Deadly weather strikes Turkey
22/11/2009 at 17:36 | In General News MWNG, World News | Leave a CommentTags: deadly weather strikes turkey, turkey, weather turkey
One Turkish family has reasons to love their neighbours this weekend.
Just seconds before their house disintegrated before their eyes, a friend rang to tell them to get out fast, or they too would have been victims of atrocious weather that has hit Turkey.
Others were not so lucky. Two people died in another nearby house after a giant boulder dislodged by torrential rain crashed into it.
At least another two people died in separate incidents along the Black sea coast, which often suffers from landslides when subjected to heavy rain.
At altitude, it has been snow. A bus travelling from Baybut to Erzurum was stuck in an avalanche for 39 hours before rescuers were able to get to it and save 18 students, just before the search was abandoned.
A number of rivers have burst their banks adding flooding to the problems rescue workers have to deal with.
in: http://www.euronews.net/2009/11/22/deadly-weather-strikes-turkey/
Iran war games to defend nuclear sites
22/11/2009 at 17:34 | In General News MWNG, World News | Leave a CommentTags: iran, iran nuclear, iran war games to defend nuclear sites
Iran has begun five days of large-scale war games to simulate attacks on its nuclear sites, officials said, warning it will retaliate if provoked.
The head of Iran’s air defence said the aim of the exercises was to thwart aerial reconnaissance and air attacks.
Another official warned Tehran would retaliate with a missile strike on Tel Aviv, if it was attacked by Israel.
Iran is under intense pressure over its nuclear programme, which critics say is intended to produce nuclear weapons.
The US and Israel have not ruled out the prospect of a military attack to prevent Iran developing nuclear bombs. Tehran insists its programme is peaceful.
Annihilation warning
The head of Iran’s air defence, Brig Gen Ahmad Mighani, told state media the aim of the war games, which will cover an area of 600,000 sq km (230,000 sq miles), was “to display Iran’s combat readiness and military potentials.
“Due to the threats against our nuclear facilities it is our duty to defend out nation’s vital facilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mojhtaba Zolnoor, an aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned Iran would respond to any Israeli attack.
“If the enemy attacks Iran, our missiles will strike Tel Aviv,” he was quoted as saying by the official Irna news agency.
The commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards’ air force wing said Iran’s air defence forces would “annihilate” Israeli warplanes if they attacked.
“Their [Israeli] F-15 and F-16 fighters will be trapped by our air defence forces and will be annihilated,” Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Iran’s Fars news agency.
“Even if their planes escape and land at the bases from which they took off, their bases will be struck by our destructive surface-to-surface missiles.”
Deal in doubt
The exercises come as the UN Security Council’s permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – plus Germany, urge Tehran to reconsider its rejection of a proposal that would see some of its nuclear material being enriched outside Iran and returned as fuel rods.
The deal – brokered by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency – envisages Iran sending about 70% of its low-enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would be processed into fuel rods for a research reactor in Tehran.
Such a process would prevent Iran enriching uranium to the degree necessary to make a bomb, the UN says.
But Iran has rejected a key part of the deal, seeking further guarantees.
The UN Security Council has called on Iran to stop uranium enrichment and has approved three rounds of sanctions – covering trade in nuclear material, as well as financial and travel restrictions.
Final four win through in Europe
20/11/2009 at 12:33 | In Football News MWNG, Sport News MWNG | Leave a CommentTags: 2010 fifa world cup, 2010 world cup, final four win through in europe, france in 2010 world cup, greece in 2010 world cup, portugal in 2010 world cup, slovenia in 2010 world cup
The last remaining tickets to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ from the European Zone were handed out on Wednesday as France, Portugal, Slovenia and Greece won their play-off ties against Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia and Ukraine respectively.
Those four teams will join up with nine more sides from the Old Continent next summer, in the shape of qualifying group winners Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and the Netherlands.
