Revolutionising Awareness

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UN says at least 3,500 killed in Syria crackdown

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/un-says-least-3-500-killed-syria-crackdown-101719585.html

By JOHN HEILPRIN – Associated Press | AP – 21 hrs ago

GENEVA (AP) — Syria‘s nearly eight-month-old uprising has cost at least 3,500 civilian lives, the United Nations reported Tuesday, in a tally based on figures gathered outside the country.

That includes dozens killed since last week’s Arab League-brokered peace plan, and the passing of a major Muslim holiday on Sunday, according to the U.N. human rights office.

Ravina Shamdasani — a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — said “more than 60 people are reported to have been killed by Syrian security forces since Syria signed the peace plan” sponsored by the league.

She told reporters in Geneva the tally includes 19 killed on Sunday during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice.

The U.N. figures are conservative and based on “credible sources on the ground,” though the agency itself has no one posted in the country, Shamdasani said.

The government has largely sealed off the country from foreign journalists and prevented independent reporting, but amateur videos posted online and details gathered by activist groups have been filtering out.

Damascus had agreed under the Arab League plan to pull tanks and armored vehicles out of cities, release political prisoners and allow journalists and rights groups into the country.

Despite the release of more than 500 detainees on the eve of Eid al-Adha, Shamdasani said “tens of thousands continue to remain in detention and dozens are reported to be arbitrarily arrested and detained.”

As a result, she said, the U.N. human rights office is “deeply concerned” that the violence continues unabated as the government continues to use tanks and armored vehicles to attack some areas.

Activists have reported that fresh attacks by Syrian troops on Tuesday morning killed two people in a rebellious neighborhood in the central Syrian city of Homs, as the military struggles to consolidate control over the district.

A key opposition group, the Syrian National Council, declared the city a “disaster area” on Monday and appealed for international intervention to protect civilians, as well as calling for Arab and international observers to oversee the situation on the ground. Homs has a population of some 800,000 and is some 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the capital, Damascus.

Despite increasing international pressure, President Bashar Assad still has a firm grip on power and has shown no signs of moving to stop the crackdown on the uprising against his regime since mid-March.

He blames the bloodshed on “armed gangs” and extremists acting out a foreign agenda to destabilize the regime, portraying himself as the lone force who can ward off the radicalism and sectarianism that have bedeviled neighbors in Iraq and Lebanon.

___

Zeina Karam and Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Beirut and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

Posted in War Quotient | Tagged: Arab League, Bashar al-Assad, Damascus, Eid Al Adha, Homs, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Syria, United Nations | Leave a Comment »

Thousands killed in Syria uprising

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/protests-in-syria-1311336246-slideshow/

The death toll in the Syrian uprising has soared to at least 3,500 people, the United Nations said, the result of a military crackdown that has bloodied city after city but failed to crush the 8-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad‘s regime.

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, waves to his supporters after he attended the prayer of Eid Al Adha, at the al-Nour Mosque in the

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, waves to his supporters after he attended the prayer of Eid Al Adha, at the al-Nour Mosque in the northern town of Raqqa, Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Syrians in the restive region of Homs performed special prayers for a major Muslim holiday to the sound of explosions and gunfire as government troops pushed forward their assault on the area, killing at least several people Sunday, residents and activists said. (AP Photo/SANA) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

In this citizen journalist's image made with a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, Syrian protesters stage a demonstration against the Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime at Mreidekh v

In this citizen journalist’s image made with a mobile phone and provided by Shaam News Network, Syrian protesters stage a demonstration against the Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime at Mreidekh village in Edlib province, northern Syria, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, according to the source. The crisis in Syria has burned since mid-March despite widespread condemnation and international sanctions aimed at chipping away at the ailing economy and isolating Assad and his tight circle of relatives and advisers. (AP Photo/Shaam News Network) EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO SALES, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS HANDOUT PHOTO

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, shakes hands with Syrian men, right, after the prayer of Eid al-Adha, at the al-Nour Mosque in the

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, shakes hands with Syrian men, right, after the prayer of Eid al-Adha, at the al-Nour Mosque in the northern town of Raqqa, Syria, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Syrians in the restive region of Homs performed special prayers for a major Muslim holiday to the sound of explosions and gunfire as government troops pushed forward their assault on the area, killing at least several people Sunday, residents and activists said. (AP Photo/SANA) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

A Syrian boy plays with his toy gun, in the old city of Damascus, Syria, Saturday Nov. 5, 2011. The head of the Arab League warned Saturday that the failure of an Arab-brokered plan to end the violence in Syria would have disastrous consequences, as new bloodshed fueled skepticism that the country’s autocratic regime is serious about halting its crackdown on dissenters. (AP Photo/Muzaffar Salman)

