Pakistan accepts India's aid offer for flood relief work

Pakistan has finally accepted India's offer of 5 million US dollars as aid for the devastating floods that have hit the country. And has thanked India Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is in New York to drum up funding from the international community, confirmed to NDTV's Sarah Jacob that the government of Pakistan had agreed to accept the Indian offer.

The decision came after days of a diplomatic logjam. Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had called up Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. He offered his condolences and reminded him of the Indian government's offer, saying India was ready to do more. There was also a stern message from the US on Thursday. Asserting that there was no role for politics in disaster response, the Obama Administration said it expected Pakistan to accept the aid offer from India for its flood relief work. "In terms of responding to a disaster, politics should play no role. You have a country (India) that's willing to help (Pakistan), and... we expect that Pakistan will accept," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.

And within 24 hours of that, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said Pakistan had agreed to accept the Indian offer and that his government appreciated India's gesture. Here's more on what Shah Mahmood Qureshi said:

NDTV: Here you have travelled all the way to the US to ask the international community to loosen its purse strings. India has offered aid but Pakistan has not accepted this offer as yet. Surely this is not the time for politics when people are dying.

Qureshi: No, we are playing no politics. To begin with let me acknowledge the fact that Minister for External Affairs Mr. Krishna called me in Islamabad and he expressed sympathy and he condoled with me on the loss of life and offered assistance to Pakistan. According to Pakistan's priorities, I want to take advantage of this connection to thank him and the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for this very positive gesture. It is highly appreciated in Pakistan and we have recognised it. PM Manmohan Singh called up Prime Minister Gilani and they have also exchanged views on the evolving flood situation in Pakistan. He reiterated the offer made by Foreign Minister Krishna and I can share with you that the government of Pakistan has agreed to accept the Indian offer.

NDTV: So you are confirming that Pakistan has agreed to accept the Indian offer?

Qureshi: Yes.

NDTV: Another worry for the international community and India and US is that Islamic extremist groups might take advantage of this opportunity to win over hearts and minds. Is this a worry for your government too?

Qureshi: I think we saw today that the UN will not permit them to take advantage of the situation. I think the international community is now forthcoming and respondent and they are responding quickly and we will not allow them to exploit the situation.

NDTV: Lastly sir, Indo-Pak ties reached an all-time low after the Mumbai terror attacks. Is this acceptance of Indian aid and the offer from India a new chapter perhaps?

Qureshi: I think the ball was set rolling in Thimpu when the two prime ministers met and they agreed to resume the dialogue. And the meeting that we had in Islamabad was a step forward in that direction. I think this initiative of India is a very welcome initiative and I am looking forward to further engagements with my counterpart to improve the environment and build confidence and to bridge the trust deficit between the two countries.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistan-accepts-india-s-aid-offer-for-flood-relief-work-45778?cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/pakistan-accepts-india-s-aid-offer-for-flood-relief-work-45778?cp

Randiv gets one-match ban, Dilshan fined

It was the no-ball of the century, and wrists have been slapped. Ensuring that the breach of the spirit of the game did not go unpunished, an interim committee of Sri Lanka Cricket has reprimanded captain Kumar Sangakkara, penalized instigator Tillakaratne Dilshan and banned perpetrator Suraj Randiv for one game for deliberating overstepping to deny Virender Sehwag a century.

It was a grey area in the laws and no rules were flouted. But the issue snowballed into a major controversy, forcing the Lankan board to take strict action on a day in which Sangakkara took on Sehwag and hinted that the powerful Indian cricket board’s strong-arm tactics had put his team in a corner.

Sehwag might have missed a ton but the evidence presented by the TV cameras and boom microphones was not so easily denied. Sri Lanka Cricket has suspended Suraj Randiv for Thursday’s game against New Zealand and his match fee from the India game has been forfeited.

Tillakaratne Dilshan’s match fee too has been forfeited, though he has not been banned. Kumar Sangakkara got away the easiest, though the board said he had been advised to ensure that repetition of such incidents did not occur where disrepute will be brought to the game of cricket.

"We know the International Cricket Council (ICC) was watching us keenly and even the MCC said its laws were valid, but we did not go into the intricacies of the law as such," SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told TOI after the board’s verdict, which came after a marathon three-hour meeting of the interim committee in Colombo.

