in direct damage to agriculture, infrastructure and the private sector every year from 1990 to 2008 due to natural calamities.

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winds warning after Teesside travel chaos

TEESSIDE was bracing itself for further disruption today as ferocious winds were expected to tear through the region once more. Severe weather warnings remained in place after gales caused traffic chaos and damage to properties yesterday. Wind speeds of 71mph were recorded at Loftus - the second highest in England. The gales - caused by the remnants of Hurricane Katia - led to the closure of the A19 and resulted in severe tailbacks across major routes. An unearthed tree, killed George Brown, a 68-year-old Butterwick Hospice volunteer, after it fell on the ambulance he was driving on the A688 between Staindrop and Barnard Castle. Although the winds eased overnight, the Met Office today said they could strengthen again. Forecaster Alex Fox said: “Winds are expected to increase again today until this evening. “In the more exposed areas winds are likely to reach over 50mph and the centre of Middlesbrough could see 40mph winds.”

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Insurgents Attack U.S. Embassy In Afghanistan

 

Insurgents are firing rockets towards the U.S. Embassy, NATO headquarters and other official buildings in Kabul, Afghanistan Fox News confirms.  Taliban militants are claiming responsibility for the attacks. Police said the gunmen were firing from a tall office building that is under construction at Kabul's Abdul Haq square, which is about 300 yards from the U.S. Embassy.  Embassy officials confirmed an attack by insurgents firing rocket-propelled grenades and small arms but says no personnel have been reported injured. Embassy spokeswoman Kerri Hannan says staff had been ordered to take cover in hardened structures as gunfire and explosions rocked the area in the heart of the Afghan capital on Tuesday. She says "there are no casualties at this time among embassy personnel." The surge of violence was a stark reminder of the instability that continues to plague Afghanistan nearly a decade after the U.S. invasion that ousted the Taliban in the way of the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S.  The Associated Press reports at least four Afghans were wounded.  Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid reportedly said a number suicide bombers were attacking Afghan and foreign soldiers at the square. He claimed in a text message that suicide bombers using assault rifles were attacking the offices of the Afghan intelligence service.

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Pirates kill Brit David Tebbutt and kidnap wife

 

BRITISH tourist has been killed and his wife kidnapped after suspected Somali pirates stormed their villa at an exclusive Kenyan resort. They were attacked by at least five men as they lay in bed in their beachside villa at 2am yesterday. David Tebbutt, 58, is believed to have been shot trying to protect wife Judith, 56, from the raiders. They bundled her into a speedboat and vanished. The couple, from Bishop's Stortford, Herts, had been at the Kiwayu Safari Village just a few hours and were the only guests. The secluded resort is 18 miles from the border with war-ravaged Somalia, notorious for its pirates. Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said a massive search involving military boats, helicopters and ground forces had begun at dawn. He added: "We are hoping that we will be able to at least find the lady. "We believe it is a kidnap but we are yet to receive any communication from the alleged kidnappers." Pirates tend not to raid on land — and it is rare for them to harm any victims because they want to ransom them. That has led to speculation that the attack could be the work of local Islamic fanatics who wanted to make their mark on the 9/11 anniversary. But police commissioner Mathew Iteere said: "So far we are treating it as a bandit attack. We've not received any hint pointing at a terror group.

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Saadi Gaddafi, third son of the former Libyan leader, has fled the country into neighbouring Niger,

Saadi Gaddafi in Sydney in 2005 Photo: REUTERS

 

His flight reduces the retinue of close family members sticking by Col Gaddafi to just two sons, Saif al-Islam and Mutassim, and his closest aide and brother-in-law, Abdullah Senussi.

Marou Amadou, the Niger justice minister, confirmed he had crossed the two countries’ Saharan border in a convoy of vehicles and been intercepted by local troops.

He said the convoy was continuing to the northern town of Agadez and from there to the capital Niamey, where a number of Touareg tribal leaders formerly loyal to Col Gaddafi have also sought refuge in recent weeks.

His flight will be a further blow to the confidence of those troops remaining loyal to the old regime. Earlier in the day, rebels made advances on the two remaining loyalist hold-outs in northern Libya after a string of Nato bombing raids.

