0 NATO probes report rogue Afghan soldier shot foreign troops

KABUL (AFP) – NATO and Afghan officials were Saturday probing reports a rogue Afghan soldier shot dead foreign troops -- said to be two US Marines -- on a base in the volatile south of the country, the alliance said.
A NATO official said that two US Marines had been killed in the incident, which took place in Helmand province late on Thursday night.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official told AFP the Marines had been shot by an Afghan soldier who had been on the base for two to three weeks and was now missing.
Referring to it as a "green-on-green" incident, he said the Marines "weren't shot in their beds, they must have been on guard duty".
"Rounds were fired within the FOB (forward operating base) and an Afghan soldier was found to be missing the next morning," he said.
NATO's media office did not immediately confirm the details, saying it was aware of "the incident in Helmand province".
A team from ISAF and the Afghan government "is investigating the incident," it said. No further details were available.
The incident was initially reported early Saturday by Pakistan-based Afghan news agency Afghan Islamic Press (AIP).
AIP is not generally regarded as reliable and often publishes Taliban propaganda, including exaggerated claims of battlefield operations.
It quoted a Taliban spokesman saying an Afghan soldier had "shot and killed three foreign troops at a base in Sangin district of Helmand".
"The ANA soldier opened fire on foreign troops at a base in Tamirano area close to the headquarters of Sangin last night, killing three foreign soldiers, Qari Muhammad Yousuf Ahmadi, spokesman of Taliban, told Afghan Islamic Press," the report said.
It quoted Ahmadi saying the "soldier fled the base and joined Taliban".
But defence ministry official Mohammed Azim Mujahid, quoted by the German news agency DPA, said the killings were an accident.
"The soldier didn't have any contact with the Taliban. It was only an accident," he said.
Sangin has been labelled the most dangerous area in Afghanistan, with British forces fighting there from 2006 until September, when they handed over to US Marines.
The British lost more than 100 troops in Sangin, around a third of the total number of military casualties the country has suffered in Afghanistan since the current insurgency began in late 2001.
Helmand's governer Gulabuddin Mangal, during a visit to London earlier this week, said that security in the area had improved since the Marines moved in, as they were better manned and equipped than their predecessors.
Sangin has a population of around 20,000 and is a key distribution and supply point for Taliban money and men, as well as the drugs cartels that dominate the area.
Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's opium, most of it produced in Helmand. The Taliban supply muscle to protect growers and distributors. Drugs money in turn helps fund the insurgency.
Incidents in which Afghan soldiers or police officers turn on Western troops are rare, but raise questions about the multi-billion-dollar international effort to train and mentor Afghanistan's security forces.
In July a renegade Afghan soldier shot and killed three British army Gurkhas and wounded several others on a base in Helmand province.
In August, an Afghan police officer killed two Spanish paramilitary police officers and a Spanish interpreter during a training session at a base in Badghis province.
On Saturday Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero made a surprise visit to Afghanistan, telling Spanish radio: "We are not here to stay but we have a firm commitment until the Afghans can guarantee their own security."
In a meeting with Zapatero, Afghan President Hamid Karzai stressed he is making "progress" with a peace process aimed at convincing Taliban rebels fighting his Western-backed government to lay down their arms.
US President Barack Obama has set a deadline of July 2011 to begin drawing down combat troops as public opinion in the United States and its NATO partners turns against continued engagement in Afghanistan.
Integral to a withdrawal is the ability of Afghanistan's military and police to take over responsibility for national security.
The United States and NATO have more than 150,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting the insurgency. More than 620 foreign soldiers have died this year.