A protester joins demonstrations against the Syrian regime in London

A protester with his face painted in the Syrian flag colours protests against the regime of Syrian President, outside the Syrian embassy in London in October. Foreign Minister William Hague has called for “ever-increasing” international pressure, rather than military intervention, to end the violent repression in Syria

Children of Syrian ascent shout slogans as they wave the revolutionary Syrian flag and a Bulgarian flag during a rally against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Sofia, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The United Nations says 3,000 people have been killed in Syria in the seven months of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

An unidentified protestor seen behind a Bulgarian flag has his face painted with Bulgarian and the Syrian revolutionary flag as he attends protest against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Sofia, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The United Nations says 3,000 people have been killed in Syria in the seven months of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Sara, 12, shouts slogans during a rally against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Sofia, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The United Nations says 3,000 people

Sara, 12, shouts slogans during a rally against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Sofia, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The United Nations says 3,000 people have been killed in Syria in the seven months of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova))

Fathi, 23, a Syrian refugee has his face painted with Kurdish and the Syrian revolutionary flag as he attends a protest against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian e

Fathi, 23, a Syrian refugee has his face painted with Kurdish and the Syrian revolutionary flag as he attends a protest against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in front of the Syrian embassy in Sofia, on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. The United Nations says 3,000 people have been killed in Syria in the seven months of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova))

A protester faces riot police at Khalidia

A protester faces riot police at Khalidia, near Homs November 4, 2011. Syrian troops’ response to anti-government protests after Friday prayers will be a litmus test of the president’s agreement with the Arab League to stop shooting and open talks with the protesters, opposition leaders said. REUTERS/Handout (SYRIA – Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS

Soldiers are seen at an army checkpoint in Hula

Soldiers are seen at an army checkpoint in Hula, near Homs November 4, 2011. Syrian troops’ response to anti-government protests after Friday prayers will be a litmus test of the president’s agreement with the Arab League to stop shooting and open talks with the protesters, opposition leaders said. REUTERS/Handout (SYRIA – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Soldiers are seen at an army checkpoint in Hula

Demonstrators protesting against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula

Demonstrators protesting against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula, near Homs in this undated handout released November 4, 2011. Syrian troops’ response to anti-government protests after Friday prayers will be a litmus test of the president’s agreement with the Arab League to stop shooting and open talks with the protesters, opposition leaders said. REUTERS/Handout (SYRIA – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Demonstrators protesting against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula

Soldiers are seen at an army checkpoint in Hula

Demonstrators protesting against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula

Demonstrators protesting against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad gather in Hula, near Homs in this undated handout released November 4, 2011. Syrian troops’ response to anti-government protests after Friday prayers will be a litmus test of the president’s agreement with the Arab League to stop shooting and open talks with the protesters, opposition leaders said. REUTERS/Handout (SYRIA – Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

The UN says the crackdown has claimed 3,000 lives

Syrian anti-regime youths throw stones at security forces in the Damascus suburb of Qadam during protests against President Bashar al-Assad. Arab foreign ministers meet anew to step up pressure on Syria to end nearly eight months of deadly violence, as 14 more civilians were reportedly killed in the country. (AFP Photo/)

Indonesian activists hold posters during a rally against the government's crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Indonesian activists hold posters during a rally against the government’s crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

An Indonesian activist holds a poster during a protest against the government's crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

An Indonesian activist holds a poster during a protest against the government’s crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Indonesian activists hold posters during a rally against the government's crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Indonesian activists hold posters during a rally against the government’s crackdown on protests in Syria, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Oct. 28, 2011. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Crackdown on anti-regime protests in Syria since mid-March has left more than 3,000 dead, according to the UN

This photo, released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), shows Syrian security forces carrying the coffins of comrades, whom the agency said were killed in recent violence in the country, during a group funeral held outside the Tishrin military hospital in Damascus on October 24. (AFP Photo/)

US Senator John McCain addresses the second day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting by the Dead Sea

US Senator John McCain addresses the second day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting by the Dead Sea, 55 kms southeast of Amman. McCain raised the prospect Sunday of possible armed intervention to protect civilians in Syria where a crackdown on pro-democracy protests has killed more than 3,000 people. (AFP Photo/Khalil Mazraawi)

Lebanese security forces separate pro-Assad demonstrators in Beirut today from opponents of the Syrian regime

