Continue reading »]]> Indonesian police Saturday were studying DNA evidence from the remains of two suicide bombers who carried out twin attacks on luxury Jakarta hotels, as security was tightened across the country.

Suspected Islamist suicide bombers detonated powerful devices at the Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott hotels in an upmarket business district Friday, leaving nine dead and up to 50 injured including at least 18 foreigners.

A New Zealand businessman was confirmed dead and Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who is due in Jakarta later Saturday, said he feared the worst for three missing Australians, including diplomat Craig Senger.

National police chief General Bambang Hendarso Danuri called on hotels and shopping malls across the vast, mainly Muslim archipelago of 234 million people to raise their security protocols amid warnings of follow-up attacks.

A military spokesman said 500 troops were on standby to deploy in Jakarta in support of police.

Police across the Philippines were also on heightened alert over fears homegrown Islamists could try to emulate the Jakarta bombings, and citizens were urged to report any suspicious behaviour or unattended baggage.

Hotels in New York were also increasing security although Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said there was no information that a Jakarta-style attack was imminent.

US President Barack Obama condemned the bombings and offered Indonesia help in the recovery effort.

“I strongly condemn the attacks that occurred this morning (Friday) in Jakarta and extend my deepest condolences to all of the victims and their loved ones,” he said.

Manchester United were due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton next week as part of an Asian tour but they cancelled the trip, denying a sell-out crowd of 100,000 the chance to see the English football giants play an Indonesia XI on Monday.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, the worst in Indonesia since 2005, but suspicion inevitably fell on the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network responsible for the 2002 Bali attacks that killed 202 people.

Investigators said they found an unexploded bomb, as well as explosive chemicals and bomb-making materials in room 1808 of the Marriott, which they believe served as a control centre for the attackers.

The bombs were packed with nails, ballbearings, nuts and bolts to maximise the carnage, and appeared to be “identical” to ones previously used in JI attacks, police said.

They were also the same as bombs found in a recent raid on an Islamic boarding school in Central Java, carried out as part of the hunt for master-bombmaker Noordin Mohammed Top, leader of a JI splinter group.

Noordin is wanted for his role in the Bali attacks as well as a 2003 bombing at the Jakarta Marriott, which killed 12 people, and the 2005 truck-bombing of the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was re-elected in a landslide on July 8, said the attack was an act of terror that would have “wide effects on our economy, trade, tourism and image in the eyes of the world”.

Tourism operators on the Hindu-majority resort island of Bali said they feared for the lucrative tourism industry, which was just getting back to normal after the horrific attacks of 2002.

“I am afraid that the tourism sector which is now thriving in Indonesia would be affected significantly,” Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry representative for small businesses Sandiaga Uno told Anatara news agency.

“We hope that the bomb blasts would not deter foreign and domestic investors in making the investment in the country.”

Tourism is one of the biggest sources of foreign capital for Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, which has avoided recession in the global financial crisis, but needs more foreign investment to maintain its growth trajectory.

The country’s mainstream Muslim groups joined Yudhoyono and world leaders in condemning the attacks, saying they could never be justified in Islamic teachings.

Condemnation poured in from around the world including from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, and from Indonesia’s neighbours in Southeast Asia, where JI is accused of plotting to create a pan-Islamic state.

Indonesian police examine remains for clues

Continue reading »]]> PORT MORESEBY – Three bodies have been recovered and 16 people are missing, feared dead, after a massive landslide wiped out a remote Papua New Guinea village.

Villagers had to walk three hours to alert authorities in Morobe Province, on PNG’s northwest coast, after days of continual heavy rains caused the landslide early on Monday.

Authorities and local media reported on Wednesday at least five Firangka village houses were wiped out in the Sialum District when the face of an overlooking mountain slid for more than 500m, carving up 200m at its widest.

PNG’s National newspaper reported a village headcount showed 19 people, including women and children, were missing.

“It came so suddenly there was nothing we could do,” said villager Bobby Toby, a retired teacher.

“There were no warning signs, no earthquakes, it just happened,” he said.

Deputy Provincial administrator Patilias Gamato and other local officials visited the remote site by helicopter on Tuesday.

Gamato said PNG’s National Disaster and Emergency Office would see relief supplies reach the area by Thursday.

“Morobe province has a record of disasters that occur during the wet period and everyone, especially remote areas, should be cautious,” he said.

The bodies of a woman and two men were recovered on Monday, while villagers remain optimistic survivors will be found.

Australian relief and aid services based in PNG’s capital Port Moresby are gathering information and assessing the situation.

The village is located in the Zongefifi area about 90km northeast of Lae, PNG’s second largest city, and sits on the fringes of the rugged Sarawaget Range.

16 missing after PNG landslide

Continue reading »]]> At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded after a stampede ensued at the close of an eight-day music festival in Morocco on Saturday night, the country’s news agency said.