0 NASA Postpones Space Shuttle Discovery Launch

   APE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 5, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery to no earlier than 4:05 a.m. EST on Nov. 30. The delay will allow engineers and technicians time to diagnose and repair a hydrogen gas leak detected while filling the external tank Friday morning. They also will assess a foam crack on the external fuel tank's liquid oxygen intertank flange. The crack was discovered during de-tanking operations.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)
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The leak was at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, an attachment point between the external tank and a 7-inch pipe that carries gaseous hydrogen safely away from Discovery to the flare stack, where it is burned off.
"We always place safety first," said NASA Associate Administrator for Space Operations Bill Gerstenmaier. "It is essential we repair this hardware before we fly the mission, and we will take the time to properly understand and fix the failure before we launch."
The six astronauts for Discovery's 11-day STS-133 mission will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module to the International Space Station. The PMM was converted from the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo. It can hold microgravity experiments in areas such as fluid physics, materials science, biology, and biotechnology. Inside the PMM is Robonaut 2, which will become a permanent resident of the station. R2 will be used to test how dexterous robots behave in space. STS-133 also is carrying critical spare components to the space station and the Express Logistics Carrier 4. ELC 4 is an external platform that holds large equipment. The mission will feature two spacewalks to do maintenance work and install new components.
Commander Steve Lindsey leads the veteran crew, which consists of pilot Eric Boe and Mission Specialists Alvin Drew, Tim Kopra, Michael Barratt and Nicole Stott.
STS-133 is the final shuttle mission planned for 2010, Discovery's 39th and final scheduled flight; and the 35th shuttle mission to the station.

0 More than 70 killed in Taliban attacks on Pakistani mosques

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber killed 67 people on Friday at a mosque frequented by tribal elders opposed to the Pakistani Taliban. Hours later, three people died in a grenade attack on another mosque associated with anti-Taliban militia.

The strikes in northwest Pakistan were a reminder of the potency of the Taliban and their al-Qaida allies along the Afghan border despite U.S.-backed army offensives. The Obama administration believes success against insurgents there is key to its hopes of winning the war in Afghanistan.

The Pakistani army has supported the creation of militias to fight the Taliban, who are unpopular in many parts of the northwest. The groups know the region and its inhabitants and are seen as useful in securing cleared areas or stopping militants from moving into their districts.

The insurgents regularly target these groups with suicide attacks and warn residents not to join up with them. On two occasions this year suicide attackers have killed about 100 people attending militia events, while dozens of others have been killed in smaller strikes.

Friday's first attack happened at midday in the town of Darra Adam Khel, a militant stronghold which lies on the edge of Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal region.

The bomber, who authorities said appeared to be a teenager, ran into the mosque where several hundred worshippers were gathered for midday prayers on the holiest day of the week. He detonated explosives around his waist.

Survivors bundled the victims into cars and rushed them to hospitals in Peshawar, the main city in the northwest and an hour's drive away.

At one hospital, a woman beat her head in grief while two elderly men in blood-soaked clothes lay in a corridor.

``The blast tossed me up, then I fell down,'' Mohammad Usman, a 32-year-old schoolteacher with wounds to his head and arms said from his hospital bed. ``Later, it was just like a graveyard.''

Local government official Shahid Ullah said tribesmen running an anti-Taliban militia often met at the mosque, but they were not there on this particular Friday. Another official, Saeed Khan, said 67 were killed and 100 others were wounded.

It was the deadliest suicide bombing since a pair of attackers killed 102 people and wounded 168 in the Mohmand tribal region in July. That blast targeted tribal elders resisting the Taliban who were meeting a government official.

GEO News TV reported that the Pakistani Taliban, an umbrella group of local militants based in the tribal region, claimed responsibility for Friday's attack. The Taliban's spokesmen did not immediately respond to calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Later on Friday, three hand grenades exploded during evening prayers at a mosque in Peshawar's Badhber district, 22 kilometers (14 miles) from the first attack. Along with three dead, 24 people were wounded, said police official Ejaz Khan.

Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said that attack was a ``reaction to the successes'' of an anti-Taliban militia, known as a lashkar, in Badhber.

``No police or government can be successful without the people's support. We need these lashkars. We will support them to eradicate terrorism,'' said Hussain, whose only son was killed by militants earlier this year.

Allied to insurgents in Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban have carried out scores of attacks over the past three years against army, government and foreign targets and allegedly trained the Pakistani-American who attempted to blow up a car bomb in Times Square this year.

The Taliban and other militant outfits have often struck mosques where their enemies gather, unconcerned that this may make them unpopular in this Muslim nation.

Also Friday, a private plane chartered by an Italy-based oil company crashed near the airport in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, after the pilot warned of engine trouble, officials said. All 21 people on board, including an Italian, were killed.

