A rambling 1,500-page diary apparently written by the Norwegian man who admitted killing at least 92 people in twin attacks says he has been preparing the operation since at least autumn 2009.
The internet document is part diary, part bomb-making manual and part political rant in which Anders Behring Breivik details his Islamophobia, attacks on Marxism and his initiation as a Knight Templar.
One entry titled "Autumn 2009 - Phase Shift" explains how he set up front mining and farming businesses to prepare the attacks for which he was arrested on Friday.
"The reasoning for this decision is to create a credible cover in case I am arrested in regards to the purchase and smuggling of explosives or components to explosives - fertiliser," the tract says.
At least 85 people died in the massacre of youngsters attending a Labour Party summer camp on Utoeya and seven more were killed in an earlier car bomb explosion which ripped through government buildings in Oslo.
"I will be labelled as the biggest (Nazi-) monster ever witnessed since WW 2," the text's author writes, while discussing the preparation of his "martyrdom operation".
While the text is signed under the pseudonym "Andrew Berwick", the author explains the origins of his real name - Anders Behring Breivik.
"My name, Breivik, can be dated back to even before the Viking era. Behring is a pre-Christian Germanic name which is derived from Behr, the Germanic word for Bear... Anders (Andreas) is the Scandinavian equivalent of... Andrew."
The text refers to the author's friends, their habits, girlfriends and sexual habits, as well as many of the mundane details of day-to-day life, including drinking expensive wine ahead of the attacks.
"I have written approximately half of the compendium myself. The rest is a compilation of works from several courageous individuals throughout the world. The content of the compendium truly belongs to everyone."
He writes about increased aggression because of taking body-building products, and includes question and answer sessions with himself.
"Q: Name one living person you would like to meet?
A: The Pope or Vladimir Putin. Putin seems like a fair and resolute leader worthy of respect. Im unsure at this point whether he has the potential to be our best friend or our worst enemy though."
"I'm an extremely patient and a very positively minded individual," the author writes in the text that includes a glossary and tips on farming.
But by July of this year, patience had run out and preparations were proceeding apace.
"Sunday July 17: Continued removing traces of the decor on the rental car. Washed twice with acetone then another round of degreasing. There are still significant traces but at this point I do not have time to take additional measures.
"I believe this will be my last entry. It is now FRI July 22nd, 12.51 Sincere regards, Andrew Berwick, Justiciary Knight Commander, Knights Templar Europe, Knights Templar Norway."
Behring Breivik's lawyer told Norwegian television on Saturday that he had admitted responsibility for the attacks.
"He explained that it was cruel but that he had to go through with these acts," lawyer Geir Flippest said, adding that the attacks were "apparently planned over a long period of time".
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Europe Debt Plan Relieves Pressure
BRUSSELS—With a new €109 billion ($157 billion) bailout for Greece, European leaders broke from their recent string of slow-paced half-measures to launch a frontal attack on a debt crisis that threatens to engulf the troubled country.
But the greatest test is still to come: Does Europe yet have the tools to block the crisis from spreading deep into the Continent's core?
Economists and analysts broadly hailed the Greece package, which provides the country with much needed long-term cash and places some of the bailout's burden on the shoulders of Greece's private creditors.
Still, details of the plan made plain that it would do little to immediately reduce Greece's huge stock of government debt—leading to fears that Greece could again flare up as the country struggles to meet its heavy burden.
And economists are skeptical that Europe is prepared to head off trouble in other countries. Ireland and Portugal, the other bailout recipients, were given more time to repay rescue loans at a lower interest rate, but saw no other relief. The wider euro-zone bailout fund, given more authority to intervene pre-emptively before a country reaches the verge of bankruptcy, didn't get any more money to do so.
"It is a courageous package for Greece, but the market is moving beyond the solvency crisis in specific countries to looking at the potential threat to the euro area as a whole," said Silvio Peruzzo, European economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London. "The elements needed to fight a systemic crisis were not delivered."
European stocks rallied Friday on the news of the debt deal, with banks enjoying some of the biggest gains. The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.6%, for its third consecutive gain.
In the deal, Europe's leaders went further than they were accustomed to. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who once insisted that aid be provided to troubled countries only on punitive terms as a last resort, opened up to pre-emptive lending at charitable rates. And the ensemble of euro-zone countries reluctantly accepted that Greece faced a solvency problem: It simply could not pay back all of its debts.
But the greatest test is still to come: Does Europe yet have the tools to block the crisis from spreading deep into the Continent's core?
Economists and analysts broadly hailed the Greece package, which provides the country with much needed long-term cash and places some of the bailout's burden on the shoulders of Greece's private creditors.