Ukraine 0-1 Greece (first leg 0-0)
Goal: Dimitrios Salpingidis 31 (Greece)
The story of the game
‘King Otto’ struck again thanks to a 4-5-1 formation which featured a forward on either flank behind lone striker Angelos Charisteas. Otto Rehhagel’s men went ahead just beyond the half-hour and held on to stun their hosts, who focused all their efforts around feeding Andriy Shevchenko and lacked the imagination to truly trouble Greece’s solid rearguard. The visitors’ performance recalled their opportunistic displays on the road to UEFA EURO 2004 glory as they booked a spot in only their second-ever FIFA World Cup finals.
The key moment
Greece broke quickly from the back with just over 30 minutes played and as they looked to get forward at pace, Georgios Samaras picked out Dimitrios Salpingidis on the edge of the area with a fine through pass. The Panathinaikos striker, who finished top scorer in the Greek league in 2006, was then able to tap a left-footed effort past Andriy Pyatov and inside the far post.
The man of the match
Now 32, Georgios Karagounis remains as sprightly as ever. The Greece captain reigned supreme in midfield, ordering his defenders into position, orchestrating counter-attacks with his trademark vision and tackling with determination. This may have been his 90th cap since 1999, but Karagounis played with the hunger of a player ten years younger.
Slovenia 1-0 Russia (first leg 1-2)
Goal: Zlatko Dedic 44 (Slovenia)
The story of the game
Slovenia went through the entire group phase without suffering a loss or even conceding a goal in Maribor and they continued in the same vein in what was an intense physical duel. Russia finished with nine players and were never able to impose their will on the match, falling into the trap of failing to keep their cool while also wasting their chances. In contrast, Matjaz Kek’s men enjoyed fewer opportunities but proved more efficient to qualify on away goals for the second FIFA World Cup of their young history. As for Guus Hiddink, he narrowly missed out on qualifying for a fourth consecutive final tournament at the helm of a different team.
The key moment
Moments before half-time, Valter Birsa swung in a probing pass from the right towards two of his team-mates and a pair of Russian defenders. Making space for himself between both markers, Zlatko Dedic connected with the ball to poke it beyond Igor Afinkeev.
The man of the match
West Bromwich Albion midfielder Robert Koren worked exceedingly hard for the full 90 minutes as he set the tempo for the whole team. Winning his 43rd cap, the 29-year-old can never have put in a more complete performance.
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-1 Portugal (first leg 0-1)
Goal: Raul Meireles 56 (Portugal)
The story of the game
Facing a highly motivated Bosnia-Herzegovina side, Portugal showed real maturity to come out on top. Never letting themselves be ruffled, they rode out the early storm and slowly began to make their superior technique tell against their physically powerful opponents. As time ticked away, Miroslav Blazevic’s troops increasingly lost their focus and they finished the match a man down after Sejad Salihovic saw red on 77 minutes. Portugal can now look forward to contesting their fifth FIFA World Cup finals and their third in a row.
The key moment
With almost an hour gone, Nani did well to take himself away from two defenders before sliding a ball across to the unmarked Raul Meireles. The Porto player needed no further prompting and confidently fired his team ahead with a shot into the corner.
The man of the match
Portugal’s most dangerous initiatives all seemed to come from Nani, the Manchester United winger setting up his side’s goal as well as unleashing a number of shots that troubled goalkeeper Kenan Hasagic. His excellent technique on the ball also allowed him to hold on to possession and slowly extinguish the Bosnians’ ardour.
France 1-1 Republic of Ireland (first leg 1-0)
Goals: William Gallas 103 (France); Robbie Keane 32 (Republic of Ireland)
The story of the game
Hosts France were kept completely quiet in the first half by an Ireland team burning with passion, conviction and the desire to battle for every ball. Robbie Keane’s strike not long after the half-hour was just reward for the efforts the visitors had put in and it took heroics from France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to limit the damage to one goal. Les Bleus came into the contest after the break but remained vulnerable to Irish attacks, meaning the tie had to be resolved in extra time, when William Gallas equalised to send his team through to their fourth consecutive finals.
