28.02.10 / News / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Two million people have been affected by the massive earthquake that struck central Chile on Saturday, President Michelle Bachelet has said.
In a TV address, she said the forces of nature were testing the nation.
So far at least 300 people have been confirmed killed in the earthquake that struck in the early hours of Saturday.
The 8.8 quake – one of the biggest ever – triggered a tsunami that has been sweeping across the Pacific, although waves were not as high as predicted.
“The forces of nature have badly affected our country,” Ms Bachelet said.
“And once again they’ve put to the test our ability to deal with adversity and get back on our feet. And we are examining every way to restore all the basic services in the country. But there’s still a lot to do.”
Ms Bachelet added that she had declared a state of catastrophe in six regions.
Chile is vulnerable to earthquakes, being situated on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where the Pacific and South American plates meet.
The earthquake struck at 0634 GMT, 115km (70 miles) north-east of the city of Concepcion and 325km south-west of the capital Santiago at a depth of about 35km. It is the biggest to hit Chile in 50 years.
Widespread damage to roads and buildings has been reported in many areas, including the capital where a chemical plant caught fire.
Electricity, water and phone lines have been cut.
At least 85 people died in the region of Maule alone, journalists there reported.
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Many deaths were also reported in the regions of Santiago, O’Higgins, Biobio, Araucania and Valparaiso.
TV pictures showed a major bridge at Concepcion had collapsed into the Biobio river.
Rescue teams are struggling to reach Concepcion because of damage to infrastructure, national media reported.
In Santiago, where at least 13 people were killed, several buildings collapsed – including a car park.
A fire at a chemical plant in the outskirts of the capital forced the evacuation of the neighbourhood.
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POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES
Haiti, 12 Jan 2010: About 230,000 people die after shallow 7.0 magnitude quake
Sumatra, Indonesia, 26 Dec 2004: 9.2 magnitude. Triggers Asian tsunami that kills nearly 250,000 people
Alaska, US, 28 March 1964: 9.2 magnitude; 128 people killed. Anchorage badly damaged
Chile, south of Concepcion, 22 May 1960: 9.5 magnitude. About 1,655 deaths. Tsunami hits Hawaii and Japan
Kamchatka, NE Russia, 4 Nov 1952: 9.0 magnitude
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Santiago international airport’s terminal was damaged and will be closed for at least 72 hours, officials said. Flights are being diverted to Mendoza in Argentina.
A tsunami triggered by the earthquake struck the Juan Fernandez island group off the Chilean coast and local media say five people died there with several others missing.
As the tsunami radiated across the Pacific, Japan warned that a wave of 3m (10ft) or higher could hit the Pacific coast of its northernmost island of Hokkaido at about 1300 local time (0400 GMT).
In French Polynesia, waves 6ft (1.8m) high swept ashore, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
Hawaii later lifted its tsunami warning after waves measuring just under 1m (3ft) high struck but caused no damage.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said tsunami effects had been observed at Valparaiso, west of Santiago, with a wave height of 1.69m above normal sea level.
The USGS also recorded at least eight aftershocks, the largest of 6.9 magnitude at 0801 GMT.
In Washington, President Barack Obama said the US was ready to help if the Chilean government required it.
Chile suffered the biggest earthquake of the 20th century when a 9.5 magnitude quake struck the city of Valdivia in 1960, killing 1,655 people.
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28.02.10 / News / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
British police officers are in Israel to investigate the use of fake British passports by suspects in the killing of a Hamas leader in Dubai.
They will interview six British-Israeli nationals whose identities were stolen by the suspected killers.
The officers said the men were being treated as potential witnesses to a crime and not as suspects.
It is widely believed Israel’s secret service, Mossad, killed Mahmoud al-Mabouh in a Dubai hotel last month.
Israel has declined to confirm or deny that it was responsible.
‘New passports’
Officers from the UK’s Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) are investigating the use of the fake British passports.
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INTERVIEWEES
James Leonard Clarke
Stephen Daniel Hodes
Paul John Keeley
Michael Lawrence Barney
Jonathan Lewis Graham
Melvyn Adam Mildiner
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It said the meetings with the six British-Israeli nationals were taking place with the full knowledge of the Israeli authorities.
“We are arranging to speak to the six genuine passport holders who are resident in Israel as potential witnesses to a crime,” a Soca spokesman said.
“Those meetings will take place in the British embassy.”
Earlier this month, the Dubai authorities released the names and passport photographs of 11 members of the alleged hit squad.
They had used European passports, including six UK passports bearing the names of British-Israelis.
They are James Leonard Clarke, Stephen Daniel Hodes, Paul John Keeley, Michael Lawrence Barney, Jonathan Lewis Graham and Melvyn Adam Mildiner.
They are to be given new passports by the British embassy.
However, police in the Gulf state have now said they are seeking 26 “agents” in connection with the assassination of the Palestinian militant.
Six of the new suspects used British passports
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They said 12 of the suspects had British passports, six had Irish passports, four had French, three had Australian and one had a German passport.