Syria’s under-fire president Sunday appointed two new governors in flashpoint provinces that have seen staunch protests against his regime, as security forces reportedly killed three more civilians. (AFP Photo/Anwar Amro)

Nabil el-Arabi, Secretary General of the Arab League

Nabil el-Arabi, Secretary General of the Arab League, pictured in July 2011. Arab foreign ministers on Sunday opened an emergency meeting in Cairo on the crisis in Syria where the UN says more than 3,000 people have been killed in a crackdown on anti-government protests. (AFP Photo/Mohamed Hossam)

William Hague and Lawrence Gonzi hold talks at his office at Auberge de Castille in Valletta

British Foreign Secretary William Hague (2nd L) and Malta’s Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi (4th R) hold talks at his office at Auberge de Castille in Valletta October 16, 2011. Hague arrived in Malta on Sunday evening to thank the Maltese government and people for their help during the Libya crisis and to discuss eurozone problems, according to local media. He also strongly condemned the regime in Syria, saying it was responsible for an appalling number of deaths and the way it handled protests was unacceptable. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi (MALTA – Tags: POLITICS) MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA

William Hague takes part in a joint news conference with Tonio Borg at the Foreign Ministry in Valletta

British Foreign Secretary William Hague takes part in a joint news conference with Maltese Foreign Minister Tonio Borg (not pictured) at the Foreign Ministry in Valletta October 16, 2011. Hague arrived in Malta on Sunday evening to thank the Maltese government and people for their help during the Libya crisis and to discuss eurozone problems, according to local media. He also strongly condemned the regime in Syria, saying it was responsible for an appalling number of deaths and the way it handled protests was unacceptable. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi (MALTA – Tags: POLITICS HEADSHOT) MALTA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN MALTA

Posted in War Quotient | Tagged: Arab League, Bashar al-Assad, Bashar Assad, Eid Al Adha, Homs, List of heads of state of Syria, Syria, United Nations | Leave a Comment »

Italy prime minister to resign

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/italians-protest-berlusconi-in-rome-1320518740-slideshow/;_ylt=AgVUBqqjuyqDSEyLdViiFlobANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTM3MXJjNmV2BG1pdAMEcGtnAzJhZDIwNGI2LWZlYzMtMzRlZi05ZDUyLWE4NzIyZjU1ZjM3YQRwb3MDNARzZWMDZW5kX3NzBHZlcgM1N2MzMmMyZS0wYTdmLTExZTEtOGRiMi1mYmE2ODJmZmIxNjY-;_ylv=3

Italy Premier Silvio Berlusconi promised November 8 to resign after parliament passes economic reforms demanded by the European Union.

File photo of Italy's Prime Minister Berlusconi getting into a car after an official welcoming ceremony in Sofia

Berlusconi to resign (socialmediat00155025.wordpress.com)
Euro rallies as Silvio Berlusconi agrees to resign in two weeks (100gf.wordpress.com)
Embattled Berlusconi to resign after humiliating vote in parliament (thestar.com)
Update-2:Italy’s Berlusconi Loses Majority,To Resign Mid-Nov (forexlive.com)
Berlusconi pledges to resign as PM (mirror.co.uk)
Berlusconi Denies Resignation, To Hold Confidence Vote: Press (forexlive.com)
Berlusconi to resign (macleans.ca)
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi To Resign (lezgetreal.com)
Berlusconi quits in Italy’s big squeeze (theage.com.au)
Italy’s PM Silvio Berlusconi to resign: reports (marketwatch.com)

Posted in Economic Upheavals | Tagged: European Union, Giorgio Napolitano, government, Italy, Multilateral, President of Italy, Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi | Leave a Comment »

This is India – by Niyati Upadhya

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://in.news.yahoo.com/comics/this-is-india-by-niyati-upadhya-1319188441-slideshow/

From her travels around India, sculptor and aspiring photographer Niyati Upadhya shares her favourite images of Mumbai gleaming through the monsoons – the faces and occupations of India’s oldest port city, of Goa‘s winding roads and dreamy train-scapes, and the many scenes that keep India close to our hearts.

Telephone wire, trees and trains.

A professional ear cleaner‘s equipment, seen in Mumbai.

