USA Targeted in Bomb Packages from Yemen

The discovery was made on Friday of two suspicious mail packages containing Hewlett Packard printer toner cartridges packed with explosive materials bound for the United States.   The packages were intercepted in stopovers in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom in cargo on board two US-bound planes.  The bombs were transported on both passenger and cargo planes before discovery.

The packages originated in Yemen and were delivered for despatch by a female, using a false name, address and phone number, to USP courier services in Hadda Street in Sana’a, the country’s capital.   They were addressed for delivery to synagogues in Chicago.

Despite this attempt at subterfuge Yemeni forces searching for suspected al-Qaeda militants behind the ‘packages’ plot have arrested a 20-year-old female student in Sana’a on suspicion of sending the packages.

Authorities on three continents including the U.S. A.are continuing the hunt for any more suspicious packages following the initial interceptions in the UK and the UAE.  USA President Barack Obama has warned of a ‘credible terrorist threat’ to the United States following their discovery.

This latest terrorist attempt has led to heightened vigilance in some European countries with arrests in Gothenburg in Sweden in connection with a terrorist bomb threat there.   The Swedish police also say they have detained a Turkish man, wanted in Belgium on suspicion of terrorism, at Stockholm’s Arlanda airport on Friday after he arrived on a plane from Syria.

In Manila Philippine police officers  announced on Friday five people were arrested and materials used for making explosives were seized following warnings from Western countries of an imminent attack there.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement on Friday it had sent two U.S. F-15s to escort the UPS aircraft en route from the UK with the suspicious cargo as it entered U.S. airspace.   It was tracked by Canadian planes over Canadian airspace.

Indonesia hit with Earthquake, Tsunami and Mt Merapi Eruption

Monday’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake off the  coast of Western Sumatra close to the  Mentawai Islands triggered a tsunami and the  eruption of Mt Merapi (Fire Mountain) in Java.   A further eruption of the volcano occurred on Tuesday.

The Indonesian archipelago is prone to this  earthquake activity located as it is in what is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.  The  deadliest tsunami on record occurred on Boxing Day 26 December 2004 following an  earthquake off Sumatra and killed more than 200,000 people.  This latest activity is believed to be connected to the same tectonic fault.

With more then 300 people reported dead in this latest disaster in Indonesia, hundreds more missing and thousands of families having been displaced  government authorities and relief agencies are struggling to reach survivors and bring aid to the victims.

Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhono has left the East Asia Summit in Vietnam to deal with the emergencies.   The rescue and relief efforts are being delayed by the area’s remoteness according  to Indonesia’s Red Cross with access to the  islands only by sea transport or helicopter.

The nearest major port in West Sumatra to the  Mentawai islands, the location of the tsunami  is Padang and the sea trip normally takes 12 to 14 hours with added time required to get to outer islands.

Volcanic ash from the Mt Merapi crater has  reached Yogyakarta the provincial capital of Central Java  shutting it down for a period.

Financial aid has been pledged by the United States, Australia and the European  Commission.

NO FUMAR - New Anti-Smoking Legislation For Spain

NO FUMAR signs will be greeting Spanish smokers in the New Year as the days of lighting up in their local Tapas bar are numbered.   The  Congress of Deputies, the Spanish lower house of Parliament, passed legislation on 20 October that will see new anti-smoking legislation  come into effect from 2 January 2011.  The legislation now goes to the Senate where it is expected to be passed as well.

The new law will close off a loophole from the 2006 legislation which gave owners some discretion to exempt certain areas in bars and restaurants,  and make them all no-smoking zones.    With the laxity permitted under the 2006 law exploited by bar and restaurant owners Spain remained notorious for its  smoke-filled cafes and bars.

The new law will also prohibit smoking in outdoor places such as  children’s parks and the grounds of schools and hospitals and will make Spain a  tougher place for smokers than many other countries in Europe where smoking sections continue to be permissible in bars and restaurants.

