Barack Obama holds talks on barter with Chinese prime minister

Barack Obama all-overs calmly with the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, afore their talks in Beijing.

Barack Obama met the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, in the basic today, in talks that were accepted to focus on barter and added bread-and-butter disagreements.

Speaking afore the two men met, Obama said that the American accord with China was deepening to awning all-embracing affairs such as altitude change and security.

Wen said: "We are absolutely on the bend of affective advanced with this relationship."

But barter and bread-and-butter disputes arose in Obama's collective columnist accident with the Chinese president, Hu Jintao, bygone and the two governments are accepted to analyze them added absolutely today.

US admiral had played bottomward expectations of affecting breakthroughs in the talks, although there were signs of beforehand on altitude change advanced of abutting month's Copenhagen summit.

Some analysts appropriate that the absolute collective account issued by the two governments was added able than the columnist accident had suggested.

Bonnie Glaser, an able on China at the Centre for Strategic and All-embracing Studies in Washington, told Associated Columnist the account underscored that "the two countries accept a lot of accepted interests, but it charcoal to be apparent whether they can co-operate to beforehand them".

Obama fabricated apparent in his columnist accident with Hu bygone that he was anxious about China's bill policy. The US wants Beijing to acquiesce the renminbi to appreciate.

Last anniversary there were hints of a accessible acceleration in its value, admitting not in the abbreviate term, but admiral accept back played bottomward such prospects.

He Yafei, the agent adopted minister, told a columnist conference afterwards the collective actualization that advancement a abiding bill during the banking crisis "not alone helped the all-around abridgement but additionally the adherence of the world's banking markets".

With exports accepting collapsed for a 12th ages in a row – admitting at a decelerating clip – Beijing is apprenticed to be cautious.

"Any action changes by China, including on the barter rate, will be based on its appraisal of its own interests, not on alien pressure," said Jin Canrong, an able on China-US ties at Renmin University in Beijing.

Wen is accepted to highlight Chinese acrimony at US barter tariffs – referred to advisedly by Hu bygone – and apropos over US government spending. In March, Wen said about that he afraid about China's all-inclusive US assets.

China has accumulated $2.27tn of adopted barter affluence and analysts accept about two-thirds of that is invested in dollar-denominated assets, authoritative it calmly the more good adopted lender to the US.

Obama will appointment a amplitude of the Great Wall abreast the basic after today, afore aerial to South Korea – area barter will additionally be aerial on the agenda. Seoul is blame adamantine for beforehand on a chargeless barter agreement.

Obama is additionally accepted to altercate North Korea's nuclear programme back he meets Admiral Lee Myung-bak. The US has agreed to accelerate its appropriate envoy, Stephen Bosworth, to Pyongyang for talks.

North Korea bass bottomward adverse address yesterday, adage in an official bi-weekly that it capital more good ties with the South.

Over 100 dead in El Salvador flooding

MEXICO CITY/SAN SALVADOR: More than 100 people were killed as heavy rains set off mudslides and caused flooding in El Salvador, rescue workers
said.

The rainfall, which came amid a cold front and the remainders of Caribbean Hurricane Ida, caused havoc in other parts of the region including southern Mexico, where more than 200,000 people were affected.

More than 60 people died in the Salvadoran capital, San Salvador, with another 60 missing late Sunday.

More than 40 residents of the town of San Vicente and the surrounding areas around the base of the Chinchontepec volcano perished in mudslides, said Salvadoran Interior Minister Humberto Centeno. One mudslide covered an area of eight kilometres, damaging several towns, he said.

More than 300 houses were destroyed in San Vicente, and streets and bridges in the region had collapsed.

Some parts of the region were still cut off by flooding. The hurricane had grown to a category 2 storm Sunday. It slid along Mexico's Caribbean coast and past the resort city of Cancun on the Yucatan peninsula, where officials reported little damage late Sunday.

Meteorologists at the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami forecast that Ida would continue into the Gulf of Mexico with landfall looming along the US Gulf Coast.

News Source: http://tinyurl.com/Over-100-dead-in-El-Salvador

In blow to Barack Obama, Republicans win 2 US state races

WASHINGTON: Republicans surged to victory in two governors' races on Tuesday, wresting control from Democrats and delivering a blow to President
Barack Obama heading into next year's congressional elections.