A man gets his ears cleaned in Mumbai.
Colourful umbrellas brighten up an otherwise grey monsoon.
Fishing villages along the coast of Goa.
An elderly man braves the gloom, barefoot.
A schoolboy shares an umbrella with his mother.
Green fields by a park bench, and a single umbrella to cosy under.
View from a train, Mumbai to Goa.
A vendor balances his fruit on a wheelbarrow.
Getting the job done – a man cycles along a wet road to deliver LPG cylinders..
History’s relics.
Women on the ferry.
The long road ahead, Mumbai and Goa.
Blue.
More from Niyati Upadhya – http://niyatiupadhya.wordpress.com/

Posted in India Forgotten | Tagged: asia, Cotton swab, Goa, government, India, Liquefied petroleum gas, Maharashtra, Monsoon, Mumbai, Umbrella | Leave a Comment »

Hell and high water

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://in.news.yahoo.com/deadly-flooding-in-india%E2%80%8E-.html;_ylt=Ag2B510rF03b7KqijuDm4kph_t5_;_ylu=X3oDMTQ2YWZvNzhxBG1pdANtb3Jlb253aWRlc2NyZWVuBHBrZwM1ZGQ0OWJhMi1mZTRjLTM5OTYtYWJlZi03Njc4ZjllMDQ0OWYEcG9zAzMEc2VjA01lZGlhRmVhdHVyZWRDYXJvdXNlbAR2ZXIDZjZhYTVkYjQtZWRhZS0xMWUwLWFkOWUtMWY0ZjBhNWU3MWM2;_ylg=X3oDMTJuamcybnFkBGludGwDaW4EbGFuZwNlbi1pbgRwc3RhaWQDMGJjYzhmOWMtYWRmMi0zNmM2LTk1MTItMzQ0NGY5MjFlNmU1BHBzdGNhdAMEcHQDY29taWMtZ2FsbGVyeQ–;_ylv=3

The annual cycle of drought and flood in India routinely makes headlines but it appears that this time the floods have the upper hand. Prolonged and intense monsoon rainfall has led rivers in northern and eastern India to flow above the danger mark, breach banks and overflow into habitation. As the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and other influencers debate if the Below Poverty Line cap for daily expenditure must be raised above Rs 32 (Rs 26 in rural India), untamed waters have devastated the livelihoods of about 4 million people in north and east India. In Orissa alone, 2.2 million people have been affected. Over 1,700 rural roads have been damaged and the state government has earmarked Rs 1,210 crore to bring life back to normal while it has asked the Centre for Rs 3,265 crore as compensation. The states of Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also struggling to cope as rivers in spate have swept away people, livestock, bridges and homes.

Mon, Oct 3, 2011

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

A woman carries her injured son through flood waters at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. Monsoon rains have destroyed mud huts and flooded wide swaths of north and east India, leaving hundreds of thousands of people marooned by the raging waters.

AP Photo/ Aftab Alam Siddiqui

At Kasimpurchak near Danapur Diara in Patna, a boat turns into a veritable Noah’s Ark as villagers share it with cattle to cross a flooded river. In Bihar, an estimated 2,512 boats have been deployed to evacuate 68,000 people as floods destroyed standing crops in 114,000 hectares of land and damaged over 15,000 homes and public buildings.

AP Photo/Kevin Frayer

Boys row a makeshift banana raft on their way to a marooned community near Patamundi, about 120 kilometers north of Bhubaneshwar, India. The Orissa government has decided to withdraw air-dropping of relief materials as water levels have receded and most of the worst-hit areas are now accessible by road and some by boat. The death toll in the second spell of floods has risen to 40, an official said.

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

Villagers carrying relief materials brave floodwaters at Rasulpur village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. The southwest monsoon, which brings rain from June through September, is vital to agriculture but also cause floods and landslides.

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

Twenty out of Orissa’s 30 districts have been affected by successive floods and road communication has been snapped in several areas. The state government has decided to construct permanent helipads in coastal region for relief operation.

A villager stands on all that is left of a bridge at Rasulpur village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. Several bridges have been washed off, disrupting road connections across the beleaguered state. Three hundred rural bridges will be restored at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore under the Orissa Rural Bridges Scheme.

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

A woman returns to her village through flood waters at Rasulpur village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. A spokesperson of the National Rural Health Mission said 978 women in advanced stages of pregnancy had been marooned by the worst floods to hit the state in three decades.

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

A girl sleeps at her mud hut surrounded by flood waters at Pahanga village in Orissa’s Jajpur district. Nearly a thousand villages have been marooned by floods sparked by two spells of incessant monsoon rain.

AP Photo/Biswaranjan Rout

A villager returns to his marooned house in Bari village, about 130 kilometers from Bhubaneshwar. The state government said it would spend Rs 1208 crore within 45 days on restoration and reconstruction work.

Village boys cross a flooded area on a makeshift raft in Orissa. The state government has decided to waive the examination fee for high school students in flood-affected areas.