Bar owners who had hoped for exemptions in the proposed legislation to allow for specially constructed smoking areas failed to convince officials but they did get a small concession on the date of introduction of the new regime.

It has been put off until 2 January to allow the  hospitality industry to make the most of the Christmas and New Year holiday celebrations which  Spaniards enjoy in large numbers in bars and  restaurants.

Jose Maria Rubio President of the Spanish Federation of Hospitality Firms is predicting a downturn in revenue in the sector leading to thousands  of job losses.   However the Health Ministry said similar claims made about anti-smoking laws in other countries such as France, Italy and the UK  did not not come to fruition and instead thousands of lives will be saved in coming years.

A  late amendment to the legislation will also ban showing smoking on TV as well as prohibiting the display of cigarette brands, logos and other signs.

There will continue to be some exemptions which will include prisons, psychiatric institutions and residences for disabled pensioners but special rooms are required to be used for this.  Hotels will be permitted to reserve up to 30 per cent of their rooms for smokers.

A Cold Winter Coming in the UK

The UK Government has released plans to reduce military spending which will cut personnel and equipment to the Army, Navy and Air Force in the coming years. Of two new aircraft carriers under commission one may never be operational with the second having a limited period of service.

The Navy’s warship fleet will be reduced and up to 4,000 personnel will lose their jobs and the Harrier jump-jets will be abandoned next year. The RAF is set to lose 500 personnel but the Tornado fighter bombers will remain in service.

Up to 7,000 soldiers will be lost from the Army as well as a portion of tanks  armoured vehicles.

With a shift in perspective of the future threats facing the country to terrorism, cyber warfare, flu pandemics and illegal immigration there will be increased spending for Special Forces for technology equipment and weapons and personnel.

With a reduced military force the UK will in future have to be part of joint military operations with its allies in the future and is not likely to be able to engage in conflicts such as Iraq or Afghanistan in the future.

It is expected that Britain’s nuclear deterrent will also be reduced and replacement delayed.

Following closely on the Defence cuts official documents being read by the Chief Secretary of the Treasury Danny Alexander revealed the expected cuts in public sector workers.

In what is expected to be the biggest reduction in public employees since World War II up to 500,000 workers could find themselves working shorter hours,and taking pay cuts to hang onto their jobs.

There will be a flow on effect on hundreds of thousands of jobs in the private sector as well for companies which rely on government contracts or grants for their operation.

There will be increased pension contributions required from public sector workers from next year and they also face a two year pay freeze.

Means testing is to be introduced for welfare payments and child benefit payments will cease for higher earners from 2013. However winter fuel payments will continue for the elderly. University budgets are to be cut which will lead to increases in tuition fees from 2012.

Police numbers are expected to be cut by thousands of jobs as are the prison and probation services leading to cuts in prison numbers in the coming years.

Thousands of angry workers marched in protest at the cuts and tax increases.

More Changes to Australian Policy on Asylum Seekers

Prime Minister Julia Gillard today announced further changes to her government’s policy on the management of asylum seekers arriving by boats in Australia. The Government plans to move children and their families as well as unaccompanied minors out of detention facilities into community-based accommodation. It is intended that community and church groups will work with the government in the set -up and ongoing operation of these facilities and relieve immigration staff and security personnel currently carrying out this supervision for the department by June 2011.

For individuals to be granted this residence at large they must be deemed by the authorities to be of no risk to the community and unlikely to abscond. They will continue to be to be subject to restrictions such as the need to reside at a nominated address and report regularly to authorities while they progress their application for asylum.

However it is considered that these moves will enable children of asylum seekers to be better able to attend school and minimize mental health problems associated with them being held in detention centers as Ms Gillard said in making the announcement today in Canberra, “This is especially important for children, for whom protracted detention can have negative impacts on their development and mental health.”