"We were just concerned about the team not playing in the right spirit. It was a tough decision to arrive at but our job was made easier because the evidence we had asked for us was very strong. It is a must to ensure that the spirit of the game is upheld at all times by the players, no matter what the situation is. We have been twice winners of the ICC Spirit of Cricket award and the captain has been told such actions will not be tolerated at any cost," he added.

The committee had asked for footage from the broadcasters of the last over. Dilshan, who was fielding at point, was in action during the second and third balls of the 35th over, which Sehwag played toward him. After the second ball, when scores were level and Sehwag was on 99, Dilshan threw the ball to Randiv and said loudly in Sinhalese, ‘Oney nam, no ball ekak danna puluwan’ (If you want, you can bowl a no-ball). The footage shows Sehwag taking guard at that moment but Dilshan’s voice is so loud it is apparent the captain and a few others would have heard it, including Sehwag, who doesn’t understand Sinhalese.

At the post-match media interaction, the issue escalated when Sehwag said the captain and a senior player must been known about Randiv’s intentions. The SLC’s verdict seems to bear him out. Sangakkara, however, has denied playing any role in the incident and said he "strongly disapproved of coercion".

Adding an ironic twist to the whole saga is the fact that Sehwag and Dilshan are IPL teammates. Two SLC members, Ranatunga and DS De Silva, were headed to Dambulla from Colombo to further meet with the players.

The ICC, which expressed regret on Tuesday that it could not act, has commended the SLC for acting swiftly and decisively. As far as the ICC is concerned the matter is now closed, chief executive Haroon Lorgat was quoted as saying in a statement, "This is a clear sign that the notion of fair play is still very important."

ICC’s media manager James Fitzgerald told TOI that under article 2.1.8 of the Code of Conduct, action could have been taken by the world body itself, but no one had filed a complaint.

Militant groups LeT, JeM, HuJI set up relief camps in Pak for flood victims

Banned militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muhammad and Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, blamed for terror strikes in India, have set up camps in Karachi to raise funds to help victims of the worst ever deluge sweeping Pakistan. Office-bearers of the groups said the ban imposed on them has compelled them to work under different names. The work of these groups is reminiscent of their activities during the 2005 earthquake, when they had more resources than the government itself.

The groups claim they have collected millions of rupees for the flood victims and that they are engaged in relief and rescue operations in affected areas, a newspaper reported. The groups have given food and medical facilities to the survivors. Other militant groups engaged in relief operations are the Jamaat-ud-Dawah, blamed by India for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Harkatul Mujahideen, Hizbut Tahrir and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. "JuD, under the name of Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation Pakistan, has set up around 29 relief camps at Khalid Bin Waleed Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulstan-e-Jauhar, Landhi, Clifton, Korangi and other areas (of Karachi)," an office-bearer of the organisation told the daily.

Initially, the JuD set up its camp under its own name but police started demanding extortion money, said a man identified only as Hussain, who is in-charge of the camp outside the Jamia Masjid at Khalid Bin Waleed Road. "(The police says that since) we are a terrorist organisation, we have to give them a share of our earnings," said Hussain. "When we tried to explain that this is charitable work, they started demolishing our camps, saying that we were banned organisations." The chief of JuD's Karachi division, Naveed Qamar, believes that the organisation was banned to appease the US and its allies as it has "nothing to do with terrorism."

He claimed the JuD runs a large network of Islamic schools and clinics and is engaged in welfare activities like disaster relief. "We provide cooked food to 50,000 flood survivors in all four provinces every day and very soon we will reach out to 100,000 survivors," said Qamar. The JuD claims to have distributed ration packets to around 8,000 families. Each packet costs Rs 3,200 and has ghee, rice, pulses, soap and other items.

Mamata welcomes Kishenji’s offer

Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday welcomed Maoist leader Kishenji’s ceasefire offer and said all problems should be solved by diplomatic process.

“In a democratic set up we are for amicable and peaceful solution. I have heard the Independence speeches of the President and the Prime Minister. They also spoke in the same line,” she told reporters here before leaving for Delhi.

“If they (Maoists) responded to the President’s and Prime Minister’s appeal it is good for the country. Let the problem be solved through democratic process,” she said.