Read more: More than 70 killed in Taliban attacks on Pakistani mosques - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/More-than-70-killed-in-Taliban-attacks-on-Pakistani-mosques/articleshow/6877009.cms#ixzz14Ubzco4O

0 Indonesia ramps up volcano relief

Rescue workers in Indonesia continue to pick through the remains of whole villages destroyed by the country's Mount Merapi volcano, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 122 people.
Rescuers redoubled their efforts on Saturday, switching their focus to helping the 200,000 people who have been forced to leave their homes following the eruptions.
Thousands have taken shelter in makeshift government camps.
Salman al-Farisi, from the Indonesian embassy in Washington DC, told Al Jazeera: "The relief effort now is more about the medicine, food, blankets and something like communication which is very important to give information from one relief centre to another."
A day earlier Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the president, declared the situation a "national disaster".
Yudhoyono said that his government would take "extraordinary measures" to respond to the ongoing crisis, after the country's most volatile volcano erupted for a second time, spewing clouds of deadly gasses.'
Burn injuries

Carcases of livestock and ruined crops were left in the wake of the eruptions [AFP]

Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen, reporting from the capital, Jakarta, said: "The president has gone again to the region and has set up office to co-ordinate the relief effort from the foot of the volcano. He has sent 2,000 military personnel to oversee the evacuation process.
"With so many people the needs are getting higher and higher. There is a lot of pressure on the government to ask for international help.
It's a matter of national pride so far, I think, that they haven’t done that."
Argomulyo village, 18km from the crater, suffered one of the worst casualty rates, according to emergency response officials. Several children under the age of 10 were killed.
Carcases of livestock and ruined crops were left in the wake of the eruptions, with sheets of ash covering anything that remained.
"I found three bodies. A child, mother and father, still in their bed. They must have been sleeping when the hot ash struck their house," Utha, a rescue worker, told the AFP news agency.
Friday's blast wounded at least 156 people, according to a government spokesperson, most of them suffering burn injuries.
'Hard to predict'
Millions of people live in the vicinity of the volcano, in what is one of the most densely populated regions in Indonesia.

The volcano first erupted on October 26 [AFP]

The increasingly violent activity defied initial predictions from volcanologists that the first eruption on October 26 would ease pressure inside the mountain.
The gas pressure inside the mountain is reportedly increasing and experts fear a much bigger eruption might be next.
"It is very hard to predict in the first place what the Merapi is doing as well, it is the most unpredictable volcano in Indonesia. But this pattern that we've seen now in recent weeks is totally different from what we've seen ever in the past," Al Jazeera's correspondent said.
Merapi last erupted in 2006, when it sent an avalanche of pyroclastic ash - hot gases and rock fragments - racing down the mountain and killing two people.
A similar eruption in 1994 killed 60 people, while 1,300 people died in an eruption in 1930.
There are more than 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which are spread across 17,500 islands.
The country is prone to eruptions and earthquakes due to its location within the so-called Ring of Fire - a series of fault lines stretching from the western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia.

0 Adorable pup has 163,000 Facebook fans

Meet Boo, the Pom pup with a lion cut, oodles of YouTube videos and more than 163,000 Facebook fans, doing his darndest to ensure pounds and Pomeranian rescues are bursting at their adorable seams just in time for Christmas.
I've got three on back order!
OK. Not really. I have my own precarious collection of abandoned purebreds. Mind you, not enough to make my neighbors call A&E … yet. But certainly enough to understand the unhappy aftermarket that follows adorably problematic pups such as Boo, the Shibu Inu cuties of Puppy Cam fame, post-"Men in Black" pugs, the thousand-and-one deaf and snappy Dalmatians not suited for homes with children, and the current glut of fashionable French Bulldogs parading the streets of New York City.

0 Qantas Mendarat Darurat Lagi di Singapura

Qantas Mendarat Darurat Lagi di Singapura
Sehari sebelumnya, pesawat airbus A380 Qantas yang membawa 433 penumpang rusak

VIVAnews - Dua hari berturut-turut, sebuah pesawat Qantas telah dipaksa untuk kembali lagi ke Singapura karena masalah mesin. Kali ini, pesawat Boeing 747 yang membawah 431 penumpang sedang dalam perjalanan menuju Sydney, Australia.

"Boeing 747-400 kembali segera setelah lepas landas dari Bandara Changi," kata para pejabat penerbangan seperti dilansir BBC News, 5 November 2010.