The Soca spokesman said the agency anticipated similar meetings taking place with the second set of six passport holders.
Soca has a network of 140 international law enforcement officers stationed in 40 countries around the world.
The use of the European and Australian passports in the assassination has sparked a diplomatic row between those countries and Israel.
One of the founders of Hamas’s military wing, Mr Mabhouh was found dead in a hotel room on 20 January.
A post-mortem examination report said he had been electrocuted and then suffocated.
Reports said he was in Dubai to buy weapons for Hamas.
28.02.10 / News / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Ten of thousands of Italians have demonstrated in Rome against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, over what they say are attempts to evade justice.
Mr Berlusconi is on trial in two corruption cases. But legislation being discussed in parliament would in effect stop him going to court.
The protesters accuse the PM of seeking to undermine the legal system.
He says he is the victim of political persecution by the judiciary, which he recently compared to the Taliban.
Some demonstrators carried banners reading: “Enough, the law is the same for everyone.”
“We are starved of legality,” said Angelo Bonelli, head of Italy’s Green party. “Today, the real Taliban is Berlusconi who wants to tie the hands of the magistrates.”
On Friday, Mr Berlusconi told supporters there was “a subversive aim” of bringing down his government.
“If the prosecutors don’t like a law then they challenge it and it gets rejected by the courts,” he said. “We are in the hands of this band of Taliban.”
Italy’s National Association of Magistrates condemned Mr Berlusconi’s speech as “an intolerable escalation of insults and aggression”.
The exchange prompted President Giorgio Napolitano to call for calm.
Mr Berlusconi is on trial for allegedly bribing British lawyer David Mills into providing false testimony in previous trials, and for alleged tax fraud relating to business before he entered politics.
Two bills being considered by MPs would suspend legal proceedings.
28.02.10 / News / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Powerful winds have hit parts of Spain, Portugal and France, causing serious damage, officials said.
As winds of up to 140km/h (87mph) lashed parts of Spain, the interior minister warned people to stay inside, avoid driving and postpone walks.
The weather was blamed for three deaths – one in each of the countries.
Portugal’s Madeira island, which is reeling from downpours which killed dozens of people last week, was also hit by the fresh storm.
All of Portugal was placed on orange alert – the second highest – by civil protection authorities.
A falling tree killed a boy in northern Portugal, authorities said, according to AFP.
‘No woodland walks’
Spain’s Canary Islands, particularly La Palma, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, were hit by the storm, although there was not much damage.
Some lampposts were blown over and flights cancelled on Friday.
“This is not the weekend to go walking in the woods, watching the waves or repairing the tiles on your roof-tops,” Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.
Four French departments were placed on red alert, and 66 out of 95 were on orange alert for 24 hours from Saturday evening.
A man was also killed by a falling tree in the the southern Pyrenees region, police said.
Spain’s north-western region of Galicia, the Basque country, Castilla y Leon and Cantabria were also on high alert.
Forecasters expected winds of up to 160km/h (100mph) in those regions.
An elderly woman was killed when a wall collapsed on her in Galicia, AFP reported.
Spain had 20,000 officials on alert to try to prevent or repair any damage, while the airport authority warned of possible delays or cancellations.
28.02.10 / Bollywood / Author: timepasss / Comments: (0)
Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male)
Amitabh Bachchan – Paa
Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female)
Vidya Balan – Paa
Best Film
3 Idiots
Best Director
Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male)
Boman Irani – 3 Idiots
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Female)
Kalki Koechlin – Dev D
Best Actor (Male) Critics
Ranbir Kapoor
Best Actor (Female) Critics
Mahie Gill – Dev D
Best Film (Critics)
Firaaq
Best Debut Director (Male)
Ayan Mukherjee – Wake Up Sid
Best Debut Director (Female)
Zoya Akhtar – Luck By Chance
Best Music
A R Rahman – Delhi-6
Best Playback Singer (Male)
Mohit Chauhan – Masakalli – Delhi-6
Best Playback Singer (Female)
Rekha Bharadwaj – Genda Phool – Delhi-6
Kavita Seth – Iktara – Wake Up Sid
Best Lyrics
Irshad Kamil – Aaj Din Chadiya – Love Aaj Kal
Best Story
Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani – 3 Idiots
Best Screenplay
Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Abhijat Joshi – 3 Idiots
Best Dialogue
Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra – 3 idiots
Best Editing
Sreekar Prasad – Firaaq
Best Choreography
Bosco – Caesar – Chor Bazaari – Love Aaj Kal
Best Visual Effect Award
Kaminey
Best Sound Design
Manas Chaudhury – Firaaq
Best Production Design
Helen & Sukant – Dev D
Best Cinematography
Rajeev Rai – Dev D
Best Action
Vijayan Master – Wanted
Best Costume
Vaishali Menon – Firaaq
Best Background Score
Amit Trivedi – Dev D
Special Award
Nandita Das – Firaaq
Lifetime Achievement Award
Shashi Kapoor – Khayyam
R D Burman Music Award
Amit Tivedi