AP Photo/Bikas Das

Villagers ford floodwaters at Patamundi near Kendrapara, about 120 kilometers north of Bhubaneshwar. The state government has sought Rs 3,265 crore as grant from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) towards damages suffered in the twin floods in September.

AP Photo/Kevin Frayer

Flood-displaced boys fish in floodwaters. An estimated 1109 villages have been marooned in two spells of flooding in 10 districts of Orissa.

REUTERS/Mukesh Gupta

Men ride a bicycle through a flooded road after a heavy downpour on the outskirts of Jammu. Monsoon rains were one percent above normal in mid-September, weakening from 39 percent above average in the previous week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, easing concerns that heavy rains could damage planted crops.

Townsfolk in Varanasi wade through flood waters caused due to excess rainfall. Monsoon rains caused mud-walled homes to collapse and rescuers are struggling to reach affected villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

REUTERS/Parivartan Sharma

A car submerged in a flooded underpass after heavy rains in Noida, near New Delhi. Above-normal monsoon rains affected life all over north India.

Posted in Earth Changes, India Forgotten | Tagged: associated press, Bihar, East India, India, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Orissa, Rasulpur, Uttar Pradesh | Leave a Comment »

Secrets of WWI battlefield uncovered

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/secrets-of-wwi-battlefield-uncovered-1320800579-slideshow/file-2010-file-photo-shows-boundary-marker-defines-photo-072400026.html

An ongoing archaeological survey of a World War I site in Turkey has so far uncovered a maze of trenches, as well as about 200 artifacts that offer clues to life on a Gallipoli battlefield where troops faced off for eight months. The survey is one of the most extensive to date of an historic battlefield.

A Turkish army commander salutes with soldiers at the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Monday, April 25, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs

A Turkish army commander salutes with soldiers at the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Monday, April 25, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. On the 96th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, thousands of people from Australia, New Zealand, England and Turkey will gather to remember the World War I campaign that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Historical Turkish army musical band of Mehter perform at the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Monday, April 25, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where

Historical Turkish army musical band of Mehter perform at the Turkish 57th Regiment Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Monday, April 25, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. On the 96th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, thousands of people from Australia, New Zealand, England and Turkey will gather to remember the World War I campaign that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. A poster of the Regiment’s legendary commander during Gallipoli Campaign and Turkey’s founder Kemal Ataturk is in the background.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Australian and New Zealander soldiers march during a commemoration ceremony at the Turkish Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Sunday, April 24, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. On the 96th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, thousands of people from Australia, New Zealand, England and Turkey will gather to remember the World War I campaign that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The annual Anzac Day ceremony remembers the forces of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps under British command who fought a bloody nine-month battle against Turkish forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Turkish war veterans march during a commemoration ceremony at the Turkish Memorial in Gallipoli, Turkey, Sunday, April 24, 2011. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. On the 96th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, thousands of people from Australia, New Zealand, England and Turkey will gather to remember the World War I campaign that cost hundreds of thousands of lives. The annual Anzac Day ceremony remembers the forces of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps under British command who fought a bloody nine-month battle against Turkish forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915.( AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

FILE In this April 25, 2008 file photo shows Australian and New Zealand soldiers standing guard during a dawn ceremony to mark the Anzac Day at Anzac Cove in the Gallipoli peninsula, northwestern Tu

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a boundary marker which defines the area of the ANZAC Battlefield according to the Treaty of Lausanne, in Gallipoli, western Turkey. The World War I battlefield of the

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a boundary marker which defines the area of the ANZAC Battlefield according to the Treaty of Lausanne, in Gallipoli, western Turkey. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. Now researchers are mapping dugouts, trenches and tunnels in the most extensive archaeological survey of a site whose slaughter helped forge the identity of young nations..( AP Photo/ Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, File)

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a typical trench in the Johnston's Jolly area In Gallipoli, western Turkey.The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to re

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a typical trench in the Johnston’s Jolly area In Gallipoli, western Turkey.The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. Now researchers are mapping dugouts, trenches and tunnels in the most extensive archaeological survey of a site whose slaughter helped forge the identity of young nations.( AP Photo/ Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, File)

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a subsided tunnel in the Johnston's Jolly area in Gallipoli, western Turkey. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to

FILE This 2010 file photo shows a subsided tunnel in the Johnston’s Jolly area in Gallipoli, western Turkey. The World War I battlefield of the Gallipoli campaign, where throngs gather each April to remember the fallen, is a place of lore, an echo of ancient warfare on the same soil. Now researchers are mapping dugouts, trenches and tunnels in the most extensive archaeological survey of a site whose slaughter helped forge the identity of young nations. ( AP Photo/ Courtesy of the Australian War Memorial, File)