Still, details of the plan made plain that it would do little to immediately reduce Greece's huge stock of government debt—leading to fears that Greece could again flare up as the country struggles to meet its heavy burden.
And economists are skeptical that Europe is prepared to head off trouble in other countries. Ireland and Portugal, the other bailout recipients, were given more time to repay rescue loans at a lower interest rate, but saw no other relief. The wider euro-zone bailout fund, given more authority to intervene pre-emptively before a country reaches the verge of bankruptcy, didn't get any more money to do so.
"It is a courageous package for Greece, but the market is moving beyond the solvency crisis in specific countries to looking at the potential threat to the euro area as a whole," said Silvio Peruzzo, European economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland in London. "The elements needed to fight a systemic crisis were not delivered."
European stocks rallied Friday on the news of the debt deal, with banks enjoying some of the biggest gains. The Stoxx Europe 600 index rose 0.6%, for its third consecutive gain.
In the deal, Europe's leaders went further than they were accustomed to. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who once insisted that aid be provided to troubled countries only on punitive terms as a last resort, opened up to pre-emptive lending at charitable rates. And the ensemble of euro-zone countries reluctantly accepted that Greece faced a solvency problem: It simply could not pay back all of its debts.
Phone hacking: US to issue subpoenas into News Corp investigations
Sending out subpoenas to News Corp executives would represent a dramatic intensification of Mr Murdoch's legal woes. According to the Wall Street Journal, senior Justice Department officials had yet to sign off on the move.
News Corp has been trying to limit its legal difficulties to News International in Britain while at the same time preparing for aggressive probes in the US following calls from Democratic politicians for investigations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are believed to be beginning investigations while the FBI has said it is looking into a report in the "Daily Mirror" that News Corp journalists sought to hack into the voicemails of victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001.
A person close to News Corp was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by News Corp, as describing the preparation of subpoenas is "a fishing expedition with no evidence to support it".
Jack Horner, a News Corp spokesman, declined to comment to the Daily Telegraph. A spokeswoman had earlier told the "Wall Street Journal": "We have not seen any evidence to suggest there was any hacking of 9/11 victim's phones, nor has anybody corroborated what are clearly very serious allegations.
"The story arose when an unidentified person speculated to the Daily Mirror about whether it happened. That paper printed the anonymous speculation, which has since mushroomed in the broader media with no substantiation."
News Corp has instructed a formidable American legal team in anticipation of an investigation by the Justice Department into whether the alleged bribes paid to British police violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
News Corp has been trying to limit its legal difficulties to News International in Britain while at the same time preparing for aggressive probes in the US following calls from Democratic politicians for investigations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department are believed to be beginning investigations while the FBI has said it is looking into a report in the "Daily Mirror" that News Corp journalists sought to hack into the voicemails of victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001.
A person close to News Corp was quoted by the Wall Street Journal, which is owned by News Corp, as describing the preparation of subpoenas is "a fishing expedition with no evidence to support it".
Jack Horner, a News Corp spokesman, declined to comment to the Daily Telegraph. A spokeswoman had earlier told the "Wall Street Journal": "We have not seen any evidence to suggest there was any hacking of 9/11 victim's phones, nor has anybody corroborated what are clearly very serious allegations.
"The story arose when an unidentified person speculated to the Daily Mirror about whether it happened. That paper printed the anonymous speculation, which has since mushroomed in the broader media with no substantiation."
News Corp has instructed a formidable American legal team in anticipation of an investigation by the Justice Department into whether the alleged bribes paid to British police violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Fitch calls default, Greece pledges no let-up on debt
Reuters) - Fitch ratings agency declared Greece would be in temporary default as the result of a second bailout, which Athens said had bought it breathing space.
But the agency pledged to give Greece a higher, "low speculative grade" after its bonds had been exchanged and said Athens now had some hope of tackling its debt mountain, which most economists still expect to force a deeper restructuring in the future.
An emergency summit of leaders of the 17-nation currency area agreed a second rescue package on Thursday with an extra 109 billion euros ($157 billion) of government money, plus a contribution by private sector bondholders estimated to total as much as 50 billion euros by mid-2014.
Under the bailout of Greece, which supplements a 110 billion euro rescue plan by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in May last year, banks and insurers will voluntarily swap their Greek bonds for longer maturities at lower rates.
"Fitch considers the nature of private sector involvement... to constitute a restricted default event," said David Riley, Head of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch.
"However, the reduction in interest rates and extension of maturities potentially offers Greece a window of opportunity to regain solvency, despite the formidable challenges that it faces," he said.