The victories in Virginia and New Jersey were triumphs for a Republican Party looking to rebuild after being booted from power in national elections in 2006 and 2008.

In both states, Republicans won the votes of independents who had been crucial to Obama's victory last year.

In the traditionally Democratic state of New Jersey, Gov. Jon Corzine, a billionaire former Wall Street executive, was defeated by Republican Chris Christie.

In the other race, Bob McDonnell won a resounding victory over R. Creigh Deeds in Virginia, a state that was once a Republican stronghold but elected Democrats in the last two gubernatorial races and also backed Obama last year.

News Source: http://tinyurl.com/Republicans-win-2-US-state

India train crash leaves 14 dead

Fourteen people have been killed when a passenger train rammed into a truck at an unmanned railway crossing in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Twenty five others were injured in the incident that happened in Gonda area on Sunday afternoon, officials say.

The railways have ordered a probe into the incident.

Correspondents say there are often collisions between vehicles - including school buses - and trains at India's many unmanned railway crossings.

Reports said that the overcrowded passenger train which was heading to the city of Ayodhya collided with a truck carrying sand near Rasoolpur village.

Eleven train passengers, most of whom where travelling on the roof, died on the spot, while three others died of injuries at a hospital.

Last month, two passenger trains collided near the city of Mathura in northern India, killing at least 22 people.

One of the trains, the Mewar Express, was stopped at a red signal when the Goa Express rammed into it from behind.

The state-owned Indian Railways form an immense network connecting every corner of the vast country.

It operates 9,000 passenger trains and carries 18 million passengers every day.

News Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8337186.stm

Mathura train collision: 10 dead, probe ordered

New Delhi: At least 10 people were killed and 20 injured when the Delhi-bound Goa Express rammed into the stationary Mewar Express near Mathura early on Wednesday morning.

The Goa Express hit the Mewar Express from behind at around 0445 hours IST, Rajesh Vajpayee, CPRO North-Central Railway said. An unreserved compartment of the Mewar Express was damaged.

Most passengers who were trapped in the damaged coach have been rescued. However, the death toll is likely to go up.

Railway authorities used gas cutters to extricate trapped passengers from the damaged coach. The injured have been rushed to various hospitals in Mathura, Aligarh and Agra.
“Driver changed tracks in the last minute and crashed into the other train,” said an eyewitness. While another eyewitness recalled how the train felt a “massive impact and those in the upper berth fell down”.

Railway officials and Army personnel have reached the accident spot and rescue operation is going on. Some of the passengers from the two trains have also joined in the rescue operations.

Meanwhile, a rescue worker said, “We first rescued the children. There were many women passengers. No specific equipments were given to us by the administration. We managed on our own with hammers.”

Divisional Railway Manager, Agra, R D Tripathi, who was at the spot, said prima facie the train driver of the Goa Express was at fault.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has ordered an inquiry into the mishap. She also said that compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be given to the victims' relatives.

Congress MP Mohammad Azharuddin, who was travelling in the Mathura train route, said, “I was in the Tamil Nadu Express, which was also plying on the same route. When I woke up at 8:30 am, I realised that that my train has not reached the Nizamuddin railway station. Railway Ministry should minimise train accidents.”

News Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mathura-train-collision-10-dead-probe-ordered/103630-3.html?from=tn

Centre ready for talks on Kashmir: Chidambaram

Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday set the stage for talks on the Kashmir issue saying, "New Delhi is ready to talk to all shades of opinion to find a solution to the political dimension of the problem".

Without naming any separatist group or any regional political party, Chidambaram dropped first broad hints at resumption of the dialogue process.

"Jammu and Kashmir has unique geographical identity and history, which will be considered while pursuing a solution to the problem," said Chidambaram.

The Home Minister is in Srinagar on a two-day visit and is scheduled to speak at the editors meet on Wednesday.

He stressed that New Delhi is committed to a solution to the political dimension of Kashmir. "I have come with open mind…have no baggage. I am here to listen to and absorb suggestion from different groups," said the Home Minister, who spoke to party workers for the first time at Srinagar's Congress office located in Lal Chowk.