Referring to Kishenji’s statement calling for a three-month ceasefire by both sides and that they have no problem if Ms. Banerjee mediates, she said, “It is the government to decide. I have seen only media reports (on Kishenji’s statement). Let me cross check all details.”

On her statement on the killing of senior Maoist leader Azad during her recent rally at Lalgarh on August 9, Ms. Banerjee said “Whatever I had said in Lalgarh I stick to it. I made the statement in my party capacity.”

Deadly diseases could hit flood-stricken Pakistan

In grief-stricken Pakistan, where relentless flooding has destroyed houses, taken lives and ruined entire villages for more than two weeks, water is both villain and savior. About one-fifth of the country is submerged under murky water from torrential monsoon rains. Children and adults wade in the filthy waters, pleading for help. The only recourses are clean water and medical care -- but both are in short supply.

Polluted floodwaters, officials fear, could lead to deadly diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis and cholera -- especially among children. Up to 3.5 million children are at high risk of deadly waterborne diseases, said Maurizio Giuliano of the United Nations' humanitarian affairs office. The United Nations has called for $166 million for clean water and medical care, but has only received $25 million.

The death toll has now topped 1,400. About 900,000 homes have been damaged, and the monsoon season is only about halfway over. The overall global response has not been nearly enough, according to an International Rescue Committee-chaired consortium called the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum. About $150 million had been received from nations around the world by Monday, the group said in a statement, but much more is needed.

"The international response to the disaster has been too small to even begin to effectively address the needs of survivors," said Tammy Hasselfeldt, the country director of the International Rescue Committee. "The most urgent priority is to ensure that safe water as well as medicines are available, food supplies are restored and transportation networks fixed to accelerate the delivery of desperately needed aid."

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said over the weekend that about 20 million people had been affected by the floods. According to ReliefWeb.int, more than two dozen countries, organizations and individuals have pledged more than $300 million in aid. The United States has committed about $76 million for emergency flood relief assistance. But delivering the goods to flood victims is another nightmare in itself. Travel by vehicles and foot is often impossible, and the country is relying heavily on helicopters and boats to bring aid. Meanwhile, families continue to stomp through mud carrying whatever belongings they can salvage, passing dead livestock, with nowhere to go.

Bomb Wracks Offices in Colombia Capital, Injures 9

A car packed with at least 110 pounds (50 kilograms) of explosives blew up in an office district of Colombia's capital Thursday, shattering windows in dozens of buildings and injuring nine people, police said. No deaths were reported.

It was the first car bombing in Bogota since a blast killed two people a year and a half ago, and came five days after Juan Manuel Santos was sworn in as president.

The blast occurred at 5:30 a.m. outside a 12-story building housing Caracol Radio, the Spanish news agency EFE and the Ecuadorean consulate, as well as the offices of several banks and politicians, including former President Cesar Gaviria.

Investigators were not sure of the target or who was behind the bombing, said Hermes Ardila, chief of prosecutors in a special anti-terrorism unit. He said by telephone eight hours after the bombing that investigators had not linked the attack to any particular armed group.

The president hurried to the scene and called the explosion "a terrorist act," saying it was meant to sow fear and create skepticism about the government.

"We are going to continue fighting terrorism with everything we have," said Santos, who took office Saturday. He replaced Alvaro Uribe, whose tough tactics sharply weakened the leftist guerrilla groups that have fought the government for decades.

Santos toured the blast site surrounded by security agents and urged Colombians to go on with normal activities.

Bogota's health secretary, Hector Zambrano, said at least nine people were injured. Most were treated for cuts and released, but three people remained under care, he said.

Pinzon said most of those hurt had been on a bus that was passing by as the bomb exploded. Authorities said no arrests had been made.

The national police operations director, Gen. Orlando Paez, said the car was packed with at least 110 pounds (50 kilograms) of explosives and the blast shattered windows in at least 30 buildings, smashed the facade of a bank and left scraps of the destroyed car scattered in the street.

Zimbabwe launches 'humane' diamonds sale

Zimbabwe launched its first multi-million dollar diamond sale this week since obtaining certification last month that the nation's precious stones are harvested humanely and are not "blood diamonds."