Two new detention facilities are to be commissioned they are Department of Defense sites which are surplus to operational requirements. The Northam site, situated north east of Perth will accommodate up to 1500 single males and Inverbrackie north of Adelaide will accommodate family groups totaling 400 people. There are currently about 5,000 asylum seekers in detention awaiting processing on mainland Australia or Christmas Island. Facilities on Christmas Island are so stretched that people are being housed in tents as a temporary measure. Relocation to the new facilities will relieve this pressure.

In Parliament at Question Time Opposition leader Tony Abbott asked PM Gillard why she did not get in touch with the President of Nauru and re-open the detention center established there under the Howard Government.  Ms Gillard said that a regional processing center is what her government supports and that discussions continue with East Timor in this regard.

33 Miracles Come Out Of The San Jose Mine

At just before 10.00pm Chile time, 13 October 2010 and after under 23 hours of continuous hoisting,  the Phoenix capsule carrying Luis Urzua, 54 the mine shift leader arrived topside of the  San Jose mine in the Atacama Desert in Chile.  He was the 33rd miracle the world watched emerge from what could have been an underground tomb.

In equipment that was simple in the extreme, a metal canister, albeit fitted with some safety features, attached to a metal wire on a big wheel, like a child’s play set it saved the lives of the miners.  It was wound up and down in what was becoming routine by the, nearly700 feet through a narrow rock hole to rescue 33 miners thought dead and buried nearly 70 days ago and it never faltered.

From the discovery of the men trapped underground over two months ago there has been a steady and quiet operation taking place to achieve the rescue just witnessed by the world.

Governments and agencies around the world have all provided help, advice and assistance to the Chilean Government , the authorities and the workers at the San Jose site who just bored away steadily to reach the underground cavern.

The men have been cared for with special food, medical supervision and activities to keep them occupied and they have provided the world on top with recordings and perspectives from their temporary home.

It is a testament to quality of the operation that none of the miners seemed the worse for wear physically after their ordeal and walked unaided from the capsule at the surface.  Just as the timetable to breakthrough to the underground mine came in well ahead of schedule, it is fitting that the exit of the men has also been achieved ahead of target.   What was anticipated would be an hour long operation for each man’s exit was reduced to under 15 minutes from ground floor to the top of the exit hole.

Six miners went down into in the underground cavern to be with the miners facilitating their entry to the capsule and attaching their safety harness and other attachments for the ride up the hole to the sky. In these last stages night has fallen and the moon is shining brightly above.

President Pinera and his wife Cecilia have been by the capsule exit with the operations team to be among the first to greet the miners as they arrived.

Families of the miners have kept vigil in a temporary town which grew up around the mine opening.  There have been tears, laughter, cheers, hugs, thanks and delight all around with the safe arrival of every man.  There have also been  some special moments like the return to the communications specialists by the second to last miner out of the phone hand piece they sent down and which was used for the first communications after their discovery.

After a few brief moments of reunion the men were been stretchered to the nearby hospital facility for attention by the waiting specialists.

All Chile, where children have stayed at home from school today, and many people around the world where news channels from North America to Europe and the Middle East carried live coverage have been glued to their TV sets watching the events unfold.  The high spirits and happiness has been infectious in watching this miraculous event.

The six miners assisting will be hoisted up in the capsule now that the trapped men have been brought up from their dungeon.  It is expected that the mine will be closed up and the buildings and equipment and goods removed and San Jose will return to the quiet of the desert where for a few short months it was the center of so many people’s world.

President Pinera in a press conference following the completion of the rescue said “The rescue was done in the Chilean way.” He thanked the 33 miners who showed “loyalty”and he said he told Luis Urzua that he was a boss who made Chileans proud with words of encouragement and was the last to leave the mine.   He also thanked the families who kept faith and the rescuers who gave themselves body and soul throughout the 69 days.

He said he wanted to thank God and said Chile is ready to face whatever the future brings, “Viva Chile.”  President Pinera ended his press conference with a few words in English and said, “I am proud to have the privilege and responsibility to be President of Chile with the earthquake and the rescue which has been an inspiring effort not only for the Chileans but the whole world.”