Observors see the statement as ground-preparing exercise by the Centre ahead of Prime Minister Manmoham Singh's scheduled visit to Kashmir on October 27. The Prime Minister is likely to offer an invitation to separatists groups to enter into a dialogue to discuss the Kashmir issue.

"There is no problem in the world which cannot be solved. There were many issues like Jammu and Kashmir across the globe, even in other parts of the country…and such issues have been resolved," said Chidamabarm adding any solution to the problem should be acceptable to all.

The Home Minister sounded very positive on the security situation of the state. "There is tremendous decrease in infiltration, civilian and police deaths and also in militant attacks in Jammu and Kashmir," said Chidambaram.

He praised local police for "effectively tackling militancy" in the state. "If police chief asks me for bigger role I am ready. We can move the army to the borders and the paramilitary can assist the police in countering militancy," said Chidamabaram.

This was a long pending demand of both the People's Democratic Party and the ruling National Conference that security should be handed over to local police and army should be sent to barracks.

The Home Minister was critical of the state government on its failure to spend developmental fund released under the Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan. The state has been allocated 25,000 crore under the plan. The Home Minister said he would monitor the plan himself and hold a weekly meeting to gauge the progress.

News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/jandk/Centre-ready-for-talks-on-Kashmir-Chidambaram/465172/H1-Article1-464819.aspx

Maoists attack railway station, blast government office in Bihar

Patna: Maoist guerrillas attacked a railway station, set ablaze a cabin room, blasted a rail track, a government office and a mobile phone tower in different parts of Bihar to enforce their strike, officials said Tuesday.
Armed Maoists Monday night attacked Banshipur railway station in Lakhisarai, about 150 km from here, ransacked its office and set it ablaze. They also held about half a dozen railway officials, including the station master, hostage for over an hour.


"Maoists damaged the control panel and burnt official documents and tickets," said an official of Banshipur station on the Patna-Kiul section of East-Central Railway.


In a separate incident, the rebels blew up a rail track in Jamui district and the Sangrampur block development office in Munger district late Monday night.


Earlier, Maoists had blown up a mobile phone tower in Aurangabad district and dug up a village road also, an official said.


The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has called for a two-day strike in five states, including Bihar, to protest the central government's decision to step up its operations against the rebels. The strike has also been called to protest alleged police repression in the name of anti-Maoist operations.


The strike call by the Maoists had evoked a mixed response in Bihar Monday -- urban areas remained unaffected but normal life was hit in rural areas.


An official in the home department said the Maoist strike call evoked no response in urban areas including Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Purnea. But it had affected life in some rural parts that are considered Maoist strongholds in Aurangabad, Jehanabad, Arwal and Gaya districts.


"Business establishments and educational institutions were affected by the strike in Gaya, Aurangabad and Arwal," the official said.


"A red alert has been sounded and police officers have been asked to keep extra vigil," Additional Director General (police headquarters) Neelmani said.

News Source: http://www.samaylive.com/news/maoists-attack-railway-station-blast-government-office-in-bihar/661947.html

Analysis: Barack Obama wins 2009 Nobel peace prize

From the moment that President Barack Obama - who has won the Nobel peace prize - entered the Oval Office, he made clear that resolving the conflict in the Middle East would be a key priority of his foreign policy.

His very first phone call was to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, and his speech in Cairo sought to cast America as an even-handed peacemaker in the Holy Land. Soon afterwards, Mr Obama also pledged to negotiate a new treaty on nuclear disarmament with Russia.

So far, however, Mr Obama has no concrete achievement to his credit. The Israelis and Palestinians are no closer to a settlement today than when he took office nine months ago. On the contrary, recent violence in Jerusalem raises the possibility of a new Palestinian uprising: an event that would force the "peace process" into reverse.

Although America and Russia have begun talks on a new disarmament agreement, no treaty has been concluded.

The only possible explanation for the judges' decision to reward Mr Obama is that they are betting on his future achievements. They think he might secure an epoch-making settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians as well as a sweeping disarmament treaty with Russia. Having previously given the Nobel Peace Prize to leaders who have made real agreements to resolve real conflicts, the judges now appear to be rewarding effort and possible future accomplishment.

In effect, they are taking out a bet on Mr Obama's future peacemaking skills. Are they being realistic?

