Kofi Annan sees problems in Afghanistan

U.N. Secretary General said the recent riots in Afghanistan revealed "deeper problems" in that country that need to be addressed.

The riots sparked by a U.S. military vehicle crash in Kabul were the worse in years with at least 20 killed and 160 injured. Major international aid offices were attacked by the rioters who chanted anti-American slogans. Major unrest was also reported in other parts of the country.


U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. AFP file photo from Yahoo News.

According to a U.S. military official, the crash resulted due to brake failure, and the soldiers in the vehicle fired their weapons to defend themselves from a hostile crowd.

"We have an insecure situation in parts of the country, we have the question of drug cultivation and production, we have the need to strengthen security forces and national institutions," Annan said.

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Quake could trigger Merapi eruption

Indonesian volcanologists say that theoretically and statistically earthquakes increase chances of an eruption by an active volcano.

"Because a volcano's activities are linked to its system of fluid dynamics, any temblor would certainly have an effect," said Gede Suwantika, head of the volcano monitoring office in Yogyakarta, Java.

"Statistically, this rising activity is already shown by the much higher frequency of heat clouds emitted by Merapi during the post-earthquake period."

The 6.3 shaker left some 200,000 people homeless, most not more than 20 miles from the volcano.

Merapi emitted 86 lava trails and 88 heat clouds on Monday, according to the volcanology office.


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Indonesian quake toll continues to rise

The earthquake toll in Indonesia rose to more than 5,000 Sunday as international relief efforts accelarated.

However, victims at the quake sites said they had received only little assistance.


Indonesian soldiers drive past wrecked buildings in Imogiri, south Yogyakarta on May 29, 2006. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono moved to Yogyakarta to personally supervise relief efforts and spent the night Saturday in a tent along with other residents of the city.

Government officials say that about 200,000 people are homeless because of the quake. Heavy rain and the threat of a Mount Merapi eruption are compounding the problems.


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Aid rushed to Indonesia, earthquake toll at nearly 4,000

Bantul took the brunt of the 6.3 earthquake that struck Java on Saturday with more than 2,700 people dead in that town.

The overall toll stands at nearly 4,000 peoples. About 200,000 are homeless and hospitals are said to be packed with patients sleeping in the parking lots.


Indonesian troops unload aid for earthquake victims at Solo on May 27. AP photo from Yahoo News.

United Nations and other aid is pouring into Indonesia although it appears to be moving slowly into the affected areas. Many residents in the hardest-hit spots are complaining of lack of basic supplies.

Jakarta appealed for humanitarian assistance on Sunday to help "reduce the burden" of dealing with the disaster.

The famed Hindu temple of Prambanan, an important tourist destination, was heavily-damaged by the quake.



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Indonesian quake death toll rises

At least 2,900 people died in the powerful earthquake that rocked Central Java on Saturday.

Measured at magnitude 6.2, the quake in the early morning at 5:54 a.m. when most peole were still sleeping.

alt="A man collects items from his house in Yogyakarta after the earthquake on May 27.">
A man collects items from his house in Yogyakarta after the earthquake on May 27. Reuters photo from Yahoo News.

Many buildings collapsed particuarly in the Bantul district. Roads and bridges were destroyed and hospitals are crowded with casualties.

Volcanologists fear the quake might compromise the dome at the Mount Merapi volcano which is threatening to erupt.

The quake hit near the ancient ruins of Borobudur and Prambanan. The latter site, consisting of ancient Hindu temples, was said to have suffered damage but to what extent is not clear. It is not known if Borobudur, a Buddhist temple pyramid, was damaged by the quake.




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Earthquake kills 46 in Central Java

A strong earthquake near Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano killed at least 46 people Saturday and injured dozens more.

The 6.2 quake also interacted with the volcano causing Merapi to belch hot ash clouds and lava.


Area in Central Java hit by earthquake on Saturday, May 27. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Centered around 15 miles southwest of the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta, the quake damaged that city and two other nearby population centers.




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Peace talks begin in Nepal

After a decade of fighting, Maoist and Nepalese government leaders met on Friday to end the deadly insurgency.

More that 12,500 have died since the Maoists took up arms in 1996.

For joining the political process, the Maoists are demanding a new constitution, with particular emphasis on solving the role of the monarchy.