The key moment
After 180 hard-fought minutes, the fate of both teams was decided by a moment of drama in extra time when Gallas bundled the ball home to win the match for Les Bleus after being set up by Thierry Henry, who later admitted that he had handled in the build-up.
Yet, depsite the goal, the outcome remained in the balance until the very last second, and when the final whistle was blown the disappointed Irish could hold their heads up high.
The man of the match
France have long been looking for a successor to Fabien Barthez and they have found the perfect candidate in Hugo Lloris. In this game, as in the opening leg, the Lyon No1 bolstered his burgeoning reputation with a string of top-class saves.
in: http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1136903.html#final+four+through+europe
Kosovo votes for first time since ‘independence’
15/11/2009 at 17:17 | In General News MWNG, World News | Leave a CommentTags: elections, kosovo, kosovo elections, kosovo votes for first time since independence
Kosovo is holding its first election since its self-declaration of independence from Serbia.
Authorities hope free and fair local ballots will persuade more countries to recognise Kosovo as its own sovereign state.
There are doubts over whether ethnic Serbs, many of whom still see Kosovo as a part of Serbia, will vote. But the Kosovar prime minister remains optimistic. Hashim Thaci said after casting his ballot:
“I’m sure we will have success and we appreciate very much the participation of all citizens, in particular the Serbs of Kosovo. Now we’re building a country of democratic standards and a multi-ethnic society with a clear vision of EU integration.”
Serbs make up less than six percent of Kosovo’s population but are concentrated in communities in towns like Mitrovica and Gracanica.
The dilemma for many Serbs is that if they don’t cast their ballots in these local elections, they risk losing their say over health and education in these districts to the ethnic Albanian majority.
Momcilo Trajkovic is a Serb leader and candidate for the mayor of Caglavica. He believes Serbs will make the most of their democratic rights:
“This vote shows that people are encouraged and that the grip of fear imposed by some groups is loosening. Serbia is sending the message that no-one will be punished and that everyone can express his own political will,” he said.
Nonetheless, with authorities keen for the day to run smoothly, security has been stepped up in Serb areas, where some fear reprisals if they go to cast their ballots.
in: http://www.euronews.net/2009/11/15/kosovo-votes-for-first-time-since-independence/
Brazil and France in climate deal
14/11/2009 at 23:34 | In General News MWNG, World News | Leave a CommentTags: brazil, brazil and france in climate deal, brazil france climate deal, climat, climate deal, france
Brazil and France have agreed a common position on fighting global warming before next month’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen.
They will pursue the goal of reducing industrialised nations’ emissions to 50% below 1990 levels by 2050.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the move in Paris.
It comes days after Britain said it was highly unlikely that a legally binding climate treaty can be agreed this year.
The climate conference, in the Danish capital from 7 to 18 December, aims to create a successor to the 1997 Kyoto treaty limiting carbon emissions.
But British Climate Secretary Ed Miliband said only a political deal was likely.
Developing countries reacted with frustration and disappointment to his comments.
Negotiations so far have been clouded by disputes between rich and developing nations, particularly about who will be financing a new climate deal.
Last week, finance ministers from G20 countries said they “recognised the need to increase significantly and urgently the scale and predictability of finance” and “that finance will play an important role in the delivery of the outcome at Copenhagen”.
But on new ideas on how to raise money and manage it – and of new commitments – there was nothing, the BBC’s environment correspondent Richard Black says.
‘Climate bible’
At a news conference in Paris, Mr Sarkozy praised Brazil for being “the first developing country to put its proposals on the table”, and urged on other nations to follow its example going into the Copenhagen conference.
President Lula said the document he had signed with Mr Sarkozy was “more than a declaration of intent, it is a climate bible”.
It comes after Brazil said it aimed to cut its carbon emissions by at least 36% by the year 2020.
Amid the ongoing deadlock in negotiations preceding the conference, both presidents said they would attend the Copenhagen summit, and urged the United States and China to get behind strong measures.
The two leaders said they would try to drum up wider support for their initiative before the meeting.