Salah satu penumpang warga Australia, Ranjan Sivagnanasundaram, mengatakan sekitar 20 menit lepas landa, dia mengaku mendengar ledakan keras.

Pilot meminta penumpang untuk memasukkan kepala dalam posisi menunduk. "Ini sangat mengejutkan. Terutama setelah apa yang terjadi kemarin," kata dia.

Informasi menyebut, pesawat dengan nomor penerbangan QF6 ini mengalami masalah dengan salah satu mesinnya, tak lama setelah lepas landas. Pesawat berhasil mendarat darurat dengan selamat.

Pada Kamis sehari sebelumnya, pesawat airbus A380 Qantas yang membawa 433 penumpang mengalami kerusakan di udara dalam perjalanan Singapura menuju Australia. Serpihan kerusakan pesawat dengan nomor penerbangan QF32 ini jatuh di beberapa wilayah Batam.

Pesawat kemudian kembali ke Bandara Changi, Singapura setelah berputar-putar untuk habiskan bahan bakar. Lalu, pesawat mendarat darurat.
Akibat kejadian pertama ini, Qantas Airlines menghentikan semua penerbangan airbus jenis A380 miliknya. Penangguhan ini dilakukan setelah kecelakaan penerbangan QF32.

0 Sepekan Banjir Thailand, 122 Orang Tewas

Sepekan Banjir Thailand, 122 Orang Tewas

VIVAnews - Banjir bandang yang menimpa Thailand bagian utara telah menewaskan sedikitnya 122 orang dalam satu minggu terakhir dan membuat jutaan warga terkena dampaknya. Hampir seluruh kegiatan pariwisata di daerah tersebut juga dilaporkan lumpuh dengan para wisatawan yang terjebak di hotel-hotel mereka.
Sejauh ini menurut laporan dari pemerintah Thailand, seperti yang dikutip laman harian Bangkok Post, tempat tinggal lebih dari enam juta orang terendam banjir. Ladang-ladang mereka serta peternakan juga mereka dilaporkan rusak.
Ribuan tentara dikerahkan pemerintah untuk membantu mereka yang terjebak banjir di dalam rumahnya di kota Hat Yai. Lebih dari 150.000 orang di kota ini terkena dampak banjir.
Banjir mulai surut di beberapa bagian kota Hat Yai, yang terkenal sering didatangi oleh wisatawan asal Singapura dan Malaysia. Namun, menurut laporan dari dinas kepariwisataan Thailand, lebih dari 100 wisatawan asing masih terjebak di hotel mereka pada Kamis, 5 November 2010.
Untuk membersihkan kota dari sisa-sisa banjir, walikota Hat Yai, Prai Pattana mencanangkan hari “Pembersihan Besar-besaran Hat Yai” pada Kamis untuk membantu warga secepatnya pulih dari banjir.
Pattana mengatakan bahwa daerah tujuan wisata di selatan tersebut akan kembali normal dalam waktu tiga hari. Tercatat 90 persen hotel dan apartemen-apartemen di daerah tersebut terkena dampak banjir.
Sebanyak 50 dari 76 provinsi di Thailand dilanda banjir, namun banjir telah mereda pada 19 provinsi. Sementara itu, Bangkok masih belum dilanda banjir besar, namun pemerintah kota masih terus waspada.
Pemerintah Thailand mengatakan akan memberikan bantuan sebesar US$170 atau sekitar Rp. 1,5 juta kepada para korban banjir di Thailand.

0 Ditemukan Patung Firaun Berusia 3.400 Tahun

Ditemukan Patung Firaun Berusia 3.400 Tahun

KAIRO - Arkeolog Mesir menemukan bagian patung dari Firaun Amenhotep III yang telah berusia 3.400 tahun, patung tersebut berkepala elang, perlambang Dewa Matahari.

Bagian patung batu berwarna merah tersebut ditemukan di makam Kuil Amenhotep III di Luxor, selatan Mesir.

Artifak tersebut menunjukkan bahwa Firaun yang paling berkuasa tersebut duduk bersama dengan Dewa Matahari Ra-Harekhti.

"Patung ini merupakan patung terindah yang pernah digali di makam kuil," ujar ketua arkeolog Zahi Hawass, seperti dilansir AFP, Jumat (5/11/2010).

Bulan lalu, sebuah patung yang sama yang menggambarkan Firaun bersama pemimpin Dewa Amun ditemukan di area yang sama.