Already the king has been stripped of his powers as commander-in-chief of the military and of exemption from taxation. Nepal also has been formally declared a secular state rather than a Hindu kingdom, and succession to the throne is the hands of parliament.

Maoists however are pressing for a full abolition of the monarchy and that Nepal be declared a republic.






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Fighting rages on in East Timor

Firefights continued in Dili, the East Timor capital, with three people killed and a dozen wounded in fighting Thursday.

Some 600 sacked soldiers are fighting 800 soldiers of the East Timor army. The rebels, from the western part of the young nation, were forced out of the military after protesting discrimination they say favors soldiers from the east.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced concern over the continuing unrest and will send an envoy to Dili.

Annan, traveling in Vietnam, said he would send Ian Martin, the U.N.'s human rights representative in Nepal, to East Timor to address the issue. He said that he had also spoken to East Timor's president, Xanana Gusmao, and to the leaders of Australia and Malaysia, both of which are sending security forces to assist Dili.

The rebels led by Maj. Alfredo Reinado are demanding that they be reinstated into the nation's army.





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East Timor requests foreign troops after clashes

East Timor, world's newest nation, asked for up to 1,000 foreign troops to help quell violence by rebel soldiers.

Some 600 of East Timor's 1,400 soldiers were fired in March after complaints about regional discrimination in promotion. The sacked troops rioted in April with five killed in the incident and 21,000 fleeing their homes to escape the violence.


Loyal East Timor soldiers in firefight with rebel soldiers in Dili earlier this week. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

The rebel soldiers are reportedly holed in the town of Aileu near Dili and have conducted several attacks on government troops.

Dili has requested soldiers from Australia and New Zealand, and police from Malaysia and Portugal to help deal with the unrest.




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Norway asks Tamil Tigers for monitors' safety

Norwegian peace negotiators discussed the safety of international peace monitors Tuesday with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Safety of the monitors became a pressing issue after a major naval battle in Sri Lanka on May 11. During the battle, a troop carrier carrying a peace monitor was attacked.

Norway also expressed its concern over the Tigers refusal to attend peace talks last April in Geneva.

The LTTE said it did not attend because the government had failed to provide air transport for its eastern commanders, and has not fulfilled its promise to disarm paramilitary groups.

Fighting has escalated in Sri Lanka in recent months, but both sides say they are committed to re-establishing peace.



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Indonesia: Bird flu may have transmitted human-to-human

Indonesian officials said they are investigating what may be the first case of human-to-human transmision of avian flu.

"We cannot confirm that has occurred but we cannot rule it out," I Nyoman Kandun of the health ministry said Monday.


State hosptial staff examine a man infected with avian flu in Medan, Sumatra. AFP file photo from Yahoo News.

Kandun said that there was no indication the virus had mutated so the disease is probably not anymore contagious among humans than before.

Indonesia has more bird flu deaths than any other country this year and trails only Vietnam in total fatalities.

Hundreds of Vietnamese fishermen rescued, many still missing

Six Vietnamese fishing boats headed home Sunday after China refueld their ships stranded by powerful Typhoon Chanchu.


Fishermen in Danang, Vietnam repair their boat on Saturday, May 20, after Typhoon Chanchu hit the region. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Some 330 Vietnamese fishermen from 22 ships were rescued near Pratas Island off the coast of Guangdong province in China's largest ever international rescue effort.

Officials said 21 bodies had also been recovered. At least 150 people are still missing.

Chanchu wrecked havoc in the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan and China. As many as 1 million Chinese may have fled their homes to escape the typhoon.





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Philippine President opens Asia's largest mall

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo opened the Philippines largest mall Saturday, the third largest in the world and said to be the largest in Asia.

The Mall of Asia, developed by tycoon Henry Sy has 4.3 million square feet of floor space built on 148 reclaimed acres on the Manila Bay.


Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and business tycoon Hans Sy at the IMAX theater on Saturday, May 20, in the newly-opened Mall of Asia. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Large air-conditioned malls are popular attractions in this developing country, the equivalent of large theme parks like Disneyland in the United States.

Although modern "mega-malls" were initially concentrated in the capital Manila, they are becoming frequent in many other parts of the country.