Among the victims of the stampede at the Mawazine festival in the capital city of Rabat were five women, four men and two children, the Maghreb Arab Press said.

They were among thousands who had packed the Hay Nahda stadium on Saturday night.

It was the last night of the festival that took place in several locations and featured, among others, Australian singer Kylie Minogue, Algerian pop star Khaled and American R&B artists Alicia Keyes and Stevie Wonder.

11 killed at music festival stampede in Morocco

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An oil spill in eastern Australia has forced officials to declare a 60 kilometer stretch of the Queensland coast a disaster zone amid warnings that legal action could be taken against the operator of the cargo ship that lost its fuel in stormy seas.

Australian authorities originally said about 30 tons of oil were lost when 31 containers of fertilizer slipped from the Hong Kong-flagged “Pacific Adventurer” ship and punctured fuel tanks in the hull as the ship was battered in cyclone-stirred waters.

Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said Friday the spill was larger than had been reported but did not say exactly how much oil was shed.

The authorities have declared large stretches of normally white-sand beaches along the popular surf region of the Sunshine Coast a disaster zone, as well as Moreton and Bribie islands, which are national parks.
At the beach resort of Coolum, north of the Queensland state capital of Brisbane, dark brown waves rolled ashore instead of the usual whitecaps and aqua waters of the Coral Sea.

Anna Bligh says the causes of this environmental disaster will be thoroughly examined.

“This will be the subject of a full investigation. If there is any evidence that any government agency could have or should have done better, we will certainly be taking all relevant action to address that,” said Bligh. “At this stage my priority is to have teams of people out there cleaning this mess up to protect wildlife in what may well be the worst environmental disaster that Queensland or the south-east of our State has faced.”

Bligh says the ship’s operators would be held liable for the costs of the massive cleanup operation.

The lost 31 containers that held hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer have not been found.

The ship was on its way to Indonesia to deliver its shipment when the accident occurred.

Its owner, Hong Kong-based “Swire,” may face fines of up to $1 million if found guilty of environmental breaches.
Conservationists have warned that oil could be washed up for weeks to come along Queensland’s popular coastline.

Hundreds of people are involved in the clean-up and are trying to stop rivers from being contaminated.

The Queensland government has defended its response to the disaster thus far amid accusations that it failed to act quickly enough.

VOA News – Australia Declares Oil Spill Area Disaster Zone

Continue reading »]]> SYDNEY – A SINGAPORE-OWNED energy delivery company is facing a class action suit over allegations that one of its power lines sparked last week’s deadly Australian bush fires which broke out in the Kinglake area of Victoria state.

Residents there are launching legal proceedings against SP AusNet over a fallen power line which is believed to have started the blaze.

SP AusNet is 51 per cent-owned by Singapore Power and listed on both the Australian and Singapore stock exchanges.

The company said yesterday that it would cooperate fully with any investigation into the cause of the fires.

‘We stand ready to assist the relevant authorities with their enquiries if it is necessary for us to do so now and in the coming months,’ said spokesman Louisa Graham.

Residents to sue Spore firm

Continue reading »]]> Australian police have charged a man with arson causing death over one of the country’s deadly bushfires.

The 39-year-old was also charged with deliberately lighting a bushfire near Churchill, in eastern Victoria state. The blaze killed at least 21 people.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described Australia’s deadliest bushfires as mass murder.

At least 181 people were killed as the fires swept through Victoria in south-east Australia at the weekend.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged on three counts – arson causing death, a crime which carries a maximum 25-year prison sentence; and of deliberately starting a bushfire.

He also faces unrelated charges of possessing child pornography.

He did not appear in court in Morwell to hear the charges. His lawyer has described him as psychologically unwell and in a fragile mental state.

After being remanded in custody, the man was transferred to the state capital Melbourne, police say for his own safety because of public anger.

He will appear in court there on Monday.

Victoria Police Commissioner Christine Nixon has said it was possible a devastating blaze that killed at least 15 people in the town of Marysville was also the work of arsonists.

Marysville – a town that was virtually wiped out – remains cordoned off.

Investigators are still scouring the town where 80% of buildings were destroyed, and they had not been able to identify and remove all bodies, State Premier John Brumby said.

In other developments:

• Two men questioned in connection with allegations of looting in a fire-hit area are released without charge

• Police publish a photo-fit of a man wanted for questioning over a suspicious fire that started on Thursday in the Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe. The fire has been brought under control

• Firefighters are still trying to battle at least a dozen different blazes

• The tally of homes destroyed is now more than 1,800, and the number of people left homeless more than 7,000

• The Australian government plans to hold a national day of mourning and has promised to remove bureaucratic hurdles that have prevented the creation of a nationwide fire alert system.