Posted in War Quotient | Tagged: Anzac Day, Australia, Gallipoli, Gallipoli Campaign, New Zealand, Turkey, World War, World War I | Leave a Comment »

Photos: Thailand's ordeal by water

Posted by Admin on November 9, 2011

http://in.news.yahoo.com/photos/thailand-floods-in-pictures-1320733871-slideshow/

Bangkok, one of the favourite tourist destinations of the East, is also a city that climatologists have warned for years to be sinking. Two spells of flooding this year — including one in March, supposedly the country’s dry season — have claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed livelihoods. The death toll in this year’s post-monsoon flooding, which began in late July, has exceeded 500. An area the size of Kuwait has been underwater. Food, clean water and medication are the needs of the hour, but relief workers are struggling to reach supplies to far-flung villages where disease and electrocution threaten survivors. Rising floodwaters have shut down industrial estates, threatening to hit the carmaking industry (leading Japanese automakers have plants in Thailand). Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, enduring her first grueling test since she assumed power in August, is facing the ire of the people who are threatening to break flood barricades that are keeping inner Bangkok dry while marooning surrounding suburbs.

Residents row a boat in front of a bus along a flooded street in Bangkok November 7, 2011. Flood waters encircled two industrial estates in the east of Bangkok on Monday and disrupted bus services in the Thai capital, although mass transit train systems were still running and central commercial districts remained dry. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
A Buddhist monk walks down a flooded street while collecting alms in Bangkok November 8, 2011. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang
Commuters stand amid flood waters while awaiting public transport near Bangkok’s Chatuchak market November 7, 2011. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
Houses in a residential area are submerged in floodwaters in the northern section of Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday Oct. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)
Residents sit on a ‘tuk-tuk’ tricycle taxi as they travel along a flooded street in Bangkok November 6, 2011. The floods in Thailand began in July and have devastated large parts of the central Chao Phraya river basin, killed nearly 400 people and have disrupted the lives of more than two million. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
Dogs are seen on a motorcycle next to a flooded street at Don Muang district in Bangkok November 3, 2011. Authorities in the Thai capital repaired a damaged flood gate on Wednesday that has become the focus of anger, fear and rivalry between arms of government battling the country’s worst floods in decades. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
BANGKOK,THAILAND – NOVEMBER 3: Men pull eggs in a small boat through the floodwater at the closed Don Muang airport November 3, 2011 in Bangkok,Thailand. The airport was used as a domestic terminal and was formerly the International airport. Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in over 50 years and has affected more than nine million people. Over 400 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A 42-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Chatchawal Phuengwut poses with a python he caught in floodwaters just outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok October 28, 2011. Traffic clogged roads out of Bangkok on Friday as thousands of people fled ahead of a high tide that may worsen floods that have inundated factories and prompted foreign governments to warn citizens to stay away from one of Asia’s biggest cities. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
A view of a flooded street is reflected on a man’s sunglasses at Don Muang district in Bangkok November 3, 2011. Authorities in the Thai capital repaired a damaged flood gate on Wednesday that has become the focus of anger, fear and rivalry between arms of government battling the country’s worst floods in decades. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom
BANGKOK,THAILAND – NOVEMBER 3: Planes sit on the flooded tarmack of the closed Don Muang airport November 3, 2011 in Bangkok,Thailand. The airport was used as a domestic terminal and was formerly the International airport. Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in over 50 years and has affected more than nine million people. Over 400 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
BANGKOK, THAILAND – OCTOBER 26: An elderly woman gets put on a truck going toward a hospital down the newly flooded streets near the Chao Phraya river October 26, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Hundreds of factories closed in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi as the flood waters began to reach Bangkok. Around 350 people have died in flood-related incidents since late July according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with Thailand experiencing the worst flooding in 50 years. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
BANGKOK,THAILAND – OCTOBER 30: A Thai flood victim prays while a monk chants at a crowded evacuation center October 30, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands of flood victims have been forced to take shelter at crowded evacuation centers around the capitol city. Hundreds of factories have been closed in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi. Thailand is experiencing the worst flooding in over 50 years which has affected more than nine million people. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
A man paddles a makeshift raft through a flooded area in the suburbs of Bangkok October 20, 2011. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra defended her government’s response to the country’s worst floods in half a century on Wednesday as troops battled to protect industrial centres and Bangkok braced for rising waters. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
People make their way through a flooded area in Bangkok November 2, 2011. Thai authorities tried to stem growing anger among flood victims on Tuesday as water swamped new neighbourhoods and the government began mapping out a plan costing billions of dollars to prevent a repeat disaster and secure investor confidence. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Floods threaten Bangkok as north starts to rebuild (revolutionizingawareness.com)
Thailand:Bangkok inundated (laaska.wordpress.com)
Thailand floods push farther into Bangkok (cbc.ca)
Thai citizens rebuild despite continuing floods (cbsnews.com)
Thailand:More areas flooded in Bangkok (laaska.wordpress.com)
Thailand:Flood waters in Bangkok suburbs subside (laaska.wordpress.com)
Floods threaten Bangkok as north starts to rebuild (ctv.ca)
Minister Says Bangkok Floods to Last Month (time.com)
THAILAND:Floodwater threatening Bangkok airport (laaska.wordpress.com)
Thailand:Floods spread in Bangkok + Related Article (laaska.wordpress.com)
Thailand: Residents Begin To Rebuild Lives As Floods Recede (huffingtonpost.com)
Thai Government Starts Post-Flood Plan (online.wsj.com)
As floodwaters rise, Thai PM looks to recovery – CNN (edition.cnn.com)
Thousands refuse to leave as floodwaters threaten central Bangkok (cnn.com)
Floods seep further in Bangkok (independent.co.uk)