Amenhotep II berkuasa di Mesir sekira tahun 1390 dan 1352 Sebelum Masehi, dan diyakini merupakan salah satu periode keemasan dari sejarah Mesir kuno.

Dia pun diyakini sebagai kakek dari Tutankhamun, menurut hasil tes DNA scan komputerisasi tomografi pada mumi raja kecil yang terkenal itu pada 17 Februari

0 Kaka Siap Tinggalkan Madrid

Kaka Siap Tinggalkan Madrid

MADRID - Kabar terbaru datang dari Ricardo Kaka. Playmaker Real Madrid asal Brasil ini kabarnya siap meninggalkan El Real dalam waktu dekat. Benarkah?
 
Isu seputar masa depan Kaka nampaknya belum juga surut kendati sang pemain, beberapa waktu lalu, sempat menyatakan tak ingin hengkang dan tengah fokus memulihkan cedera dan kembali memperkuat Madrid. Kini, Jumat (5/11/2010), dua media ternama Spanyol Marca dan AS kembali memunculan kabar heboh yang menyebut Kaka siap meninggalkan Santiago Bernabeu di bursa transfer Januari nanti.
 
Indikasinya masih sama seperti beberapa waktu lalu. Kaka dikabarkan tak puas dengan kebijakan pelatih Jose Mourinho yang tidak memberikan jaminan tempat di skuad inti Los Blancos. Di sisi lain, pelatih asal Portugal itu sendiri kabarnya sudah menegaskan tidak memasukkan dalam rencana besarnya di musim ini karena lebih percaya dengan bintang-bintang muda seperti Mesut Ozil dan Angel Di Maria yang tampil ciamik sepanjang musim ini.
 
Kini, pihak manajemen klub Madrid diisukan tengah berancang-ancang untuk melego pemain yang diboyong dari AC Milan dengan banderol 68.5 juta euro di musim 2009 lalu.
 
Kabar bakal hengkangnya Kaka berpotensi memicu ‘perang’ di Kota Milan. Seperti diketahui, dua klub elit asal kota mode, AC Milan dan Inter Milan dikabarkan menjadi klub yang paling serius memboyong kembali playmaker timnas Brasil itu ke Italia. Namun, kali ini upaya duo Milan untuk memulangkan Kaka diprediksi bakal sulit.
 
Pasalnya, klub jawara Premier League, Chelsea juga dikabarkan siap meramaikan bursa persaingan mendapatkan servis Kaka. Ketertarikan The Blues tak lepas dari andil pelatih Carlo Ancelotti yang sempat mengasuh Kaka saat masih membesut AC Milan. Carletto kabarnya berharap bisa kembali bereuni dengan Kaka di Stamford Bridge untuk menghadirkan banyak trofi bagi klub raja minyak asal Rusia, Roman Abramovich. So, tim manakah yang akan dipilih Kaka bila akhirnya resmi hengkang dari Madrid? 

0 73 Orang Tewas Akibat Erupsi Merapi Semalam

73 Orang Tewas Akibat Erupsi Merapi Semalam

JAKARTA - Jumlah korban tewas akibat erupsi Gunung Merapi, dini hari tadi, semakin bertambah.
 
Versi Menteri Koordinator Kesejahteraan Rakyat Agung Laksono, jumlah korban tewas tadi malam sebanyak 73 orang. Korban tersebar di dua wilayah, yakni Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta sebanyak 69 korban dan empat korban di Jawa Tengah.
 
"Untuk yang korban luka, luka bakar dan melepuh mencapai 100-an orang. Kondisi cukup memprihatinkan," kata Agung sebelum mengikuti kuliah kepresidenan (presidential lecturer) Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, imam di Masjid Al-Farah, New York, di Istana Negara, Jakarta, Jumat (5/11/2010).
 
Melihat kondisi Gunung Merapi yang masih belum aman, pemerintah sedang mengupayakan lokasi yang aman untuk para pengungsi. Untuk jarak aman, kata dia, kemungkinan akan diperluas lagi dari 10 kilometer menjadi lebih dari 20 kilometer.
 
Atas memburuknya kondisi ini, Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) akan melakukan instruksi khusus dan mencari solusi yang terbaik bagi para korban dan pengungsi.