There is a good chance of America and Russia concluding another treaty on reducing nuclear arms. This is for a simple reason: the Kremlin's nuclear arsenal is rapidly deteriorating anyway and a new disarmament deal represents Russia's only chance of maintaining nuclear parity with America. Concluding this treaty would be a real achievement for Mr Obama - but it would follow three previous nuclear disarmament deals and it would not visibly alter the balance of power in the world.

Meanwhile, the chances of an Israeli-Palestinian settlement are as remote as ever. The intractable problems at the heart of their conflict can be summed up in four words: borders, settlers, refugees, Jerusalem. Put simply, Mr Obama must devise a peace agreement which decides the borders of a Palestinian state, the fate of Jewish settlers living in the West Bank, the future of Palestinian refugees driven from Israel at its birth in 1948 and the division of Jerusalem into two national capitals.

Repeated attempts to resolve these issues, notably at the Camp David summit in 2000, have always failed, largely because the concessions required of both sides have been politically unacceptable. They remain unacceptable today. The "core issues" are certainly no closer to being settled than when Mr Obama took office in January.

But the judges appear to be betting that he can defy the odds and resolve them all in the next few years . Anyone who has followed events in the Middle East might not be entirely convinced by their optimism.

News Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/6280293/Analysis-Barack-Obama-wins-2009-Nobel-peace-prize.html

Over 400,000 babies die within day of birth in India

More than 400,000 children die within 24 hours of their birth in India every year - the highest anywhere in the world, a study by an international charity said.

While globally this figure stands at two million babies dying within a day of their birth, the shocking and tragic fact is that the reason for these deaths are diseases and infections that are easily treatable, and therefore the deaths are preventable.

Launching their 'Everyone' campaign Monday which seeks commitment from individuals to save the lives of millions of children under the age of five, Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children said: 'Every child deserves a chance to survive. And every one of us has a moral responsibility to act (to ensure that).'

Despite rapid economic growth, India accounts for one-fifth of newborn deaths in the world. Though the country has made significant progress in reducing child mortality, the newborn mortality rate at 39 per 1,000 live births and child mortality rate at 72 per 1,000 live births are shocking, said the study by Save the Children.

With the launching of Save the Children's 'Everyone' campaign in 40 countries including India, Chandy said that often people have a misconception that the cost of saving the lives of millions of children is too high.

'If people understood how affordable and feasible it is to prevent children dying, they would be shocked. There is no real pressure on the government to act largely because of public perceptions that it is too costly to change the reality,' Chandy said.

According to the survey conducted in 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, Germany, Britain, the US, India and Pakistan, 48 percent of the respondents thought that it would cost the world an additional 400 billion dollars annually to save the lives of children.

The reality however is that an additional 40 billion dollars - less than half the amount spent on bottled water - is needed globally to save the innocent lives, Chandy said.

Among the other findings of the report is that 13 of the 14 country respondents felt that poverty was the biggest threat to children's lives. China, which was the exception, said that climate change was the biggest threat.

In a heartening finding, 57 percent of the respondents in India said that they would readily give up the cost of a meal for the sake of a child they had never met.

'However two million children under the age of five die each year in India, the highest anywhere in the world and one third of the world's malnourished children live here. These have to change,' the report stressed.

News Source: http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jkfiOdhgbhf&title=Over_400_000_babies_die_within_day_of_birth_in_India

Toll mounts to 39 in Kerala boat accident

Thekkady (Kerala):

Rescuers on Thursday fished out more bodies from the Thekkady Lake, taking the toll in the boat tragedy to 39 even as the Kerala government ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The tragedy occurred when the state-run double decker boat 'Jalakanyaka' carrying 74 tourists tilted after several tourists moved to one side on sighting elephants in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on the banks of the lake on Wednesday.

A team of rescuers which included divers extricated 39 bodies from the partly submerged boat, officials said.

The toll is likely to go up as some more people are yet to be traced, they said, adding, the search operation continued in the morning hours.

A judicial enquiry would be held into the mishap, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan announced.

The service of a Kerala High Court sitting judge would be sought for the probe, Achuthanandan told reporters here.

News Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/toll-mounts-to-39-in-kerala-boat-accident/523365/

At Least 200 Die as Quake Hits Indonesia Island

HONG KONG — The Indonesian city of Padang was in chaos on Thursday — fires burning, dazed residents wandering the streets, thousands of people reportedly trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings — after a powerful earthquake struck the island of Sumatra.