The sale of 900,000 carats of diamonds Tuesday netted some $72 million, according to the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which certifies rough diamond exports.

The World Diamond Council last month authorized Zimbabwe to carry out two supervised exports of rough diamonds by September.

"If this is a victory for anyone, it is a victory for the Kimberly Process," said Kimberly Chair Boaz Hirsch. "The past several months have been difficult, but they have clearly demonstrated that not only does the Kimberley Process have teeth, it also is able to achieve results."

Kimberley had prohibited the export of diamonds from Zimbabwe since last year after the military took over the nation's diamond fields in late 2008.

The Kimberley Process said last year that illegal diamond mining by Zimbabwean troops was leading to bloodshed and attacks against civilians. The global watchdog group made the claims after residents and workers contributed accounts of attacks during a week-long probe.

The probe started days after a Human Rights Watch report accused the nation's armed forces of violently taking over the diamond fields in Marange district and killing about 200 people since last year. Some victims of the clash were buried in mass graves, the report said.

After an investigation last summer, Kimberly Process officials urged the government to demilitarize the diamond fields and investigate the accusations against the military.

Separately, Human Rights Watch accused Zimbabwe's armed forces of funneling money from the diamond fields into ZANU-PF, President Robert Mugabe's party. The government decried some aspects of the report, saying the critics were trying to smear the Mugabe's party.

"I can confirm that there has been illegal mining taking place in Zimbabwe, but we seem to be getting on top of the situation now," Kembo Mohadi, Zimbabwe's co-minister of home affairs, said at the time.

The government has not been able to verify allegations of deaths and mass graves, Mohadi said.

"As a responsible government, we have started investigating these reports," he said, adding that mining proceeds in the cash-strapped nation are not being distributed to any particular group.

"The money will not be handled by any party but by the Treasury," he said.

Blood diamonds have been in the news in recent weeks because of the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone through the sale of diamonds that led to widespread murder, rape, and mutilation. The conflict ended in 2002.

During the decade-long conflict, teenagers from the Taylor-backed Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were forced to kill, given addictive drugs to provoke violent behavior, and often instructed to rape and plunder. They were supplied with weapons directly funded from the proceeds of diamond sales, according to the United Nations.

In 2002, a United Nations-backed court was established in Sierra Leone to try Taylor on war crimes charges. It was later moved to The Hague in 2008 over concerns that Taylor's presence would harm stability and security in the region.

Taylor is charged with five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, sexual slavery and violence, and enslavement. He also faces five counts of war crimes, including acts of terrorism and torture, and one count of other serious violations of international humanitarian law. He denies the charges.

He is the first African head of state to go on trial for war crimes before an international tribunal.

Under the Kimberley Process -- launched in 2003 -- members are required to certify that all rough diamond exports are produced through legitimate mining and sales activities and are "conflict-free."

Each shipment carries a certificate that details where the diamonds came from, how they were mined, where they were cut and polished, the parties involved, and their ultimate destination. The idea is that members of the Kimberley Process cannot trade with non-members.

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China braces for more floods as heavy rains predicted

Survivors of the landslides in north-western China are braced for further misery as forecasters predict more heavy rains.

At least 702 people died when mud and debris swept through Zhouqu, in Gansu province, late on Saturday night and 1,042 are missing. There is little hope of finding more survivors among what are thought to be the hundreds who were buried alive in metres of sludge.

The 10,000 rescue and relief workers are continuing to search for bodies but attention is turning to the threat of disease.

Crews in protective suits have sprayed chemical disinfectant across the ground and over machinery. State media has reported numerous cases of dysentery and warned of a serious shortage of drinking water, with most local sources destroyed or polluted.

One survivor, Yang Jianjie, gave a graphic description of the moment landslides engulfed the county seat. He stood hand in hand with his parents and grandfather on the roof of their home as the tide of mud swept towards them – only to be separated as the two-storey building collapsed.

"Mud and rocks slammed my parents and grandfather in the face and buried them," the 20-year-old told the China Daily newspaper.

The Bailong river burst its banks, sending water coursing through the narrow valley.

Shen Si watched as troops dug at the site of her buried home to reach the bodies of her relatives. "My mother and father were in their 60s and my younger brothers, all three of them, are buried here in our house still," she said.