Saadi was one of the more westernised of Col Gaddafi’s family, though no less capricious that the rest. A former footballer, he played twice for Italian Serie A teams, though he was banned for failing a drugs test.

 

 

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Millions of Hotmail users cut off by Microsoft 'cloud' failure

 

As well as Hotmail, the outage affected Office 365 and the Skydrive online storage service. Microsoft said the cause appeared to be related to the Domain Name System, the computer network that ensures that web addresses are connected to websites. “Preliminary root cause suggests a DNS issue,” the firm said on its office 365 Twitter feed. The problems lasted for at least two-and-a-half hours, beginning at around 4AM British Summer Time. On a company blog, Microsoft said it had fixed the problem at 5.45AM, but the repairs took some time to “propagate” through the DNS network.  "We are working on propagating the DNS configuration changes and so it will take some time to restore service to everyone. Again we appreciate your patience," the firm said. For Office 365, Microsoft’s subscription-only competitor to Google Apps, which went live earlier this year, it was the second major technical failure in less than a month. Such incidents are likely to give pause to organisations considering migration to online “cloud” services, whereby software is delivered from vast data centres, over the internet.

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Parents appear in court on murder charge

 

The parents of Bradford-born suspected honour killing victim Shafilea Ahmed appeared in Court today, accused of her murder – eight years after she disappeared from her home. Iftikhar Ahmed, 51, and Farzana Ahmed, 48, appeared before magistrates to face the charge of killing their teenage daughter. Shafilea, 17, vanished from her home in Warrington, Cheshire, in September 2003 amid fears she was being forced into marriage. Her decomposed remains were discovered on the banks of the River Kent, near Kendal in Cumbria, in February 2004. Her parents were today remanded in custody when they appeared before Halton Magistrates' Court in Runcorn, Cheshire.

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'Terrorist' Attack Hits New Delhi

 

Indian authorities say a terrorist attack outside the Indian high court in New Delhi killed at least 11 people and injured 66 others. Police believe the explosive was placed inside a briefcase near a main gate to the high court in New Delhi.  The blast is being described as a "medium-intensity bomb." Injured were rapidly transported to area hospitals and police cordoned off the area to begin an investigation. Speaking from Bangladesh, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was quick to label the explosion an act of terror. "This is a cowardly act of a terrorist nature... All the people of India have to stand united so that the scourge of terrorism is crushed," he said. Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram visited the bomb site and says top national investigation teams are examining evidence. "At this stage, it is not possible to identify the group that caused the bomb blast," he said. There have been no claims of responsibility. Chidambaram reminded lawmakers that New Delhi is a target of terrorist groups, especially when parliament is in session. "We shall never be intimidated by terrorist groups," he said. "We are determined to track down the perpetrators of this horrific crime and bring them to justice." In New Delhi, there have been 15 bombings since 1997. For many, Wednesday's explosion also called up fresh memories of July's serial bombing in the southern Indian commerce capital, Mumbai, which killed 20 people.

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Russian jet carrying Lokomotiv of KHL crashes, 43 dead

 