The summit agreed the region's rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, will be allowed to buy bonds in the secondary market if the European Central Bank deems that necessary to fight the crisis.
It can also for the first time give states precautionary credit lines before they are shut out of credit markets, and lend governments money to recapitalize banks, both moves which Germany blocked earlier this year.
German central bank chief Jens Weidmann was openly critical of the package, saying it shifted risks onto taxpayers in countries with stronger finances and weakened incentives for governments to keep their finances under control.
"This weakens the foundation for a currency union based on fiscal self-responsibility," said Weidmann, a European Central Bank policymaker, although he conceded the deal could help ease financial market tensions.
As part of the package, the euro zone leaders also made detailed provisions for limiting the damage of a temporary default -- the first in western Europe for more than 40 years.
"There is a great breath of relief for the Greek economy and this will gradually pass on to the real economy," Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters. "But by no means does this mean we can relax our efforts."
Riley told Reuters Greece may languish in default for only a few days and would likely get re-rated at single B or CCC.
Among other steps, the leaders agreed to ease terms on bailout loans to Greece, Ireland and Portugal; maturities will be extended to 15 years from 7.5 and interest cut to around 3.5 percent from 4.5-5.8 percent now.
Doubts remain about whether the plan went far enough to assure not only Greece's debt sustainability but that of Ireland, Portugal and other heavily indebted nations.
The package yielded "more than expected but not enough to make us sleep comfortably," Barclays economists said. They were disappointed that European leaders did not agree to expand a euro zone rescue fund.
The wider EFSF role is designed to prevent bigger euro zone states such as Spain and Italy from being shut out of markets because of fears of a weaker country defaulting.
Funds are sufficient so far but the burden could rise substantially. A precautionary credit line for a large country like Italy might total more than 500 billion euros over several years, overwhelming the EFSF's current 440 billion euros.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said all euro zone debtors had to act decisively to repair their finances.
"Italy's austerity program was absolutely good. But it will be a process and demands further steps in the future," she told a news conference.
But the agency pledged to give Greece a higher, "low speculative grade" after its bonds had been exchanged and said Athens now had some hope of tackling its debt mountain, which most economists still expect to force a deeper restructuring in the future.An emergency summit of leaders of the 17-nation currency area agreed a second rescue package on Thursday with an extra 109 billion euros ($157 billion) of government money, plus a contribution by private sector bondholders estimated to total as much as 50 billion euros by mid-2014.
Under the bailout of Greece, which supplements a 110 billion euro rescue plan by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund in May last year, banks and insurers will voluntarily swap their Greek bonds for longer maturities at lower rates.
"Fitch considers the nature of private sector involvement... to constitute a restricted default event," said David Riley, Head of Sovereign Ratings at Fitch.
"However, the reduction in interest rates and extension of maturities potentially offers Greece a window of opportunity to regain solvency, despite the formidable challenges that it faces," he said.
The summit agreed the region's rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, will be allowed to buy bonds in the secondary market if the European Central Bank deems that necessary to fight the crisis.
It can also for the first time give states precautionary credit lines before they are shut out of credit markets, and lend governments money to recapitalize banks, both moves which Germany blocked earlier this year.
German central bank chief Jens Weidmann was openly critical of the package, saying it shifted risks onto taxpayers in countries with stronger finances and weakened incentives for governments to keep their finances under control.
"This weakens the foundation for a currency union based on fiscal self-responsibility," said Weidmann, a European Central Bank policymaker, although he conceded the deal could help ease financial market tensions.
As part of the package, the euro zone leaders also made detailed provisions for limiting the damage of a temporary default -- the first in western Europe for more than 40 years.
"There is a great breath of relief for the Greek economy and this will gradually pass on to the real economy," Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told reporters. "But by no means does this mean we can relax our efforts."
Riley told Reuters Greece may languish in default for only a few days and would likely get re-rated at single B or CCC.
Among other steps, the leaders agreed to ease terms on bailout loans to Greece, Ireland and Portugal; maturities will be extended to 15 years from 7.5 and interest cut to around 3.5 percent from 4.5-5.8 percent now.
Doubts remain about whether the plan went far enough to assure not only Greece's debt sustainability but that of Ireland, Portugal and other heavily indebted nations.
The package yielded "more than expected but not enough to make us sleep comfortably," Barclays economists said. They were disappointed that European leaders did not agree to expand a euro zone rescue fund.
The wider EFSF role is designed to prevent bigger euro zone states such as Spain and Italy from being shut out of markets because of fears of a weaker country defaulting.