Torrential rains on Saturday night triggered the landslide and flooding. Experts have said 2008's earthquake in neighbouring Sichuan loosened rock faces. But government reports show that officials had been warning for years that deforestation and rapid hydro development were increasing the risk of landslips in the area.

"This has happened before. The government knew it could happen again and did nothing to prevent it," said a farmer called Yang, who did not want to give his full name. Five of his relatives were buried in the mudslide and he was digging to find them.

There are concerns the barrier lake that has formed could overflow or burst, especially if there is further rain. Soldiers have been blasting explosives at the barrier to clear debris and help reduce water levels. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated.

Separately, a Chinese paper reported that residents along the north bank of the Yellow river in Henan province fear for their lives after heavy rain gouged holes in a newly built flood control dam.

"Every time when we hear the rain is coming we are too scared to sleep in the evening," a party secretary from one village was quoted as saying in Dahe Daily.

Wang Dayong, head of the Yellow River Affairs Bureau of Yuanyang, acknowledged the dam had been damaged but told the Global Times reports were exaggerated and the structure was strong enough.

Oil slick coats Arabian Sea after ships collide

Indian coast guard vessels and helicopters worked Monday to contain an oil spill from a stricken container ship that collided with another vessel in the Arabian Sea, a spokesman for India's defence ministry said.

The Panamanian-registered MSC Chitra smashed into the St. Kitts-registered MV-Khalijia-II on Saturday near Mumbai's Jawahar Lal Nehru port. The accident caused MSC Chitra to run aground and list heavily to one side, Capt. Manohar Nambiar told The Associated Press.

Helicopters sprayed chemicals on the oil spill to prevent it from spreading, Nambiar said.

The amount of oil leaked was unclear. The environment minister of Maharashtra state told reporters Monday about two tonnes of oil was pouring into the water every hour.

The MSC Chitra's cargo included several thousand tonnes of oil products such as diesel and lubricants, Environment Minister Suresh Shetty said, adding the government was consulting foreign experts on how best to contain the spill.

Government officials in several coastal areas near Mumbai have been asked to test sea water samples in their area to check how far the oil from the spill may have spread Chhagan Bhujbal, another senior minister, told reporters.

The captains of both vessels have also been asked to appear before local officials to explain how the collision took place, police said.

At least 250 containers from the damaged vessel fell off and port officials were trying to salvage them to avoid navigational hazards to other ships, officials said.

Crews from both vessels were rescued without any serious injuries, Nambiar said.

Chinese military clears landslide debris blocking river

Rescue teams cleared debris holding back potential flood waters in northwestern China Monday, where massive mudslide have left at least 127 people dead and some 1,300 missing, state-run media reported.

The Chinese military used explosives to blast the blockage in the Bailong River, in Gansu Province, a spokesman with the emergency rescue headquarters told China's Xinhua news agency. Excavators also were used to remove the debris and start a controled release of the water.

Authorities report 76 people have been injured and about 45,000 have been evacuated from Zhouqu County in the country's northwest, according to a statement from the provincial civil affairs department.

The landslides occurred early Sunday morning after heavy rains started pummeling the area Saturday, authorities said. On Sunday afternoon, Premier Wen Jiabao and other government officials arrived at the mountainous region to survey the damage, according to Xinhua.

Wen also insisted that electricity be restored and traffic resumed in Zhouqu County as soon as possible.

The premiere sludged through the mud and rocks in the badly hit Sanyan Valley, where some 300 households were totally submerged by the mudslides, Xinhua reported.

The mudslides caused the Bailong River to become obstructed and overflow, and sent water rushing over its banks, state-run CCTV reported.

The water level in the county seat of Chengguan Township had receded by 40 cm (16 inches) Sunday, after floodwaters carrying mud and rocks submerged half the town, Mao Shengwu, head of the prefecture, told the news agency.

"Torrential rains began to fall at around 10 p.m. Saturday. Then there were mudslides and many people became trapped. Now sludge has become the biggest hindrance to rescue operations. It's too thick to walk or drive through," said an official identified by Xinhua only as Diemujiangteng, head of the county.