Russian jet carrying the KHL ice hockey team Lokomotiv slammed into a riverbank moments after takeoff Wednesday, killing at least 43 people and leaving two others critically injured, officials said. Shock, Sadness Over KHL Crash The crash of a plane carrying members of KHL club Lokomotiv is being mourned throughout the NHL. ESPN.com's Cross Checks blog is taking in reaction to the tragedy from across the league. Blog • Burnside: Agent remembers Demitra Dallas Stars defenseman Karlis Skrastins, Slovakian national team captain and ex-NHL player Pavol Demitra and the team's coach, former Detroit Red Wings assistant and NHL player Brad McCrimmon, were among those confirmed to have died. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42 plane crashed in sunny weather immediately after leaving an airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River about 150 miles northeast of Moscow. It said the plane was carrying Lokomotiv from Yaroslavl to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, where it was to play Thursday against Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season of the Continental Hockey League. The plane was carrying 45 people, including 37 passengers and eight crew, and two people survived the crash. The crash and resulting deaths of current and former players sent shock waves through the NHL. "Though it occurred thousands of miles away from our home arenas, this tragedy represents a catastrophic loss to the hockey world -- including the NHL family, which lost so many fathers, sons, teammates and friends who at one time excelled in our League," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "Our deepest condolences go to the families and loved ones of all who perished." Demitra, who played in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks, was on the plane, his agent, Matt Keator, told ESPN.com. "It's just stunning and just awful," Keator said. Keator had visited with Demitra in Russia three weeks ago. He first met Demitra when the two were with the Blues organization -- Keator as a scout and Demitra as a successful player. "You couldn't find a more popular teammate," Keator said. [+] Enlarge AP Photo/Misha Japaridze Players from Lokomotiv of the KHL were aboard a plane that crashed on the banks of the Volga River, killing at least 43. The Stars confirmed on the team website that Skrastins was among those killed. "The Dallas Stars family is shocked and saddened by the passing of Karlis Skrastins and so many other young lives in a plane crash in Russia today," Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk said. "Karlis was a wonderful father and husband, as well as a good friend. He will be greatly missed." Former New Jersey Devils forward Alexander Vasyunov was also among those killed, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello told ESPNNewYork.com. Vasyunov was 23. "I don't think anybody can prepare for something like this," Lamoriello said. "It's just devastating news. Words can't express my personal feelings." "I can't say enough about him as a young man," Lamoriello said. "He certainly had talent. His whole career was in front of him." A Czech embassy official said Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in 2000, were among those killed. Rachunek was also a former NHL player, having skated for the Devils, Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers. It wasn't immediately clear which other players were on board the Yak-42. Officials said player Alexander Galimov survived the crash along with a crew member. "We are only beginning to understand the impact of this tragedy affecting the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl club and the international hockey community," the KHL said in a statement. "First and foremost, our condolences go out to the families and friends of the players, coaches and staff lost in today's tragedy. "We know that there are many in the KHL family who will be grieving with us. As the investigation of this tragedy progresses we will work closely with investigators, government officials, club executives and the Yaroslavl community. We are working to find an appropriate way to honor this club and begin the healing process from the deep loss so many of us feel today. Aircraft Crashes Involving Sports Teams Wednesday's crash of a Russian jet carrying members of KHL team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl will join the list of other tragic air accidents involving sports teams. Other notable aircraft tragedies in the sports world include: Feb. 7, '58 -- Manchester United • 8 members of Manchester United were among 23 deaths from the crash of a plane taking off in Munich. Oct. 29, '60 -- Cal Poly Football • 16 football players, a team manager and a booster were killed when plane crashed on takeoff (22 others were injured). Feb. 15, '61 -- U.S. Figure Skating • 8 members of U.S. Figure Skating Team were among 72 deaths resulting from a crash of a flight to Brussels. Oct. 2, '70 -- Wichita St. Football • 14 Wichita State football players and coach Ben Wilson were among 31 who died. Nov. 14, '70 -- Marshall Football • Plane crash killed all 75 people aboard, including 37 members of Marshall football team. Oct. 13, '72 -- Rugby Team in Uruguay • Only 16 of 45 aboard ultimately survived a crash in the Andes. Dec. 13, '77 -- Evansville Basketball All 29 aboard plane died, including 14 players on the Evansville men's basketball team. Jan. 27, '01 -- Oklahoma St. Basketball • 10 people associated with Oklahoma State basketball died, including two players. -- ESPN Stats & Information "We are aware that many of you have questions. This tragedy remains our primary focus. We ask for patience as we find an appropriate way to proceed with the 2011/2012 season." International Ice Hockey Federation president Rene Fasel called the crash "a terrible tragedy for the global ice hockey community," pointing out that the team's roster included players and coaches from ten countries. "Despite the substantial air travel of professional hockey teams, our sport has been spared from tragic traffic accidents," Fasel said. "But only until now. This is the darkest day in the history of our sport." Prime Minister Vladimir Putin immediately sent the nation's transport minister to the site, 10 miles east of Yaroslavl. The plane that crashed was relatively new, built in 1993, and belonged to a small Yak Service company. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl is a leading force in Russian hockey and finished third in the KHL last year. McCrimmon, who took over in coaching Lokomotiv in May, was most recently an assistant coach with the Red Wings. He played 18 years in the NHL for Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Hartford and Phoenix. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said he has known McCrimmon since the 1980s, during his playing career. "It's shocking. I think everybody in the hockey community is probably in shock and numb, myself included," Holland told ESPN.com. "He loved hockey. He was a tremendous guy and wonderful family man. Our thoughts and prayers go to his wife Maureen and two children.'' The Russian team also featured several top European players and former NHL stars, including Vasicek and Rachunek of the Czech Republic, Skrastins and defenseman Ruslan Salei of Russia and Swedish goalie Stefan Liv. The KHL is an international club league that features teams from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia and Slovakia. Lokomotiv was a three-time Russian League champion in 1997, 2002 and 2003. It took bronze last season. Swarms of police and rescue crews rushed to Tunoshna, a picturesque village with a blue-domed church on the banks of the Volga River. One of the plane's engines could be seen poking out of the river and a flotilla of boats combed the water for bodies. Russian rescue workers struggled to heft the bodies of large, strong athletes in stretchers up the muddy, steep riverbank. One resident, Irina Pryakhova, saw the plane going down. "It was wobbling in flight, it was clear that something was wrong," she said. "It went down behind the trees and there was a bang and a plume of smoke." She said rescuers pulled victims' bodies out of the Volga River. "I saw them pulling bodies to the shore, some still in their seats with seatbelts on," Pryakhova said. A cup match between hockey teams Salavat Yulaev and Atlant in the central Russian city of Ufa was called off midway after news of the crash was announced by Conintental Hockey League head Alexander Medvedev. Russian television broadcast images of an empty arena in Ufa as grief-stricken fans abandoned the stadium. "We will do our best to ensure that hockey in Yaroslavl does not die, and that it continues to live for the people that were on that plane," said Russian Ice Hockey Federation president Vladislav Tretyak. In recent years, Russia and the other former Soviet republics have had some of the world's worst air traffic safety records. Experts blame the poor safety record on the age of the aircraft, weak government controls, poor pilot training and a cost-cutting mentality. President Dmitry Medvedev has announced plans to take aging Soviet-built planes out of service starting next year. The short- and medium-range Yak-42 has been in service since 1980 and about 100 are still in service with Russian carriers. In June, another Russian passenger jet crashed in the northwestern city of Petrozavodsk, killing 47 people. The crash of that Tu-134 plane has been blamed on pilot error.