Funds are sufficient so far but the burden could rise substantially. A precautionary credit line for a large country like Italy might total more than 500 billion euros over several years, overwhelming the EFSF's current 440 billion euros.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said all euro zone debtors had to act decisively to repair their finances.
"Italy's austerity program was absolutely good. But it will be a process and demands further steps in the future," she told a news conference.
Somali militants block foreign aid from famine-hit south
Islamist guerrillas who control swaths of Somalia are banning food aid from foreigners – a posture that observers predict might cost millions of lives.
“This is yet another heinous crime – starving people to death in the name of religion,” Omar Jamal, a New York-based official with Somalia’s vestigial government, said in an interview.
Somalia’s al-Shabab militants, already globally notorious for suicide bombings and sharia courts that kill and maim alleged heretics, may well now be set to facilitate famine on an epic scale.
Al-Shabab has gained ground by targeting Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, the largely powerless local authority whose ministers face widespread intimidation and possible death if they remain in the country.
This week, al-Shabab militants kidnapped a newly appointed female cabinet minister who they let go only after extracting promises she no longer work for the TFG. Last month, the country’s interior minister was killed in a suicide bombing by a female who was reportedly his niece.
In a country beset by two decades of anarchy and warlordism, these al-Qaeda-linked fighters continue to make gains as a relatively cohesive fighting force.
A spokesman for al-Shabab, which controls the bulk of Somalia’s south, recently told reporters its territories remained off-limits to groups such as the United Nations. This statement reversed a pledge to open the lands up for famine relief, a promise that had made the international aid organizations cautiously optimistic that widespread famine might be averted.
“We are not guaranteeing safety for any agency that was previously banned from working in areas under our control,” Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage of al-Shabab told the Daily Telegraph. “We shall also expel any agency that causes problems for Muslim society.”
He said al-Shabab leaders were “mistranslated” when they were quoted saying that they would let in foreign agencies.
Somali has 3.7 million people who are starving because of the drought, according to the UN. Because most live in the south, the UN says its food aid is reaching only about a third of those who need it. The UN World Food Program hasn’t been present in south Somalia since January, 2010.
“We have conflicting messages. We thought we were being asked to come in and resume our operations,” Julie Marshall, spokeswoman for the World Food Program, said in an interview. “We are appealing to the people that hold the areas to allow us to come in.”
The famine occurs as Somalia’s TFG, which controls hardly any territory in Somalia, is besieged by al-Shabab fighters.
Mr. Jamal, the TFG’s first secretary to the United Nations, suggested the international community should consider air dropping food onto the ground and snatching up al-Shabab leaders on war-crimes charges. He further suggested that because of the famine the TFG, a largely discredited authority lately criticized for using child soldiers, should be better armed to fight al-Shabab militants.
Very few aid agencies can work throughout Somalia, meaning the bulk of the international aid is being routed to the north and to areas of the capital, Mogadishu. Some aid organizations are able to get to the south through local intermediaries. Others hope to exploit fissures that can exist within al-Shabab leadership to get food into the south.
Yet this is not nearly enough to meet the huge and growing need. Hundreds of thousands of starving Somalis have been trying to flee to adjacent countries on long marches. Some perish during these long journeys, others survive only to discover that borderland refugee camps are overflowing.
Somalis in the West fear the situation is growing more bleak daily.
“This is yet another heinous crime – starving people to death in the name of religion,” Omar Jamal, a New York-based official with Somalia’s vestigial government, said in an interview.Somalia’s al-Shabab militants, already globally notorious for suicide bombings and sharia courts that kill and maim alleged heretics, may well now be set to facilitate famine on an epic scale.
Al-Shabab has gained ground by targeting Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, the largely powerless local authority whose ministers face widespread intimidation and possible death if they remain in the country.
This week, al-Shabab militants kidnapped a newly appointed female cabinet minister who they let go only after extracting promises she no longer work for the TFG. Last month, the country’s interior minister was killed in a suicide bombing by a female who was reportedly his niece.
In a country beset by two decades of anarchy and warlordism, these al-Qaeda-linked fighters continue to make gains as a relatively cohesive fighting force.
A spokesman for al-Shabab, which controls the bulk of Somalia’s south, recently told reporters its territories remained off-limits to groups such as the United Nations. This statement reversed a pledge to open the lands up for famine relief, a promise that had made the international aid organizations cautiously optimistic that widespread famine might be averted.
“We are not guaranteeing safety for any agency that was previously banned from working in areas under our control,” Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage of al-Shabab told the Daily Telegraph. “We shall also expel any agency that causes problems for Muslim society.”
He said al-Shabab leaders were “mistranslated” when they were quoted saying that they would let in foreign agencies.