Britain again under fire for Iraqi abuses
14/11/2009 at 23:32 | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: britain again under fire for iraqi abuses, iraq, military scandal at iraq, scandal, scandal at iraq
New claims that British troops have been involved in brutality, torture and rape in Iraq have been made to the defence ministry in London.
It says it is investigating 33 new cases brought to its attention by lawyer Phil Shiner, who has been acting for Iraqi detainees.
The alleged abuses all took place after 2003, and include for the first time accusations against female soldiers that they aided in the physical and sexual abuse of detainees.
“As the prime minister rightly says these are not to be taken as facts, they are allegations but it needs to be tested before a judge in public so we know once and for all what it is we need to change so that we can make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” said Shiner.
What could develop into Britain’s Abu Ghraib will be taken seriously promises Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but his armed forces minister warned against making premature judgements, and said not all the cases were new.
One claim involves a 16 year-old boy who says he was raped by soldiers while in custody; another relates how soldiers supposedly piled prisoners on top of each other and subjected them to electric shocks.
in: http://www.euronews.net/2009/11/14/britain-again-under-fire-for-iraqi-abuses/
9/11 suspects to stand trial in New York
14/11/2009 at 00:45 | In General News MWNG, USA News MWNG, World News | Leave a CommentTags: 9/11, 9/11 suspects to stand trial in new york, al qaeda, terrorism, terrorism america, terrorism united states, terrorism united states of america, terrorism usa
T
he five suspected plotters of the 9/11 2001 attacks in the US, including the alleged mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are to receive a full civilian trial.
The American Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed the alleged conspirators would be tried in New York.
Holder also said the authorities would seek the maximum possible punishment.
“These were extraordinary crimes and so we will seek maximum penalties…. I fully expect to direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty against each of the alleged 9/11 conspirators,” Holder said.
The US military says Sheikh Mohammed has admitted to the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, the worst ever terrorist atrocities on American soil.
Currently the accused are being held in Guantanomo Bay military prison in Cuba.
The move to transfer the men is being seen as a breakthrough for the White House, which has made closing down the controversial holding facility a top priority.
in: http://www.euronews.net/2009/11/13/911-suspects-to-stand-trial-in-new-york/
‘Significant’ water found on Moon
14/11/2009 at 00:43 | In General News MWNG, Science News MWNG | Leave a CommentTags: moon, significant water found on moon, water moon, water on moon
Nasa’s experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, US scientists have announced.
The space agency smashed a rocket and a probe into a large crater at the lunar south pole, hoping to kick up ice.
Scientists who have studied the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume saw copious quantities of water-ice and water vapour.
One researcher described this as the equivalent of “a dozen two-gallon buckets” of water.
“We didn’t just find a little bit; we found a significant amount,” said Anthony Colaprete, chief scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission.
No doubt
October’s experiment involved driving a 2,200kg Centaur rocket stage into the 100km-wide Cabeus Crater, a permanently shadowed depression at the Moon’s far south.
At the time, scientists were hoping for a big plume of debris some 10km high which could be seen by Earth telescopes.
The actual debris cloud was much smaller, about 1.6km high, but sufficiently large to betray the evidence researchers were seeking.
The near-infrared spectrometer on the LCROSS probe that followed the rocket into the crater detected water-ice and water vapour. The ultraviolet-visible spectrometer provided additional confirmation by identifying the hydroxyl (OH) molecule, which arises when water is broken apart in sunlight.
“We were able to match the spectra from LCROSS data only when we inserted the spectra for water,” Dr Colaprete said.
“No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out.”
Useful resource
The total quantity of H2O spied by the instruments was more than 100kg. It came out of a 20m-30m wide hole dug up by the impacting Centaur rocket.
The LCROSS scientists stressed that the results presented on Friday were preliminary findings only, and further analysis could raise the final assessment of the amount of water in Cabeus.
Peter Schultz, from Brown University and a co-investigator on the LCROSS mission, said: “What’s really exciting is we’ve only hit one spot. It’s kind of like when you’re drilling for oil. Once you find it in one place, there’s a greater chance you’ll find more nearby.”