The new Manila mall houses the Philippines' first IMAX theater with an 8-story tall screen and an Olympic-scale ice skating rink.

In addition to malls, Philippine developers have recently seen a boon in expatriate purchases of condominiums and other real estate in the country. Luxury high-rise condos in the posh Makati area of Metro Manila, and vacation homes in the unspoiled countryside are particularly popular.




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North Korea may be ready for missile tests

Japanese media reports that North Korea may be ready to test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.

The public NHK network quoted anonymous South Korean sources said satellite photos reveal activity around testing sites in northeastern North Korea.

North Korea has long possessed a secretive missile development program with unannounced missile tests.

A missile system known as Taepodong is believed to be capable with certain modifications of striking targets up to distance of 15,000 km.

Iran is known to cooperate with North Korea on ballistic missile projects and may have allowed North Korean missile tests on its soil.



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Taliban offensive continues, 105 dead

Further evidence of a Taliban resurgence emerged Wednesday with multiple attacks concentrated in southern Afghanistan.

Up to 105 people have died in the latest fighting including 87 Taliban insurgents, 14 Afghan police, an American and Afghan civilian and a Canadian soldier.

Unlike Iraq, where the resistance appeared pre-planned, the Taliban seemed taken by surprise by the coalition attacks of 2001.

Slowly though, they have organized resistance to the U.S.-backed regime of President Hamid Karzai.

Over the last few months, pro-Taliban forces have increased attacks in the south including one involving hundreds of fighters.




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Earthquakes rattle area during first tsunami drill

A series of earthquakes jolted the Pacific Rim region as dozens of nations staged the first test of a new tsunami warning system.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center conducted the drill, which arose in response to the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami.

Overall, the practice run went smoothly although Thailand reported some communication flaws in their system, and the quakes caused confusion in some areas.

Several earthquakes rocked Indonesia, New Zealand and Tonga during the test. In Tonga, the National Disaster Office was "bombarded with questions" when the tremblors struck in the middle of the exercise.

Big quake hits Tonga during Pacific-wide tsunami drill


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Nguyen Tan Dung set to become new Vietnam prime minister

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said he would resign soon as Vietnam prepares to enter the World Trade Organisation (WTO) this year.

Nguyen Tan Dung, Phan's deputy and long groomed for the position, is widely seen as the prime minister's successor.


Vietnam's Prime Minister Phan Van Khai leaves the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh before a National Assembly session on May 16. Reuter's photo from Yahoo News.

Phan helped transform war-torn Vietnam into Southeast Asia's fastest-growing economy. His successor, Nguyen, is a former state bank governor with the same eye on expanding Vietnam's presence in the international economy.

Hanoi is moving energetically toward joining the WTO and hopes to reach industrialized nation status by 2020 and to eradicate poverty by 2010, while maintaining a "socialist orientation."



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British group warns global warming threatens millions

A London-based charity group warned Monday that flooding, drought, famines and violence caused by global warming would impact millions of people over the next century.

The group focuses especially on poorer regions and said that wealthy nations must do more to address the problem. One suggestion was to convert regions like sub-Saharan Africa to sustainable forms of energy like solar and wind rather than fossil fuels.

Although the report concentrated on effects in the developing world, the most recent headline-catching news related to global warming consequences comes from the United States and the Gulf of Mexico.

The unusually devastating hurricane season in the Gulf including Hurricane Katrina has been blamed by some experts on increased warming of the ocean's waters.


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Some ignore evacuation orders, look for signs from Merapi

Despite government calls for an immediate evacuation, some people near the fuming Mount Merapi in Indonesia are not convinced.

A few are waiting for signs or supernatural signals that will supposedly tell them when the volcano will erupt.

Others know of the danger but are pressed to guard and tend to their animals and crops.


Glowing crater of Mt. Merapi at night. AFP photo from Yahoo News.

Many Indonesians still hold on to animist beliefs regarding volcanoes and make offerings to the volcano spirits during full moons.

Insular Southeast Asia has hosted the greatest eruptions in the experience of modern humans to include the largest historical eruption at Mt. Tambora on Sumbawa in 1815, and the Mt. Toba eruption some 75,000 years ago that some suggest may have caused the last Ice Age.