Somali has 3.7 million people who are starving because of the drought, according to the UN. Because most live in the south, the UN says its food aid is reaching only about a third of those who need it. The UN World Food Program hasn’t been present in south Somalia since January, 2010.
“We have conflicting messages. We thought we were being asked to come in and resume our operations,” Julie Marshall, spokeswoman for the World Food Program, said in an interview. “We are appealing to the people that hold the areas to allow us to come in.”
The famine occurs as Somalia’s TFG, which controls hardly any territory in Somalia, is besieged by al-Shabab fighters.
Mr. Jamal, the TFG’s first secretary to the United Nations, suggested the international community should consider air dropping food onto the ground and snatching up al-Shabab leaders on war-crimes charges. He further suggested that because of the famine the TFG, a largely discredited authority lately criticized for using child soldiers, should be better armed to fight al-Shabab militants.
Very few aid agencies can work throughout Somalia, meaning the bulk of the international aid is being routed to the north and to areas of the capital, Mogadishu. Some aid organizations are able to get to the south through local intermediaries. Others hope to exploit fissures that can exist within al-Shabab leadership to get food into the south.
Yet this is not nearly enough to meet the huge and growing need. Hundreds of thousands of starving Somalis have been trying to flee to adjacent countries on long marches. Some perish during these long journeys, others survive only to discover that borderland refugee camps are overflowing.
Somalis in the West fear the situation is growing more bleak daily.
Norway attack: at least 80 die in Utøya shooting, seven in Oslo bombing
A Norwegian dressed as a police officer killed at least 80 people at an island retreat, police said early on Saturday. It took investigators several hours to begin to realise the full scope of the massacre, which followed an explosion in Oslo that killed seven and that police say was set off by the same suspect.
Police initially said about 10 people were killed at the camp on the island of Utøya, but some survivors said they thought the toll was much higher. Police director Øystein Mæland told reporters early on Saturday they had discovered many more victims.
"It's taken time to search the area. What we know now is that we can say that there are at least 80 killed at Utøya," Mæland said. "It goes without saying that this gives dimensions to this incident that are exceptional."
Mæland said the death toll could rise even more. He said others were severely injured, but police did not know how many were hurt.
A suspect in the shootings and the Oslo explosion was arrested. Though police did not release his name, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK identified him as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik and said police searched his Oslo apartment overnight.
A police official said the suspect appears to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems that this is not linked to any international terrorist organisations". The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that information had not been officially released by Norway's police.
The official said the attack "is probably more Norway's Oklahoma City than it is Norway's World Trade Center."
The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the ruling Labour party government. The youth camp, about 20 miles northwest of Oslo, is organised by the party's youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there on Saturday.
The blast in Oslo left a square covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings. Most of the windows in the block where the prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, and his administration work were shattered.
The police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Oslo bombing occurred at 3.26pm local time, and the camp shootings began one to two hours later. The official said the gunman used automatic weapons and handguns, and that there was at least one unexploded device at the youth camp that a police bomb disposal team and military experts were disarming.
Seven people were killed by the blast in Oslo, four of whom have been identified. Nine or 10 people were seriously injured.
Police initially said about 10 people were killed at the camp on the island of Utøya, but some survivors said they thought the toll was much higher. Police director Øystein Mæland told reporters early on Saturday they had discovered many more victims."It's taken time to search the area. What we know now is that we can say that there are at least 80 killed at Utøya," Mæland said. "It goes without saying that this gives dimensions to this incident that are exceptional."
Mæland said the death toll could rise even more. He said others were severely injured, but police did not know how many were hurt.
A suspect in the shootings and the Oslo explosion was arrested. Though police did not release his name, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK identified him as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik and said police searched his Oslo apartment overnight.
A police official said the suspect appears to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems that this is not linked to any international terrorist organisations". The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that information had not been officially released by Norway's police.
The official said the attack "is probably more Norway's Oklahoma City than it is Norway's World Trade Center."
The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the ruling Labour party government. The youth camp, about 20 miles northwest of Oslo, is organised by the party's youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there on Saturday.
The blast in Oslo left a square covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings. Most of the windows in the block where the prime minister, Jens Stoltenberg, and his administration work were shattered.
The police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Oslo bombing occurred at 3.26pm local time, and the camp shootings began one to two hours later. The official said the gunman used automatic weapons and handguns, and that there was at least one unexploded device at the youth camp that a police bomb disposal team and military experts were disarming.
Seven people were killed by the blast in Oslo, four of whom have been identified. Nine or 10 people were seriously injured.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Iceland's Katla volcano shows signs of activity
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Scientists are monitoring Iceland's Katla volcano amid signs that a small eruption may be taking place.