The regular surface of the Moon as seen from Earth is drier than any desert on our planet. But researchers have long speculated that some permanently shadowed places might harbour considerable stores of water, perhaps delivered by impacting comets billions of years ago.
If future investigations find the quantities to be particularly large, this water could become a useful resource for any astronauts who might base themselves at the lunar poles.
“It can be used for drinking water,” said Mike Wargo, Nasa’s chief lunar scientist for exploration systems.
“You can break it down and have breathable air for crews. But also, if you have significant quantities of this stuff, you have the constituents of one of the most potent rocket fuels – oxygen and hydrogen.”
In September, data from three spacecraft, including India’s Chandrayaan probe, showed that very fine films of H2O coat the particles that make up lunar soil.
Scientists behind that finding speculated that this water might migrate to the even cooler poles, much as water vapour on Earth will condense on a cold surface.
This cold sink effect could be supplementing any water delivered by comets, they said.
If cometary material did reside in places like Cabeus Crater it would be fascinating to examine it, commented Greg Delory, from the University of California, Berkeley.
“The surfaces in these permanently shadowed areas, such as the one LCROSS impacted, are very cold,” he told reporters.
“That means that they tend to trap and keep things that encounter them – compounds, atoms and so forth. And so they act as record keepers over periods as long as several billion years. They have a story to tell about the history of the Moon and the Solar System.”
LCROSS was launched by Nasa on 18 June as part of a double mission which included the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
The latter, which continues to circle the Moon, measured a temperature of minus 230 Celsius at the base of Cabeus Crater.
Robert Enke died
11/11/2009 at 00:12 | In Football News MWNG, Sport News MWNG | Leave a CommentTags: enke, robert enke, robert enke died
German football is in shock after it was confirmed goalkeeper Robert Enke was killed in an incident at a railway level crossing on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old was struck by a regional train travelling between Norddeich and Hanover at a railway crossing in Neustadt am Rubenberge and died at the scene, police have confirmed.
Enke leaves behind his wife, Teresa, and an eight-month-old daughter who the couple had adopted in May.
The Enkes lost their own daughter Lara in 2006 when she died of a rare heart condition at the age of just two.
On the field, Enke’s career had taken him from his local side Jena into the Bundesliga with Borussia Monchengladbach before spells abroad with Benfica, Barcelona, Fenerbahce and Tenerife.
He returned to the Bundesliga, joining Hannover in 2004 and earning his first cap for Germany on March 28, 2007 after impressing year after year for his club.
He went on to make eight appearances for Germany and was regarded as the favourite to be their number one at the World Cup in South Africa next summer, but a mysterious bacterial infection forced him out of their World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in September.
He only recently recovered from the illness and made his return for Hannover in their Bundesliga win over Cologne on October 31.
However, he was omitted from the Germany squad for their upcoming friendly matches against Chile on Saturday and the Ivory Coast next Wednesday.
Germany coach Joachim Low nevertheless insisted that Enke was one of the favourites to be his number one in South Africa, saying that the decision to leave him out of his squad was “not a decision against, but rather a decision for Robert”.
His national team colleagues learned the tragic news after training in Bonn on Tuesday.
“We are all shocked,” said Germany’s general manager Oliver Bierhoff. “We are lost for words.”
The president of the German Football Association (DFB) Dr Theo Zwanziger added that he and the rest of the football community in Germany “are stunned and in mourning”.
“All our sympathy goes to the wife of Robert Enke and his family,” he added on the DFB’s website.
Enke’s death may force a postponement of Saturday’s game against Chile.
Fans were flocking to Hannover’s Niedersachsen Stadion tonight where they were laying flowers and lighting candles at the gates in memory of their captain who had dedicated himself to the club since joining in 2004.
A press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday at 12:30pm when more light will be shed on the death of one of Germany’s most respected and talented footballers.
text at: http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,7555_5687470,00.html
picture at: http://goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/11/10/1617286/dietmar-hamann-saddened-by-robert-enke-death
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