Laughter, Tears and Hugs as Chilean Miners Come Topside

The 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped in the San Jose mine in the northern Atacama desert since 5 August are being brought to the surface one by one in a steady stream.  The long wait of over two months is coming to an end for their families and friends who have been waiting at the mine site since they were discovered trapped but alive after having been feared lost in the mine’s collapse.

When the breakthrough was made by the drillers a technical expert in mines was the first to go down in the specially designed capsule to inspect the surfaces.  Two paramedics are overseeing the miners’ physical condition before each is sent skyward.  It was decided to schedule the first miners to make the approximately12 minute journey to be those considered the most psychologically stable in the event here were any glitches during the first few rescues.

A specially designed harness was made for the miners to wear  to ensure safety  in their ascent.   It monitors their breathing rate, oxygen consumption and heart rate and has oxygen masks if required.

Florencia Avalos was the first man out arriving at 4.11am GMT. He was greeted with cheers, tears and chants from the the waiting crowd and hugs from Chilean President Pinera and his family and a few tears from his young son.   The second miner rescued, Mario Sepulveda came bearing gifts for his rescuers.   He warmly embraced his rescuers laughing and joking all the while and then remembering bent down to rummage in his bag and bring out quartz-encrusted rocks which he presented to them as a momento.  After greeting his family he evaded his minders and still laughing happily ran across to other rescuers and led them in singing.  However he was gently led away as there will be no exceptions for any of the men who will undergo medical and psychological checks and remain under observation for at least two days at a specially designed hospital close by to the site.

So far five men have reached the surface up the 625 meter shaft in the Phoenix as the capsule has been named. The others are Juan Illanes who was third, Bolivian Carlos Mamani fourth and and Jimmy Sanchez fifth.   The rescue program is expected to last over the next two days with each rescue expected to take about an hour. Shift leader Luis Urzua will be the last miner to make the upward journey.

The event is being watched globally as it has been since August.  This is a world record for the time workers have survived underground following a mining collapse.

British Aid Worker Murdered During Rescue Attempt in Afghanistan

The Foreign Office has confirmed that UK aid worker Linda Norgrove from the Western Isles of Scotland was murdered on Friday night during a failed rescue mission by NATO troops.   Ms Norgrove was employed by the US aid group DAI and was seized with three local staff on 26 September when their car convoy was ambushed in the remote and mountainous area of Kunar province.   Her colleagues were released unharmed last week.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement expressed his sadness at her death and said that Ms Norgrove ” was killed at the hands of her captors in the course of a rescue attempt”. Hague said everything was done to rescue Ms Norgrove “Responsibility for this tragic outcome rests squarely with the hostage takers.”

International Security Assistance Force Commander General David Petraeus said everything possible was done to rescue Ms Norgrove. He said: “Linda was a courageous person with a passion to improve the lives of Afghan people, and sadly she lost her life in their service.   Our thoughts and prayers are with her family during this difficult time.”

Ms Norgrove supervised US-funded reconstruction programmes in the eastern region of Afghanistan from a base in Jalalabad for Development Alternatives Inc an organisation which carries out aid work, often subcontracted by the United States Agency for International Development. DAI president James Boomgard said news of her death was “devastating” and he conveyed his condolences to her family. In a statement, he said:

“We are saddened beyond words by the death of a wonderful woman whose sole purpose in Afghanistan was to do good.” He went on to say, “Linda loved Afghanistan and cared deeply for its people, and she was deeply committed to her development mission. She was an inspiration to many of us here at DAI and she will be deeply missed.”

Ms Norgrove, was an experienced aid worker who had been based in a number of countries. She worked for the United Nations in Afghanistan and Laos and had been at the head of a conservation and poverty reduction project in Peru.