The acting head of the Civil Protection Agency Iris Marelsdottir, says flooding is taking place near the volcano, caused by the melting of its ice cap.
But she says the flooding may have other causes — such as high geothermal heat — so it not yet clear whether there is an eruption.
Katla typically awakens every 80 years or so, and last erupted in 1918.
Iceland, in the remote North Atlantic, is a volcanic hotspot. In April 2010 ash from an eruption of its Eyjafjallajokul volcano grounded flights across Europe for days, disrupting travel for 10 million people.
The acting head of the Civil Protection Agency Iris Marelsdottir, says flooding is taking place near the volcano, caused by the melting of its ice cap.
But she says the flooding may have other causes — such as high geothermal heat — so it not yet clear whether there is an eruption.
Katla typically awakens every 80 years or so, and last erupted in 1918.
Iceland, in the remote North Atlantic, is a volcanic hotspot. In April 2010 ash from an eruption of its Eyjafjallajokul volcano grounded flights across Europe for days, disrupting travel for 10 million people.
War and drought compounding Somalia exodus
DOLO ADO, Ethiopia (Reuters) - Rasheed Hassan had to walk out on his son when he fled war in his native Somalia to go to neighboring Ethiopia. Two other children had already been shot dead in crossfire near his home.
Fearing for his life, Hassan, 42, walked for eight days, his belongings in a donkey cart, to the refugee camp that has become home to thousands more escaping war and now a second killer -- drought.
"I even left a son behind -- there wasn't enough space," he said, two days after arriving at Dolo Ado, just a kilometer north of the border with Somalia.
The cluster of crowded camps scattered around the town now shelter almost 100,000, but officials say the deadly cocktail of daily bloodshed and a ruinous regional drought will force even more to arrive in the coming months.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Ethiopia have set up a cluster of camps at Dolo Ado to accommodate the influx of refugees, which officials say has now topped some 1,600 people each day.
"This is the worst humanitarian disaster we are facing in the world," UNHCR head Antonio Guterres said during a trip to the area on Wednesday. "We have one-fourth of the population of Somalia displaced."
The agency is building more camps to hold another 120,000 people as drought ravages the region.
Hospitals in the Somali capital Mogadishu are also reporting more malnourished children among refugee arrivals fleeing the drought. Pastoralist communities in northeastern Kenya face starvation as it continues to engulf the region.
Although the civil war in Somalia has raged for two decades since the downfall of Siad Barre's rule, fighting between the internationally backed government and the rebels has intensified during the past year, with civilians bearing the brunt.
Hassan left behind the whistles of incoming mortar fire that had shaken the town of Bohol Bashir for days, and fled the house-to-house searches and bloody street battles as government troops fought al Shabaab, a group that claims links to al Qaeda and fights to topple Somalia Western-backed government.
"I was just a trader and had no involvement in the conflict so I chose to stay," he said.
"But then two of my children died, caught in the cross-fire as they fought it out just meters away from our house," Hassan said, shrugging his shoulders in desperation at the loss of Mohammad, eight, and Abdi, 12.
Fearing for his life, Hassan, 42, walked for eight days, his belongings in a donkey cart, to the refugee camp that has become home to thousands more escaping war and now a second killer -- drought.
"I even left a son behind -- there wasn't enough space," he said, two days after arriving at Dolo Ado, just a kilometer north of the border with Somalia.
The cluster of crowded camps scattered around the town now shelter almost 100,000, but officials say the deadly cocktail of daily bloodshed and a ruinous regional drought will force even more to arrive in the coming months.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Ethiopia have set up a cluster of camps at Dolo Ado to accommodate the influx of refugees, which officials say has now topped some 1,600 people each day.
"This is the worst humanitarian disaster we are facing in the world," UNHCR head Antonio Guterres said during a trip to the area on Wednesday. "We have one-fourth of the population of Somalia displaced."
The agency is building more camps to hold another 120,000 people as drought ravages the region.
Hospitals in the Somali capital Mogadishu are also reporting more malnourished children among refugee arrivals fleeing the drought. Pastoralist communities in northeastern Kenya face starvation as it continues to engulf the region.
Although the civil war in Somalia has raged for two decades since the downfall of Siad Barre's rule, fighting between the internationally backed government and the rebels has intensified during the past year, with civilians bearing the brunt.
Hassan left behind the whistles of incoming mortar fire that had shaken the town of Bohol Bashir for days, and fled the house-to-house searches and bloody street battles as government troops fought al Shabaab, a group that claims links to al Qaeda and fights to topple Somalia Western-backed government.