Posted in Earth Changes, Press Releases | Tagged: asia, Bangkok, Chatuchak, Don Muang, Don Mueang International Airport, Flood, Grand Palace, July, Kuwait, Mo Chit skytrain station, Monday, Nakhon Sawan, Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra | Leave a Comment »

Food inflation at 12.21 pct y/y on Oct 22

Posted by Admin on November 7, 2011

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/Food-inflation-12-21-pct-y-y-reuters-1628243810.html

On Thursday 3 November 2011, 11:47 AM

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India‘s food price index rose 12.21 percent, its highest in 9 months, and the fuel price index climbed 14.50 percent in the year to Oct. 22, government data on Thursday showed.

In the previous week, annual food and fuel inflation stood at 11.43 percent and 14.70 percent, respectively.

The primary articles price index was up 12.08 percent, compared with an annual rise of 11.75 percent a week earlier.

The RBI raised interest rates last month for the 13th and possibly final time in a tightening cycle that began in early 2010, on expectations that persistently high inflation will finally begin to ease starting in December.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; editing by Malini Menon)

Posted in Economic Upheavals, India Forgotten | Tagged: Consumer price index, India, inflation, New Delhi, Percentage, price index, reuters, Thursday | Leave a Comment »

Floods threaten Bangkok as north starts to rebuild

Posted by Admin on November 7, 2011

http://in.news.yahoo.com/floods-threaten-bangkok-north-starts-rebuild-104703813.html

By PAILIN WEDEL – Associated Press | AP – 2 hours 12 minutes ago

BANGKOK (AP) — Floodwaters from Thailand‘s flood-ravaged central heartland pushed farther into Bangkok on Monday, as residents of long-submerged provinces north of the capital started to rebuild their lives.

The water slowly advancing through Bangkok’s northern and western neighborhoods is threatening the city’s subway system, two key industrial estates and the emergency headquarters set up to deal with the flooding that has claimed more than 500 lives nationwide.

Evacuations have been ordered in 12 of Bangkok’s 50 districts, with residents of the northern district of Klong Sam Wa told to leave Monday. The evacuations, which also effect parts of several other districts, are not mandatory, and many people are staying to protect homes and businesses. But the orders illustrate how far flooding has progressed into the city and how powerless the government has been to stop it.

The flooding began in late July and some provinces to the north of Bangkok have been inundated for more than a month. The waters have started to recede in recent days, revealing the massive cleanup effort that lies ahead.

For two months, Anan Dirath was forced to live on the second floor of his home in Nakorn Sawan province. But now that the water has receded to knee level, it’s time to clean up.

He armed his two teenage children with mops, scrub brushes and garbage bags. Wading in the water, his family began scrubbing dirt off the walls and collecting the garbage around the house. He said the dirt was difficult to wash off and he has had to scrub the paint off to get rid of it.

“Oh my pretty home. It used to be a pretty two-story home,” he said Monday.

In nearby Nakorn Sawan town center, where the water has dried completely, the government sponsored a cleanup day last week when roads were scrubbed down to get rid of the oily mud left from the floods. Back hoes were used to carry garbage away.