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Thousands flee as volcano rumbles

Residents fled the slopes of Mount Merapi on the island of Java as the volcano appeared on the verge of eruption.

Indonesian officials ordered an evacuation of the area Saturday as the volcano belched ash clouds and lava seeped 1,500 meters down its slopes.


Mount Merapi in Indonesia spews lava and ash, scientists warn of an imminent eruption. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Bambang Dwiyanto of the region's government volcano center said that lava flows over the last few days indicated the presence of hot gases. On Saturday the volcano emitted at least 14 hot ash clouds. Volcanologists also recorded 27 tremors from the mountain.

Merapi is located in the densely-populated Central Java region about 400 kilometers from the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Merapi means "fire mountain" and the volcano is located south of Java's famous Buddhist monument, the Borobudur temple pyramid. Royal buildings in the ancient capital of Yogyakarta are oriented with Merapi as the sacred axis.

The mountain is one of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes. It's last eruption in 1994 killed 60, and about 1,300 died when it erupted in 1930.



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Former Fijian PM appears in court for mutiny

Ex-Fiji Prime Minster Sitiveni Rabuka appeared in Suva court today for charges of incitement to mutiny.

Rabuka led the 1987 military coup and was later elected Prime Minister. It was Rabuka's new constitution that allowed the election of Fiji's first ethnic Indian leader, Mahendra Choudhury.

However, Choudhury's ascent was quickly followed by another "civilian" coup led by George Speight, who is now serving a life sentence.

The former prime minister appeared in good spirits at court where he joked with reporters. He had just recently returned a visit to India for knee surgery.

Hearings occur in the midst of parliamentary voting that ends Saturday.

Pulp mills consuming Asia's forests

An Indonesia-based conservation group said Thursday that Asian pulp and paper mills are so busy these days that many are resorting to illegal sources and implementing unsustainable policies.

The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said that cheap wood demand is growing internationally but especially in the heated Chinese economy.

Lenders often depend on pulp industry sources to determine the availability of cheap wood, the CIFOR report said. However, the reality is that at current rates the forecasted supply cannot be sustained without resorting to clear-cutting of forests and illegal practices.

Such practices can increase the incidence of flooding and mudslides, and endanger threatened species. Excessive logging also contributes to the now commonplace problem of unhealthy haze from forest fires in Southeast Asia.


Asia's forests under threat


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Indonesia sides with Iran on nuclear program

Iran got a big lift today when Indonesia's president stated that Iran had the right to pursue a peaceful nuclear energy program.

"Indonesia believes that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and all problems related to the Iranian nuclear program can be solved in a good manner and diplomatically by involving many parties in the international community," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said during a press conference.


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with Indonesian Presidient Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a Jakarta press conference on May 10. AP photo from Yahoo News.

Iran is a signator of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has stated repeatedly that its nuclear research program is for peaceful purposes and not intended to build weapons.

The U.S. claims that Iran will eventually use any nuclear technology to make nukes. Western defense strategists have long warned about the "Islamic bomb." Supposedly, Muslim countries would be more prepared to use these weapons and to distribute them to other Islamic countries and organizatons.

However, the one lone example that exists in the world today, Pakistan, has not followed through on any of these dire predictions. Pakistan first tested a nuclear device back in 1974. It was deemed able to produce its own weapons grade uranium back in 1985.

Since then, Pakistan has neither nuked anybody, or apparently passed on weapons technology to any other party.

Japan's Triple Crown winner Deep Impact headed for Arc

Deep Impact, Japan's sensational Triple Crown winner last year, will run in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in France in October, according to his trainer Yasuo Ikee.

After winning the Emperor's Cup (Tenno-sho) in April, Deep Impact increased his earnings to nearly 900 million yen. The horse is the first Japanese Triple Crown winner in 11 years and the sixth overall.


Deep Impact after winning the Emperor's Cup (Tenno-sho) on April 30 at the Kyoto racetrack. AP photo from Yahoo News.

One of the world's most esteemed horse races, the Arc is a 2,400 meter Grade One turf contest.


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Bird flu claims 25th victim in Indonesia

The World Health Organisation confirmed the 25th bird flu death in Indonesia, an health official said Monday.

The man lived in the town of Tangerang, part of the metropolitan complex of Jakarta. Officials said that he had contact with sick poultry.