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20 people, including a senior army officer, were killed on Wednesday when two blasts were detonated by separate suicide bombers in southwest Pakistan

At least 20 people, including a senior army officer, were killed on Wednesday when two blasts were detonated by separate suicide bombers in southwest Pakistan, police officials said.

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Reuters

A police officer assisted an injured man at the site of a double suicide bombing in Quetta, Pakistan, on Wednesday.

The attackers targeted the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force commanded by army officers, stationed in Quetta. At least 30 people were injured in the explosions.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but suspicion immediately fell on Al Qaeda and Taliban militants . On Monday, Pakistani officials announced the arrest of a senior Al Qaeda leader, Younis al-Mauritani from Quetta. The operation was conducted by Inter-Services Intelligence, the country’s intelligence organization, and the Frontier Corps, according to an army spokesman.

The attack Wednesday morning in Quetta took place in a high-security neighborhood where several government offices and residences of high-ranking government officials are located.

The attackers targeted the house of Brig. Farrukh Shehzad, the deputy inspector general of the Frontier Corps. One bomber detonated his vehicle outside the house of the officer, a witness told AAJ TV, a private television news channel.

Soon after the first attack, another attacker entered the house on foot and started firing before detonating his explosives. Brigadier Shehzad was wounded and his wife was killed, according to initial local news reports. A colonel, Khalid Masood, was also killed in the attack.

Local television networks broadcast images of charred vehicles as ambulances ferried the wounded to nearby hospitals. The house of the wounded brigadier was badly damaged.

Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan Province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has a history of sectarian and nationalist violence. Al Qaeda leaders and Taliban militants are also thought to have found a safe haven in the city and the province

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Heavy gunfire in central, north Syria; 11 killed

 

Syrian security forces unleashed a barrage of gunfire on Wednesday, killing at least 11 people and leaving thousands cowering in their homes as President Bashar Assad's troops kept up the government's assault on a 6-month-old uprising, activists and witnesses said. Nine of the dead were in Homs, a hotbed of opposition to Assad's autocratic regime. Two others were shot dead during raids in Sarameen, in northern Syria. For days, security forces have been pursuing activists and anti-government protesters in Homs, part of a ferocious crackdown on the most serious challenge to the 40-year Assad dynasty. The UN says more than 2,200 people have died in nearly six months of protests. "All through the night, there was shooting. The gunfire didn't stop," a resident of the city said by phone on Wednesday. "I can't tell exactly what is going on because it's dangerous to go out." Omar Idilbi, a spokesman for the Local Coordination Committees, an activist network, said security forces simultaneously stormed several districts in the old part of the city, including the Bab Dreib, Bab Houd and the Bayada neighborhoods. Nine people were confirmed dead in ongoing shooting in those areas, the LCC said. The London-based Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of activists across the country, said 10 were killed. Homs, Syria's third-largest city, has seen some of the largest anti-regime protests in Syria over the past months, despite repeated crackdowns. On Tuesday, security forces opened fire from a checkpoint in Rastan, just north of Homs, killing two people, including a 15-year-old boy, activists said. They said five unidentified corpses, including that of a woman, also were found dumped around the city centre.

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US deplores 'cowardly' India bombing

 

The United States on Wednesday condemned the "cowardly" bombing outside a courthouse in New Delhi, and praised the courage of the Indian people "in the face of horrific violence." "The United States condemns in the strongest terms this morning's deadly bombing outside the New Delhi High Court, and extends its deepest condolences to those affected by these cowardly attacks," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement. "The people of India have once again demonstrated remarkable resiliency and courage in the face of horrific violence," Nuland said. Nuland said the United States "stands ready to offer any and all assistance to Indian authorities," and that Washington was monitoring the situation to ensure "the safety and security" of US citizens in India. "Terrorism is a scourge that affects us all and the United States stands with India in confronting this global challenge," she added. Wednesday's powerful bomb, hidden in a briefcase, ripped through a busy crowd outside the court, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more. It was the first major attack on Indian soil since triple blasts in Mumbai on July 13 killed 26 people.

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Giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne was captured in a remote Philippine village following a spate of attacks on humans

 Giant saltwater crocodile weighing more than a tonne was captured in a remote Philippine village following a spate of attacks on humans and livestock, officials said Tuesday.

The 21-foot (6.4-metre), 1,075-kilogramme (2,370-pound) reptile may have eaten a farmer who went missing in July, along with several water buffaloes in the southern town of Bunawan, crocodile hunter Rollie Sumiller said.

A crocodile also bit off the head of a 12-year-old girl in Bunawan in 2009, according to the environment ministry.

Josefina de Leon, wildlife division chief of the environment ministry's protected areas and wildlife bureau, said it was likely the biggest crocodile ever captured.

"Based on existing records the largest that had been captured previously was 5.48 metres long," she told AFP.

"This is the biggest animal that I've handled in 20 years of trapping,"

Sumiller added, estimating the male to be more than 50 years old.

"The community was relieved," he told AFP, but added: "We're not really sure if this is the man-eater, because there have been other sightings of other crocodiles in the area."

The team, employed by a government-run crocodile breeding farm, began laying bait using chicken, pork and dog meat on August 15, but the reptile simply bit off both meat and line the it was skewered on.

An eight milimetre (0.31-inch) metal cable finally proved beyond the power of its jaws and the beast was subdued at a creek on Saturday with the help of about 30 local men.

The local government decided against putting down the reptile and will instead use him as the main attraction at a planned nature park in the area.

"He's a problem crocodile that needs to be taken from the wildlife so that it can be used for eco-tourism," Sumiller said.

Crocodylus porosus or estuarine crocodile is the world's largest reptile that usually grows to five or six metres long and can live up to 100 years.

While not considered an endangered species globally, it is "critically endangered" in the Philippines, where it is hunted for its hide to feed the fashion industry, de Leon said.

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