"Since excavators can't reach the site, we can only use spades and our hands to rescue the buried," He Youxin, an officer with the Gannan branch of the Gansu Headquarters of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, told the news agency.

His rescue team has saved 23 people and recovered 15 bodies, he said. But, "It's very hard to locate the people washed away by floods. It's hard to say what their chances of survival are," he said.

The news agency said the police rescued two children and three adults who were trapped atop a seven-story building, half of which had been washed away by the flood waters, according to a video clip shot by a police officer shown on Chinese Central Television.

More than 300 homes in Yueyuan Village in the county had been buried. But the number of deaths were not known, Mao told the news agency.

A total of 600 soldiers arrived at Zhouqu County in China's Gansu Province to perform relief work, Xinhua said. Three other detachments consisting of more than 1,700 soldiers as well as a 180-member medical team are on their way to the affected areas. China's armed police have also sent 2,100 members to help, the news agency reported.

By Sunday afternoon, the provincial civil affairs department had sent 3,900 tents, about 40,000 boxes of instant noodles and 31,300 boxes of bottled drinking water to the county. But the county still needs 441 tons (400 metric tonnes) of drinking water and 22 tons (20 tonnes) of instant food, said a spokesman with the prefecture's government, according to Xinhua.

The county needs an estimated 11,023 tons (10,000 tonnes) of water and 551 tons (500 tonnes) of instant food in the next 25 days, Xinhua reported.

16 killed, seven trapped in China gold mine fire

At least 16 workers were killed and seven trapped underground after a major fire engulfed a gold mine in east China's Shandong province, officials said today.

The fire broke out last night at Luoshan gold mine in Zhaoyuan city and rescuers workers managed to pull over 300 workers to safety.

Most of the 16 workers died due to suffocation caused by overwhelming toxic smoke in the underground mine, officials said.

Some of them died in hospital, according to medical workers at Luoshan gold mine.

The fire broke out when 329 miners were working underground, local officials said. The underground blaze had been put out by this morning but power to parts of the shaft was yet to be restored.

All but seven miners had been lifted to the ground, official Xinhua news agency reported.

The rescue authorities initially reported that eight remained trapped but later corrected the figure to seven.

The rescued miners appeared in good health but had their eyes covered with white cloth to avoid sudden exposure to the sun.

Dozens of the injured had been hospitalised.

Rescuers said they had established contact with the seven trapped miners and were on track to lift them from the mine.

An initial investigation showed that the fire was likely to have been caused by an underground cable. The owner of the mine was taken into police custody, a spokesman with the rescue headquarters said.

Luo Lin, head of the state administration of work safety, led a ten-member work-team to Zhaoyuan. Previously, top provincial officials had arrived at the scene to oversee the rescue and the investigation.

Top Obama Economic Adviser Christina Romer Bailing Out

Christina Romer, one of President Obama's top economic advisers, plans to step down effective Sept. 3.

Romer, head of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, has been one of the administration's most prominent voices on the economy, making frequent appearances on TV and at White House events to promote Obama's policies. She also was reported to have butted heads with other members of Obama's economic team, in particular Larry Summers, director of the National Economic Council.

In December, the she sand Summers even seemed to contradict each other -- in interviews conducted on the same day -- on whether the recession had ended.

"Everybody agrees that the recession is over," Summers said.

"Of course not," Romer said in a separate interview.

The clash appeared at the time to speak not just to the differing views on the economy within Obama's inner circle but also to the sharply conflicting signals out of the economy itself, which continues to struggle to rebound.

Her resignation comes as the White House labors to convince the public that the economy is on the right track amid near-double digit unemployment.

"Christy Romer has provided extraordinary service to me and our country during a time of economic crisis and recovery," Obama said in a written statement. "The challenges we faced demanded more of Christy than any of her predecessors, and I greatly valued and appreciated her skill, commitment and wise counsel.

The White House cast Romer's decision as an unsurprising one driven by family reasons: Romer plans to return to California, where her son will be starting high school. She also is returning to the University of California, Berkley as an economics professor.

One administration official, speaking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal relations at the White House, downplayed any tension between Romer and Summers, saying the pair often emerged as strong allies.

Summers said Monday night that Romer has been "an extraordinary friend and colleague at the White House," and he looked forward to drawing on her advice in the future.