Indonesia has the most bird flu deaths this year and is behind Vietnam for the most deaths since the disease was first reported in 2003.

Jakarta has concentrated most of its bird flu efforts near urban areas where domestic birds still live in close contact with humans.

WHO wants more efficient bird flu reporting

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Attempts to rescue Australian mine workers snag

Rescue workers have nearly reached two Australian miners trapped for two weeks but ran into problems Sunday.

The jackhammers used to dig threw a collapsed tunnel were unable to penetrate the last rock barrier separating the miners from rescuers.

Officials said the rock was up to five times harder than concrete and they had resorted to "low-shock blasting."

The miners were able to survive the tunnel collapse in a steel cage and have been surviving by consuming water and food through a PVC pipe that was snaked down to the men last Monday. Until then they drank water dripping from rocks and shared a snack bar.

The Australian nation has been captivated by the fortitude and spirit of the miners whose communications with rescuers have been broadcast by the media.


Rescuers face unexpected problems in reaching Australian miners

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Michelle Wie enters third round and history books

Although rain washed out the third round, Michelle Wie made history as the first woman to make the cut in a major men's tour event since 1945.

The Hawaiian-born Wie entered the third round of the SK Telecom Open on Saturday in South Korea.


Michelle Wie waves at the SK Telecom Open in Incheon, South Korea, Friday, May 5, where she became the first woman to make cut in PGA tour since 1945. AP photo from Yahoo News.


Babe Zaharias was the last woman to make the cut on the PGA Tour at the 1945 Tucson Open.

The accomplishment may have been sweeter as it came in Wie's ancestral homeland of Korea, where both her parents were born. Her arrival in the country has fueled a media frenzy.

China uses artificial rain to wash off dust

China has been plagued with huge dust storms directly connected with global warming.

Some of these have even had effects as far as Japan. The worst storm this April dumped 336,000 tons of sand on Beijing. South Korea was blanketed by the same storm as is still covered with yellow dust. Studies in Mongolia have shown that dust storms reduce lung capacity.


Tourists at the Komolo Glacier in Tibet, where global warming is reducing glaciers by 7 percent annually causing drought and expanding deserts. AFP photo from Yahoo News

Glacier-melting caused by global warming is the culprit in increasing desertification of grasslands. This in turn leads to the "yellow dust" storms that are becoming increasingly common.

The Beijing Weather Modification Office said that it will conduct a cloud-seeding operation to help wash away the dust from the last storm.

"A total of 163 pieces of cigarette-like sticks containing silver iodide were burned and seven rocket shells were launched in six districts and counties, which resulted in the heaviest rainfall in Beijing this spring," the official Xinhua news agency said.

Nepal, Maoists ready for peace talks, declare ceasefire

Katmandu and Nepal's Maoist rebels agreed to a ceasefire Thursday and both expresed willingness to enter into peace talks.

Puspakamal Dahal, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal said the rebels were ready to participate in elections for a new constitutional assembly. It is widely-believed that a new constitution will greatly restrict the power of the monarchy. Both sides are interested in limiting the power of the royal office after King Gyanendra overthrew the elected government in 2002.

New Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala asked the rebels to join an interim government until the assembly elections are held.

The government on Wednesday announced that it would no longer refer to Maoists as "terrorists" to signal the new relationship.

Despite the conflict between Nepal's Congress party and the Maoists, Congress governments have traditionally had close ties with China. Beijing has never actively supported the Maoist rebels, and Congress leaders have looked at China as a means of counterbalancing Indian influence.

China says global warming melting Tibetan glaciers

China's Xinhua news agency reported today that the Qinghia-Tibet plateau glaciers are melting by 7 percent annually because of global warming.

The region, known as the roof of the world has been monitored by 681 weather stations over four decades.

Scientists are worried that the meltdown will intensify problems with desertification in China which is responisible for increasingly severe sandstorms.

Although Beijing has tried to stem the problem with revegetation of grasslands, it may be a drop in the bucket if nothing is done to stop global warming.

In other news, researchers from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Monday that greenhouse gases were continuing to accumulate in the atmosphere. Most of the increase came from carbon dioxide which accounts for the bulk of greenhouse gas warming.


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