The quake, which hit Wednesday evening just off Padang with a magnitude of 7.6, has killed at least 200 people, according to Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency. The death toll was almost certain to rise, he said, as rescuers dug into collapsed homes, hospitals, offices and a school.

On Thursday morning, just as the airport was reopening and rescue teams were setting to their heavy, horrible work, the city was rattled by another quake, this one registering 6.6.

The epicenter was 140 miles southeast of the Padang quake, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center quickly issued a bulletin saying that the quake had struck “too far inland to generate a destructive tsunami in the Indian Ocean.”

Padang, a port city of 900,000, is on the west-central coast of Sumatra, Indonesia’s largest island. The western coast is stippled with dozens of volcanoes, and Padang also sits alongside the Sunda Trench, part of the notorious Ring of Fire, the volatile network of volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches that partly encircle the Pacific Basin. The ring — and Sumatra in particular — is a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Elsewhere in the basin, on Tuesday, an underwater earthquake measuring 8.0 created a tsunami that sent massive walls of water crashing into the islands of Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

Reports from government officials, the police, aid workers and news agencies showed Thursday that at least 122 people had been killed by the tsunami — 83 on Samoa, 30 on American Samoa and 9 on Tonga.

There also were reports of 145 people injured, some of them critically, and dozens of villages were demolished throughout the islands. Many beachside resorts were wiped out, along with homes, boats and businesses. Widespread devastation also was seen on television footage from the American Samoan capital, Pago Pago.

“It is the worst one we have had,” said Lilo Malava, the police commissioner of Samoa, in a telephone interview.

The tsunami — described by the governor of American Samoa as a series of four major waves — arrived with so little warning that many residents and tourists were caught unawares.

Filipo Ilaoa, deputy director of the American Samoa office in Honolulu, said that the tsunami struck the territory’s coast in “a matter of minutes” after the quake and that many residents would not have had much time to run for higher ground.

“American Samoa is a small island, and most of the residents are around the coastline,” he said. “There was no warning or anything at all. By the time the alert was out of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, it had already hit.”

New Zealand and Australia dispatched cargo flights and observation planes to the Samoas. And President Barack Obama authorized federal funds to supplement local relief and recovery efforts on American Samoa, a U.S. territory.

The epicenters of the Samoan and Indonesian quakes were located about 6,000 miles apart but brought back vivid memories of the horrific tsunami that ravaged South Asia and Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. Nearly a quarter-million people across the Indian Ocean region were killed.

The undersea earthquake that caused the Samoan tsunami and the Wednesday-evening quake in Indonesia, while from similar causes, were not directly connected, according to Julie Dutton, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado.

Both occurred in spots where one plate of the earth’s crust is subducting, or sliding beneath another plate. In spots, the two plates can become stuck until accumulating pressure leads to a sudden heaving release of energy. Under the sea, if the quake is around a magnitude of 8.0 or stronger and the seabed shifts in a way that moves a lot of water, the result is the high-energy waves of a tsunami.

The deeper the epicenter under the seabed, the less potential there is for a tsunami. In Sumatra, the depth of the epicenter was 49.7 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey. In Samoa, it was just 11.2 miles below the seabed. For coastal areas close to the epicenter of a strong undersea earthquake, there is also little time for a formal tsunami warning to be sounded, Ms. Dutton said.

The United States was concentrating its rescue efforts on American Samoa, sending two cargo planes from Honolulu to the area on Wednesday, said Craig Fugate, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We’re looking at both an airlift and a sealift,” Mr. Fugate told reporters in a conference call. “This will not be a short-term response.”

Mr. Fugate said that it was clear the tsunami had caused a “major disaster” but that it was too early for his office to provide or confirm estimates of deaths, injuries or property damage.

In Sumatra on Wednesday, officials feared the death toll was likely to rise. Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency, said Thursday that at least 200 people had died.

News Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/world/asia/02quake.html

Tsunami slams Samoa islands after 8.0 quake

Dozens reported dead after temblor-generated waves strike

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa - A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore on Samoa and American Samoa early Tuesday, flattening villages, killing at least 39 people and leaving dozens of workers missing at devastated National Park Service facilities.

Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning water as survivors fled to high ground, where they remained huddled hours later. Signs of devastation were everywhere, with a giant boat getting washed ashore and coming to rest on the edge of a highway and floodwaters swallowing up cars and homes.

American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono said at least 50 were injured, in addition to the deaths.

Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to assess the casualties and damage. But the death toll seemed sure to rise, with dead bodies already piling up at a hospital in Samoa.

The quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn about 20 miles below the ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people. The country of Samoa is to the west of American Samoa.

Late Tuesday, President Obama declared a major disaster in American Samoa. The declaration provides federal aid to supplement local recovery efforts.

National park damaged
The territory is home to a U.S. national park that appeared to be especially hard-hit. Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, Calif., said the superintendent of the park and another staffers had been able to locate only a fifth of the park's 13 to 15 employees and 30 to 50 volunteers.

Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet high roared ashore soon afterward, reaching up to a mile inland. Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, Calif., said Reynolds spoke to officials from under a coconut tree uphill from Pago Pago Harbor and reported that the park's visitor center and offices appeared to have been destroyed.

Bundock said Reynolds and another park service staffer had been able to locate only 20 percent of the park's 13 to 15 employees and 30 to 50 volunteers.
Residents in both Samoa and American Samoa reported being shaken awake by the quake, which lasted two to three minutes. The initial quake was followed by at least three aftershocks of at least 5.6 magnitude.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a general alert from American Samoa to New Zealand; Tonga suffered some coastal damage from 13-foot waves.

Japan's Meteorological Agency also issued a tsunami warning all along that country's eastern coast.

Mase Akapo, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in American Samoa, said at least 19 people were killed in four different villages on the main island of Tutuila. He had no additional details.
In neighboring Samoa, an Associated Press reporter saw the bodies of about 20 victims in a hospital at Lalomanu town on the south coast of the main island of Upolu, and said the surrounding tourist coast had been devastated. At least three villages were flattened.

‘It was very quick’
An unspecified number of fatalities and injuries were reported in the Samoan village of Talamoa.

New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled.

"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here."

Barry Rose, the owner of the Coconuts Beach Club in Samoa, told NBC News that his hotel took a direct hit, with several buildings completely destroyed. He said one guest was unaccounted for and one member of his staff was in the hospital with minor injuries. All guests have been evacuated either to the hospital or to other hotels on the island, he said.

He said the wave hit less than a minute after warning sirens went off.

News Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33075304/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Obama Urged to Ready Tougher Iran Sanctions, Military Strike

The U.S. should begin preparing crippling sanctions on Iran and publicly make clear that a military strike is possible should the Iranian government press ahead with its nuclear effort, a bipartisan policy group said.

“If biting sanctions do not persuade the Islamic Republic to demonstrate sincerity in negotiations and give up its enrichment activities, the White House will have to begin serious consideration of the option of a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities,” said the study from the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington.

The report was written by Charles Robb, a former Democratic senator from Virginia; Daniel Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana who also served as ambassador to Germany, and retired General Charles Wald, the former deputy commander of U.S. European command. Their assessment comes as the U.S. prepares to participate in preliminary talks with Iran on Oct. 1 designed to gauge its commitment to address concerns about its nuclear aims.

The report echoes the Obama administration’s conclusion that Iran’s atomic work is approaching a destabilizing point at which it may be able to build a bomb.

Coats, Robb and Wald write that Iran will have enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon by next year, “leaving little time for the United States to prevent both a nuclear- weapons capable Islamic Republic and an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.”

Gasoline Sanction

The authors back a bill that would sanction foreign companies that export gasoline to Iran, if negotiations fail. They say the administration should have prepared “sufficient financial, political and military pressure” before agreeing to negotiations.

The U.S. will dispatch its undersecretary of state for political affairs, William Burns, to the Oct. 1 meeting with U.S. allies and Iran without conditions. Iran has said its nuclear program is closed for discussion. The State Department said yesterday it will use the meeting to outline the consequences of Iran proceeding with a nuclear program.

The U.S. and its allies on the United Nations Security Council plus Germany have pushed Iran to accept a suspension of sanctions in exchange for Iran’s halt to uranium enrichment.