Latest deaths spark fresh protests in Indian Kashmir

Two more protesters died in clashes with security forces in Indian Kashmir, police said Thursday, dashing hopes of calm returning to the region roiled by weeks of anti-India protests.

Violent demonstrations erupted despite an appeal for restraint from influential separatist politician Syed Ali Geelani.

"Demonstrations should be peaceful," Geelani said on Wednesday. "Wherever you are stopped, sit down and tell them 'now you can fire at us', but don't indulge in violence."

Police officials said security forces late Wednesday opened fire killing two people in Srinagar, the summer capital of Muslim-majority Indian Kashmir.

The shootings sparked further protests in Srinagar in defiance of curfew orders. Police said protesters attacked police and paramilitary posts.

The Kashmir Valley has been rocked by violent protests against rule from New Delhi since the death in early June of a teenage student who was killed by a police tear-gas shell.

Some 47 people have been killed, most of them shot dead by security forces.

'Solar tsunami' may hit Earth anytime: Scientists

The Earth could be hit by a 'solar tsunami' anytime now as an unusually complex magnetic eruption on the Sun has flung a large cloud of electrically charged particles towards our planet, scientists have warned.

Several satellites, including NASA's new Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), recorded on Sunday a small solar flare erupting above sunspot 1092, the size of the Earth.

The satellites also recorded a large filament of cool gas stretching across the Sun's northern hemisphere also exploded into space.

The explosion, called a coronal mass ejection, was aimed directly towards Earth, which then sent a 'solar tsunami' racing 93 million miles across space, the New Scientist reported.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/solar-tsunami-may-hit-earth-anytime-scientists-41912?cp

Rainbow Bridge Centennial - National Monument!

Less than ten months after the discovery expedition to Rainbow Bridge, President William Howard Taft proclaimed the site a National Monument under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

Rainbow Bridge NM was set aside on May 30, 1910 by President Taft because the natural bridge itself "...is of great scientific interest as an example of eccentric stream erosion, and it appears that the public interest would be promoted by reserving this bridge as a National Monument..."

(Wayne Ranney)

Appearence Saturday, May 29, 2010
10:00am - 12:00noon at Rainbow Bridge National Monument

Wayne Ranney will be at Rainbow Bridge to speak casually with visitors and answer questions about the geology of the bridge and the area.

This appearance was made possible by the Arizona Humanities Council.

New 3D Playstation 4!

PlayStation - 3 to stream Major League Baseball!

Sony Corporation announced yesterday plans to stream live out-of-market Major League Baseball games over the Internet via the league’s MLB.TV subscription service to its PlayStation 3 consoles to expand its online offerings and attract users other than gamers.

Sony is preparing an update for the console software to enable streaming on its existing machines for North American PS3 owners, the company said in a release. The streaming deal is Major League Baseball’s first such agreement with a video-game company, according to the New York Times, and Sony’s first for the PS3. The two companies will split revenues, the newspaper said, without giving further details.

PlayStation Network online service customers will be able to gain access to the existing MLB.TV package, which includes hundreds of baseball games — excluding local team games and others that are broadcast on TV — for an annual fee. MLB’s internet package is the No. 1 most-profitable video-streaming service on the web, according to CNET.

The MLB.TV subscription package is already accessible on some cellphones and web-stream devices, some of those favoured by other sports leagues. National Hockey League games were recently made available via subscription on Boxee, a media centre software that allows users to watch TV programs and movies on personal computers, according to a posting on Boxee’s official blog. The National Basketball Association offers game highlights and statistics free on Roku, Netflix’s streaming receiver box.

IPL Matches,schedule Dates and Locations

The IPL (Indian Premier League) 2009, which is the second season of the most popular Twenty20 tournament, will begin on April 18 in South Africa. The first match will be played between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Cape Town. The revised IPL Schedule has been released by IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi.

The semi-finals will be held at Pretoria and Johannesburg. Final will be held at Johannesburg on May 24. There will be eight venues in the IPL Season II. The day matches will begin at 4 PM and the night matches will begin at 8 PM. All matches are according to the Indian Standard Time (IST).