The cleanup also has begun in some parts of Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayutthaya. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is to visit the province Tuesday to witness recovery efforts.

Yingluck says a plan to be put before the Cabinet on Tuesday would allocate 100 billion baht ($3.3 billion) for post-flood reconstruction.

Her government has come under fire for failing to predict the threat to Bangkok. Residents also have been frustrated by widely differing assessments of the flooding situation from the prime minister, Bangkok’s governor and the country’s top water experts and officials.

Floodwaters in the city continued to flow south Monday toward the still-unaffected central business district. In Chatuchak, a few miles (kilometers) north of there, water was nearly knee deep around Mo Chit Skytrain station, the northernmost stop on the capital’s elevated train system.

Water was also rising near three subway stops in the same area. Both mass transit networks are functioning normally, though some exits have been barricaded and closed.

Chatuchak is home to the government’s national flood relief headquarters, which is housed in the Energy Ministry — a building now surrounded by water. The relief headquarters moved last week out of Bangkok’s Don Muang airport after it, too, was flooded. The city’s main airport remains open.

Also in Chatuchak, water has begun approaching a main road near the Mo Chit bus terminal, a major gateway to northern Thailand.

___

Associated Press writers Vee Intarakratug, Todd Pitman and Chris Blake contributed to this report.

Posted in Earth Changes | Tagged: associated press, Bangkok, Chatuchak District, Don Mueang International Airport, Flood, Mo Chit skytrain station, Nakhon Sawan, Rapid transit, Thailand | Leave a Comment »

612 million Indians 'multi-dimentionally poor'

Posted by Admin on November 7, 2011

http://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/612-million-Indians-multi-ians-1713365579.html

Indo Asian News Service, On Wednesday 2 November 2011, 7:41 PM

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) At 612 million, or more than half its population, India has the world’s largest number of ‘multi-dimentionally poor’, the UN Global Human Development report released Wednesday said.

To assess acute poverty levels, the index examined factors such as health services, access to clean water and cooking fuels, basic household goods and home construction standards, which together offer a fuller portrait of poverty than income measurements alone.

Posted in India Forgotten | Tagged: asia, government, Human Development Report, IANS, India, Indo Asian News Service, New Delhi, United Nations | Leave a Comment »

Russia warns against any military strike on Iran

Posted by Admin on November 7, 2011

http://in.news.yahoo.com/russia-warns-against-military-strike-iran-102133490.html

By Thomas Grove | Reuters – 6 hours ago

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia‘s foreign minister warned on Monday that any military strike against Iran would be a grave mistake with unpredictable consequences.

Russia, the closest thing Iran has to a big power ally, is deeply opposed to any military action against the Islamic Republic, though Moscow has supported United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, is expected this week to issue its most detailed report yet on research in Iran seen as geared to developing atomic bombs. But the Security Council is not expected impose stiffer sanctions as a result.

Israeli media have been rife with speculation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is working to secure cabinet consensus for an attack on Iranian nuclear installations.

“This would be a very serious mistake fraught with unpredictable consequences,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said when asked about reports that Israel planned a military strike against Iran.

Lavrov said there could be no military resolution to the Iranian nuclear problem and said the conflicts in Iran’s neighbours, Iraq and Afghanistan, had led to human suffering and high numbers of casualties.

A raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities would be likely to provoke Tehran into hugely disruptive retaliatory measures in the Gulf that would sever shipping routes and disrupt the flow of oil and gas to export markets, political analysts believe.

Iran is already under four rounds of United Nations sanctions due to concerns about its nuclear programme, which it says is entirely peaceful.

Washington is pushing for tighter measures after discovering what it says was an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States.

Russia has tried to push Tehran to disclose more details about its nuclear work to ease international concerns.

Senior Russian security officials accept that the West has legitimate concerns about the nuclear programme though Moscow says there is no clear evidence that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb.

Any military strike against Iran would be likely to sour ties between the West and Russia, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, is almost certain to win a presidential election in March.

“There is no military solution to the Iranian nuclear problem as there is no military solution to any other problem in the modern world,” said Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister since 2004.

“This is confirmed to us every day when we see how the problems of the conflicts around Iran are being resolved — whether Iraq or Afghanistan or what is happening in other countries in the region. Military intervention only leads to many times more deaths and human suffering.”

Lavrov added that talks between Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States, Germany and Iran should be resumed as soon as possible.

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Posted in War Quotient | Tagged: Benjamin Netanyahu, iran, Moscow, russia, Sergey Lavrov, Tehran, United Nations, United Nations Security Council | Leave a Comment »

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