"I was just a trader and had no involvement in the conflict so I chose to stay," he said.
"But then two of my children died, caught in the cross-fire as they fought it out just meters away from our house," Hassan said, shrugging his shoulders in desperation at the loss of Mohammad, eight, and Abdi, 12.
Independent South Sudan "free at last," tensions remain
JUBA (Reuters) - Thousands of South Sudanese danced through the night to mark the first hours of their independence on Saturday, a hard-won separation from the north that also plunged the fractured region into a new period of uncertainty.
The Republic of South Sudan, an under-developed oil producer, became the world's newest nation on the stroke of midnight.
It won its independence in a January referendum -- the climax of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the north.
Security forces at first tried to control the dusty streets of the southern capital Juba, but retreated as jubilant crowds moved in waving flags, dancing and chanting "South Sudan o-yei, freedom o-yei."
After the sun came up, thousands poured onto the site of the day's independence ceremony -- a possible headache for officials keen to guard dignitaries including the President of Sudan, the south's old civil war foe, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
Years of war have flooded South Sudan with weapons.
In a possible sign of the South's new allegiances, the crowd included about 200 supporters of Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahed al-Nur, whose forces are fighting Khartoum in an eight-year insurgency just over South Sudan's border in the north.
The supporters of Nur's rebel Sudan Liberation Army faction stood in a line chanting "Welcome, welcome new state," wearing T-shirts bearing their leader's image. One carried a banner reading "El Bashir is wanted dead or alive."
Traditional dance groups drummed and waved shields and staffs in a carnival atmosphere.
"I am very pleased," said Joma Cirilow, 47, his hand on his son's shoulder. "Do you want to be a second class citizen? No, I want to be a first class citizen in my own country."
Christian priests in full robes blessed the ceremony site in central Juba where a large statue stood draped in a flag near the mausoleum of the south's civil war hero John Garang.
"Today we raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world. A day of victory and celebration," Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the South's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) told Reuters.
"Free at last," said Simon Agany, 34, as he walked around shaking hands. "Coming away from the north is total freedom."
The Republic of South Sudan, an under-developed oil producer, became the world's newest nation on the stroke of midnight.
It won its independence in a January referendum -- the climax of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war with the north.
Security forces at first tried to control the dusty streets of the southern capital Juba, but retreated as jubilant crowds moved in waving flags, dancing and chanting "South Sudan o-yei, freedom o-yei."
After the sun came up, thousands poured onto the site of the day's independence ceremony -- a possible headache for officials keen to guard dignitaries including the President of Sudan, the south's old civil war foe, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
Years of war have flooded South Sudan with weapons.
In a possible sign of the South's new allegiances, the crowd included about 200 supporters of Darfur rebel leader Abdel Wahed al-Nur, whose forces are fighting Khartoum in an eight-year insurgency just over South Sudan's border in the north.
The supporters of Nur's rebel Sudan Liberation Army faction stood in a line chanting "Welcome, welcome new state," wearing T-shirts bearing their leader's image. One carried a banner reading "El Bashir is wanted dead or alive."
Traditional dance groups drummed and waved shields and staffs in a carnival atmosphere.
"I am very pleased," said Joma Cirilow, 47, his hand on his son's shoulder. "Do you want to be a second class citizen? No, I want to be a first class citizen in my own country."
Christian priests in full robes blessed the ceremony site in central Juba where a large statue stood draped in a flag near the mausoleum of the south's civil war hero John Garang.
"Today we raise the flag of South Sudan to join the nations of the world. A day of victory and celebration," Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the South's ruling Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) told Reuters.
"Free at last," said Simon Agany, 34, as he walked around shaking hands. "Coming away from the north is total freedom."
Hundreds arrested in protest against Malaysian PM
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police detained more than 440 people and sealed off parts of the capital on Saturday in a bid to stop thousands of anti-government protesters from putting on a massive show of strength against Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Thousands of police, some in trucks mounted with water cannons, fanned out across the city of 1.6 million people and set up roadblocks to stop the protest, which, if successful, could derail Najib's economic reforms program.
A big turnout could signal that the ruling National Front coalition was losing ground, possibly making Najib reconsider a snap election and delaying painful economic reforms seen as essential to woo substantial foreign investment.
Polls are not due until 2013 but analysts have said Najib is likely to seek an early mandate after economic growth accelerated to a 10-year high in 2010.
The Bersih, or Clean, group has vowed to bring together tens of thousands of supporters in the city's downtown area to demand electoral reforms, in what could be the biggest anti-government demonstration since Anwar Ibrahim's sacking as deputy premier in 1998 led to violent street rallies.