Violence continues in much of Afghanistan with the latest announcement by Gen. Massimo Fogari, a spokesman for Italy’s Defense Ministry, of the death of four Italian troops and one seriously injured in a roadside bomb attack on Saturday in western Farah province. This brings to 24 then number of NATO forces killed this month.

On Friday a powerful blast in Taluqan, capital of northern Takhar province, killed at least 20 people and wounded 35 more in a mosque packed with worshipers including a provincial governor.   Thirty-five others were wounded in the brazen attack.

Chilean Miners Could Be Back Up Top Early Next Week

After two months of isolation trapped in the San Jose mine  below the Atacama Desert in Chile since August 5 the end of their ordeal is in sight for the  33 miners.

With drilling continuing apace the authorities remain conservative in their estimate of when the miners will be brought to the surface. However there is speculation this could happen be as early as the week commencing 11 October and months ahead of the original timetable.

The area above the mine is getting more crowded by the day. The miners’ families are living there, satellite trucks are lining up as the media gather with the ‘village’ about 1,000 strong.

When the breakthrough is achieved the miners will be evaluated as to their state of health and divided into three groups, the able, the weak and the strong. The miners will be evacuated in that order with particular attention being paid to how the first group cope ahead of the weaker one.

The whole evacuation is expected to last several days. Two family members will permitted to visit briefly with each miner when they arrive at the surface.

Jaime Manalich, the Chilean health minister, said the men will be transferred immediately to the field hospital which has been constructed on the site. There they will be kept under observation or flown out by helicopter for more  urgent medical attention if this is required.

The miners and their families will be faced by hordes of media when they arrive on the surface.   Alberto Iturra, head of the team of psychologists working with the miners said that media trainers have been coaching the men on how to best handle the circus which will greet them.

Some of the miners and family members could benefit from a financial windfall with media outlets believed to be prepared to offer considerable sums of money for exclusive stories.

Toxic Sludge Reaches the Danube from Alumina Factory Reservoir

Hundreds were evacuated on Monday when a lethal flood of caustic, toxic red sludge engulfed towns  and villages after a gigantic sludge reservoir at an alumina plant in Ajka, a town 160 km southwest of Budapest, burst its banks.  The waste contains heavy metals lead,  cadmium, arsenic and chromium and is toxic if ingested.   The Hungarian Aluminium Production and Trade Company (MAL), owns the reservoir.

Police have opened a criminal negligence inquiry in to the event which killed three adults and one child in the village of Kolontar and left 120 injured , many with burns received through their clothing as they tried to escape the red mud.  The spillage has polluted an area 40 sq km, 160 km south west of the capital Budapest.

The reservoirs stretch several kilometres below the factory and locals are terrified there could be further accidents impacting on the seven villages which bore the brunt of the spillage.  Cars were overturned and possessions swept away by the wave of sludge which seeped into hundreds of houses, contaminated waterways and destroyed vegetation.  Residents are banned from eating home grown produce or fishing or hunting in the region.

Workers have poured tonnes of concrete into the Marcal River in an attempt to neutralise the sludge and try stop it reaching the Danube River 80 km away.   However it  has reached the Mosoni-Danube, a southern branch of the Danube and could reach the Danube, Central Europe’s major waterway  by the weekend putting at least  six countries down river in danger of pollution.

Environment Secretary Zoltan Illes said “The clean-up and reconstruction could take months, even a year.” In an interview he said the costs to clean up could reach tens of millions of euros. MAL will be required to fund the clean up and it may be necessary for the Hungarian government to contribute and aid may be sought from the European Union as well

Debris and dead animals still litter the streets and fields of the surrounding villages.   Local officials in Kolontar say 34 houses in the village of about 800 were so badly damaged by the caustic slurry that they cannot be refurbished. Hungary‘s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has visited one of the affected villages and said the worst-hit area will have to be abandoned.

The cause of the reservoir failure is yet to be determined with reports that it passed inspection just recently.