Iran has expanded its nuclear stockpile to 1,430 kilograms of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride compared to 75 kilograms in December 2007, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has also almost doubled its number of centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz since 2007.

Deadline Proposed

The authors say a deadline of 60 days should be set for determining Iran’s seriousness once it commits to negotiations. If those negotiations fail, the administration should toughen sanctions and “prepare overtly for any military option.”

Such preparations could include deploying an additional aircraft carrier battle group to the waters off Iran and conducting joint exercises with U.S. allies.

In the absence of U.S. action, Israel is more likely to strike, the authors argue, saying that an Israeli strike “entails more risks than a U.S. strike.”

Israeli officials say that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose a threat to their country’s existence.

News Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aGXuRWqsEFos

Facebook launches Facebook Lite 11

Social networking site Facebook has launched a slimmed down version, called Facebook Lite available at Lite.Facebook.com that offers its users limited options like writing on their wall, posting photos and videos, viewing events and browsing other people's profiles, but no applications.

Lite doesn't run any of the tens of thousands of external applications built for Facebook's main site. More than 1 million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries have created about 350,000 active applications for Facebook, which has become the most popular social-networking site in the world.

According to Facebook, Lite could help attract new users. "We have found that people who are new to Facebook tend to be most interested in a simpler experience, and focus on establishing their network of friends and communicating with them by writing on their walls, sending messages, and looking at pictures. We have introduced the Lite site with these new users in mind," the company said in a statement. Lite lets people post and share videos, photos and events, as well as exchange one-on-one messages.

According to the company, Facebook Lite is for people with slow or poor internet connections and will be faster and simpler because it offers fewer services than the main site. Currently, the new service is available only in India and US.

Facebook has also announced a new feature that would allow its users to tag their friends in status updates using the @ symbol. According to Facebook, the new feature will be rolled out over the next few weeks and help users share in a more meaningful and engaging way.

News Source: http://www.domain-b.com/brand_dossier/adv_brnd/20090914_networking.html

New Bin Laden Tape Calls Obama Powerless to Stop Afghanistan War

A new audio message, directed at the American people - purported to be from al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden - claims the President Barack Obama will find himself powerless to halt the American-led war in Afghanistan.

The latest audio recording, attributed to Bin Laden, again attempts to justify al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001, terror attack on the United States as being part of the group's quest for the liberation of Palestine.

The tape was provided by an American-based firm - IntelCenter, which monitors terrorist propaganda. It says the 11-minute video shows a still picture of bin Laden while audio of the address plays.

In the recording, the man identified as Bin Laden reiterates long-standing grievances including American support for Israel and "some other injustices."

He puts forward a reading list of recent books, including one by a former CIA agent, which the tape says will clarify the "message" of the terrorist attack eight years ago.

The recording notes that the Obama administration includes key figures from the previous Bush administration, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The voice, believed to be that of Bin Laden, thus concludes President Obama is a weakened man and powerless to change course in Afghanistan because of "pressure groups." And, if he tries, the tape says "his fate will be feared" to be like that of the assassinated President John Kennedy and his brother, Robert.

It is the first message believed to be from the reclusive terrorist leader since one in June, in which bin Laden accused President Obama of sowing new seeds of hatred against America among Muslims.

The United States now has about 60,000 troops in Afghanistan - the largest contingent in the 42-nation international force.

Following the September 2001 attack, the United States invaded to oust the Taliban from power in Kabul.

The Taliban had given safe haven to al-Qaeda, which had carried out the hijacking of four airliners to attack New York and Washington, in which more than 3,000 people died.

Bin Laden is believed to be in hiding in Pakistan, along the remote mountainous terrain border with Afghanistan. Pakistani leaders have recently said they believe the terrorist leader is dead. But top American officials say there is no credible evidence to confirm that.

The audio recording, posted on the on an Islamic website, includes a undated photograph of the al-Qaeda leader. There is also a scene of a banner with an American flag in the background and the New York City skyline with the destroyed World Trade Center twin towers.

No fresh images of Bin Laden appear. He was last seen in video that coincided with the sixth anniversary of the 9/11 attack.

News Source: http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-09-14-voa4.cfm

Nehra bowls India into Tri-series finals

India left-armers Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh shared six wickets on Friday to take their team to a six wicket win over New Zealand and a place in the Tri-series final against hosts Sri Lanka.