The eight teams in the fray are: Rajasthan Royals (RR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata KnightRiders (KKR), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Deccan Chargers (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).

Complete Schedule of IPL Season II (2009) with IST:

April 18: RR vs RCB (Cape Town) - 4 PM
April 18: MI vs CSK - 8 PM
April 19: KKR vs DC(Cape Town) - 4 PM
April 19: DD vs KXIP (Cape Town) - 8 PM
April 20: RCB vs CSK (Port Elizabeth) - 4 PM
April 21: RR vs MI (Durban) - 4 PM
April 21: KKR vs KXIP (Durban) - 8 PM
April 22: DD vs CSK (Durban) - 4 PM
April 22: RCB vs DC (Cape Town) - 8 PM
April 23: KKR vs RR (Port Elizabeth) - 4 PM
April 24: KXIP vs RCB (Johannesburg) - 4 PM
April 25: KKR vs CSK (Cape Town) -4 PM
April 25: DC vs MI (Durban) - 8 PM
April 26: RR vs KXIP (Cape Town) - 4 PM
April 26: RCB vs DD (Port Elizabeth) - 8 PM
April 27: KKR vs MI (Cape Town) - 4 PM
April 27: CSK vs DC (Durban) - 8 PM
April 28: DD vs RR (Pretoria) - 4 PM
April 29: MI vs KXIP (Durban) - 4 PM
April 29: KKR v RCB (Durban) - 8 PM
April 30: DD v DC (Pretoria) - 4 PM
April 30: RR vs CSK (Pretoria) - 8 PM
May 1: RCB vs KXIP (East London) - 4 PM
May 1: MI vs KKR (Durban) - 8 PM
May 2: RR vs DC (Johannesburg) - 4 PM
May 2: CSK vs DD (Port Elizabeth) - 8 PM
May 3: MI vs RCB (Durban) - 4 PM
May 3: KXIP vs KKR (East London) - 8 PM
May 4: DC vs CSK (Port Elizabeth) - 4 PM
May 5: DD vs KKR (Durban) - 4 PM
May 5: KXIP vs RR (Durban) - 8 PM
May 6: MI vs DC (Pretoria) - 4 PM
May 7: KXIP vs CSK (Pretoria) - 4 PM
May 7: RCB vs RR (Pretoria) - 8 PM
May 8: DD vs MI (East London) - 4 PM
May 9: DC vs KXIP (Bloemfontein) - 4 PM
May 9: CSK vs RR (Port Elizabeth) - 8 PM
May 10: KKR vs DD (East London) - 4 PM
May 10: RCB vs MI (Johannesburg) - 8 PM
May 11: DC vs RR (Bloemfontein) - 4 PM
May 12: RCB vs KKR (Pretoria) - 4 PM
May 12: KXIP vs MI (Pretoria) - 8 PM
May 13: DC vs DD (Durban) - 4 PM
May 14: MI vs RR (Durban) - 4 PM
May 14: CSK vs RCB (Durban) - 8 PM
May 15: KXIP vs DD (Kimberley) - 4 PM
May 16: CSK vs MI (Johannesburg) - 4 PM
May 16: DC vs KKR (Port Elizabeth) - 8 PM
May 17: RR vs DD (Kimberley) - 4 PM
May 17: KXIP vs DC (Johannesburg) - 8 PM
May 18: CSK vs KKR (Pretoria) - 4 PM
May 19: DD vs RCB (Johannesburg) - 4 PM
May 20: CSK vs KXIP (Durban) - 4 PM
May 20: RR vs KKR (Durban) - 8 PM
May 21: DC vs RCB (Pretoria) - 4 PM
May 21: MI vs DD (Pretoria) - 8 PM

May 22: 1st Semi Final (Pretoria)
May 23: 2nd Semi Final (Johannesburg)

May 24: Final (Johannesburg)

Child Safety Points While Using Airbags

• Children 12 and under should ride buckled up in a rear seat.


• Infants in rear facing child safety seats should NEVER ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag.

• Small children should ride in a rear seat in child safety seats approved for their age and size.

• If a child over one year old must ride in the front seat with a passenger side air bag, put the child in a front facing child safety seat, a booster seat, or a correct fitting lap/shoulder belt — AND move the seat as far back as possible.