"We want to send a very clear message that we don't want a fraudulent electoral process," Anwar, who now heads a three-party opposition coalition, told Reuters at a hotel near the downtown area.
Accompanied by his wife and a daughter and dressed in a yellow T-shirt, the color of the protest movement, he said he would join the demonstration later. "We are not sure whether we will get to our destination. But the show must go on," he said.
The protesters had gathered around the city center to march to a stadium in the downtown area despite police warnings that what they were doing is illegal.
"I am hoping we will make it through the police blocks," said Nor Shahidal, a college student in her early 20s, as she made her way to the national mosque.
"We are not being disruptive, we want to walk for free and fair elections."
Police said more than 441 people were taken into custody by mid-day. The rally organizers said they were determined to carry on with the protest.
"We are fighting for free and fair elections," Ambiga Sreenevasan, head of Bersih coalition, told reporters.
"The government uses might, we use our right. Our right will eventually prevail."
Taxi and bus services into the city center were halted on Saturday, turning the usually busy tourist and shopping area in central Kuala Lumpur into a ghost town. Several roads were blocked off by police vehicles.
Most suburban train services were however functioning, and areas outside the city center were not much affected.
Major street demonstrations are rare in this Southeast Asian country, but the rise of alternative media channels and a signs of strength in the opposition are gradually creating a more vocal Malaysian public.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets at a November 2007 rally, which analysts said galvanized support for the opposition ahead of record gains in a 2008 general election.
Najib took power in 2009, and inherited a divided ruling coalition which had been weakened by historic losses in the 2008 polls. He has promised to restructure government and economy and introduced an inclusive brand of politics aimed at uniting the country's different races.
Najib's approval ratings have risen from 45 percent to 69 percent in February, according to independent polling outfit Merdeka Center. But analysts said recent ethnic and religious differences have undermined his popularity.
(Additional reporting by Angie Teo; Writing by Liau Y-Sing; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Miral Fahmy)
Thousands of police, some in trucks mounted with water cannons, fanned out across the city of 1.6 million people and set up roadblocks to stop the protest, which, if successful, could derail Najib's economic reforms program.
A big turnout could signal that the ruling National Front coalition was losing ground, possibly making Najib reconsider a snap election and delaying painful economic reforms seen as essential to woo substantial foreign investment.
Polls are not due until 2013 but analysts have said Najib is likely to seek an early mandate after economic growth accelerated to a 10-year high in 2010.
The Bersih, or Clean, group has vowed to bring together tens of thousands of supporters in the city's downtown area to demand electoral reforms, in what could be the biggest anti-government demonstration since Anwar Ibrahim's sacking as deputy premier in 1998 led to violent street rallies.
"We want to send a very clear message that we don't want a fraudulent electoral process," Anwar, who now heads a three-party opposition coalition, told Reuters at a hotel near the downtown area.
Accompanied by his wife and a daughter and dressed in a yellow T-shirt, the color of the protest movement, he said he would join the demonstration later. "We are not sure whether we will get to our destination. But the show must go on," he said.
The protesters had gathered around the city center to march to a stadium in the downtown area despite police warnings that what they were doing is illegal.
"I am hoping we will make it through the police blocks," said Nor Shahidal, a college student in her early 20s, as she made her way to the national mosque.
"We are not being disruptive, we want to walk for free and fair elections."
Police said more than 441 people were taken into custody by mid-day. The rally organizers said they were determined to carry on with the protest.
"We are fighting for free and fair elections," Ambiga Sreenevasan, head of Bersih coalition, told reporters.
"The government uses might, we use our right. Our right will eventually prevail."
Taxi and bus services into the city center were halted on Saturday, turning the usually busy tourist and shopping area in central Kuala Lumpur into a ghost town. Several roads were blocked off by police vehicles.
Most suburban train services were however functioning, and areas outside the city center were not much affected.
Major street demonstrations are rare in this Southeast Asian country, but the rise of alternative media channels and a signs of strength in the opposition are gradually creating a more vocal Malaysian public.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets at a November 2007 rally, which analysts said galvanized support for the opposition ahead of record gains in a 2008 general election.
Najib took power in 2009, and inherited a divided ruling coalition which had been weakened by historic losses in the 2008 polls. He has promised to restructure government and economy and introduced an inclusive brand of politics aimed at uniting the country's different races.
Najib's approval ratings have risen from 45 percent to 69 percent in February, according to independent polling outfit Merdeka Center. But analysts said recent ethnic and religious differences have undermined his popularity.
(Additional reporting by Angie Teo; Writing by Liau Y-Sing; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Miral Fahmy)
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