After dismissing New Zealand for 155 from 46.3 overs, India reached their target in the 41st over.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (35 not out) and Suresh Raina (45 not out) shared an unbroken 72-run stand for the fifth wicket after they had lost their first four wickets for 84. Sachin Tendulkar contributed 46 off 55 balls.

New Zealand, who won the toss, failed to find any momentum.

Man-of-the-match Nehra trapped openers Jessie Ryder and Brendon McCullum lbw off successive overs with McCullum's dismissal giving him his 100th wicket in one-day internationals.

After the initial damage had been done by Nehra, the left-arm spin of Yuvraj crippled the New Zealand middle order. Yuvraj ended with figures of three for 31 and Nehra with three for 24.

India will play Sri Lanka in their second match on Saturday in what will be a dress rehearsal for Monday's final.

News Source: http://in.reuters.com/article/cricketNews/idINIndia-42402320090912

5 students killed in stampede in Delhi; CM orders probe

Five children were killed and 27 injured on Thursday in a stampede in a flooded government school in the Capital. Thirty-one of the victims were girls. The stampede was sparked by rumours that electric current had leaked into the water that had flooded the school, police said.

The incident took place in a government-run school in Khajuri Khas in northeast Delhi in the morning.

The heavy rain from Wednesday evening had left the school premises flooded and when the children were inside a rumour went around that the ankle-deep water was charged with electricity. The children panicked and started running helter-skelter, leading to a stampede on a staircase, a police official said.

Confirming the number of dead and injured, Joint Commissioner of Police Dharmendra Kumar said the injured have been admitted to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital.

The Principal had asked the students to vacate the school building, causing panic among the kids. This led to a stampede in which five schoolgirls were killed and 27 injured. Shiela Dikshit visited the injured kids who have been admitted to Delhi's GTB hospital. She has ordered an independent enquiry into the stampede.

News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/News/newdelhi/5-students-killed-in-stampede-in-Delhi-CM-orders-probe/Article1-452170.aspx

Obama Speech to School Children: Truth & Lies

As President Obama gets ready to address the US school children, many rumour-stricken parents, however, have decided not to let their children listen to the President's speech as its allegedly a propaganda to spread socialist ideals in the country.

The rumours became a deluge, when Jim Greer, who is the Florida Republican Party Chairman forewarned the citizens that Obama would be trying to use the speech to spread his socialist ideologies and liberal lies.

However, rumours always have a way of influencing and so many parents have requested the school to keep their runs away during the Obama speech, which will be telecasted live and schools have been asked to make arrangements for the screening.

The White House website, states that the speech is meant to welcome to American student back to school after the summer break and would be an extra motivation, as the president would urge the youngsters to work hard on their education.

"In this message he'll urge students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it," reads the White House website.

But as rumours started bouncing on the television
and the Internet, the Obama administration quickly made available a copy of the speech over the President's website dispelling all false claims. Even Jim Greer, who first speculated the rumors agreed after reading the speech found nothing to criticize and the speech is fine in its "current form."

Of the 50 million schoolchildren, however, many affected by the false won't be watching the speech. Meanwhile, some 15,000 school districts are preparing to air the speech to the children; the schools also have been asked to make other arrangements for those whose parents didn't want their children to view the speech.

News Source: http://living.oneindia.in/insync/2009/barack-obama-speech-school-children-090909.html

Bomb scare in Delhi areas, Safdarjung Hospital evacuated

Panic spread in the national capital on Tuesday with bomb scares being reported from four crowded places, the New Delhi Railway Station, the Safdarjung Hospital as well as the high rise Palika Kendra and Vikas Minar.

The sprawling Safdarjung Hospital in south Delhi was being evacuated.

Intensive searches were also underway at the New Delhi Railway Station, Palika Kendra in Connaught Place and at Vikas Minar near ITO.

"Police got a call in the morning and all precautions were taken. The building was evacuated," NDMC spokesperson Anand Tiwari told IANS.

Police said the call at Safdarjung Hospital was received at 9.30 am and the bomb disposal squad was combing the complex, a police official said.

News Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Bomb-scare-in-Delhi-areas-Safdarjung-Hospital-evacuated/H1-Article1-451461.aspx