Meanwhile, more than 150 actors, sports stars, politicians and musicians have taken part in a fundraising telethon.

Australian man charged with arson

Continue reading »]]> Australian police have detained two people suspected of deliberately lighting one of the bushfires which savagely swept through southeast Australia killing at least 181 people and leaving 5,000 homeless.

“The investigation is in its initial stages. Two people are assisting police with inquiries,” a police spokeswoman told Reuters Thursday. Police would not give any further details.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has described Australia’s deadliest bushfires last Saturday as “mass murder.”

Authorities say the toll is expected to rise beyond 200 as more bodies are discovered in the charred remains of houses in the southern state of Victoria.

In Victoria, arson carries a jail term of two to 15 years, and 25 years if there’s loss of life.

Several bushfires tore through rural towns north of Melbourne Saturday night, fanned by strong winds and heatwave temperatures.

The disaster area, more than twice the size of London and encompassing more than 20 towns north of Melbourne, has been declared a crime zone. The fires have burnt 1,033 homes and left 5,000 people homeless.

The tragedy is the worst natural disaster in Australia in 110 years. The previous worst bushfire was the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 which killed 75 people.

Reuters

Continue reading »]]> The death toll from Australia’s deadliest bushfires may reach 300, officials said, as police probe whether the blaze in the worst-hit town of Marysville was lit deliberately.

At least 181 people are confirmed dead in the wildfires sweeping through Victoria state and the coroner is prepared for as many as 300 bodies, Police Commissioner Christine Nixon told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“We are going house by house, street by street to search for bodies,” Nixon told the ABC’s Lateline program yesterday. Authorities believe “there are clearly more people who have died in this fire.”

The bushfires destroyed four major towns and dozens of hamlets, razing more than 1,000 houses and leaving 4,200 people homeless, according to the Country Fire Authority. As many as 100 of the 500 residents of Marysville, a town 60 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the state capital, Melbourne, may have died and authorities view that fire as suspicious, Nixon said.

“The direction it came from, the pace it came with, all of those things are a part of the way we investigate a fire,” Nixon told the ABC. “Part of the concerns about Marysville is that it was just unexplained.”

Road blocks are set up around the town to prevent anyone except authorities from entering. Bodies are still being removed from buildings and being identified, Victorian Premier John Brumby said yesterday.

Record High Temperatures

Two weeks of record high temperatures, that reached 46.4 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit) in Melbourne, and hot northerly gales across southeast Australia made conditions over the weekend worse than in February 1983, when 75 people in Victoria and neighboring South Australia died in what are known as the Ash Wednesday fires.

Thirty blazes are still burning across Victoria, with firefighters tackling three major fronts, the CFA said. Milder weather is allowing authorities to build so-called containment lines — bulldozing away scrub and forest — to slow the progress of the fires.

Victorian police believe fires in the Churchill area, southeast of Melbourne, were deliberately lit and the arson squad is investigating another 173 sites, CFA Chief Fire Officer Russell Rees said earlier this week.

Two people are “assisting police” in their inquiries in relation to fires in Yea and Seymour, Victoria Police said in a statement today.

People found guilty of arson can expect to be jailed for 25 years, the same penalty that applies to a murder conviction in Victoria, Brumby said this week.

Memorial Service

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s office said the federal government is planning a memorial service for the bushfire victims. “The whole nation stands with Victoria during this time of national tragedy,” it said in a statement.

The Australian Red Cross said its bushfire appeal has raised A$50 million ($32 million).

More than 450,000 hectares (1.1 million acres) of land has been destroyed, according to the CFA. The total damage of the blazes may be more than A$2 billion, Standard & Poor’s said.

Bloomberg.com: Australia & New Zealand

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Australian emergency crews are stepping up their efforts to tackle wildfires that have ripped through the state of Victoria, killing 25 people.

About 30,000 firefighters are battling nine major fires, and the authorities say they expect more fatalities.

Victoria Premier John Brumby said he was considering an offer from the federal government to send in the army.

Entire townships have been destroyed in the fires, fanned by soaring temperatures and unpredictable winds.

Forecasters are predicting more extremely hot weather in the region – which has seen record temperatures of 47C (117F) in recent days.

‘Absolutely horrific’

Officials say they are battling against the worst fire conditions in the state’s history.

Witnesses described seeing walls of flames, trees exploding and the skies raining ash, as fires tore across 30,000 hectares (115 sq miles) of forests, farmland and towns.

At least 100 homes have been destroyed in Victoria and about 14,000 homes are without power.

Six people have been killed in the township of Kinglake, four at Wandong, three at Strathewen and one at Clonbinane.

One Strathewen resident told ABC local radio how local people had witnessed “absolutely horrific” scenes as they had helped battle the flames.

“The school’s gone, the hall’s gone… some people left it too late. We’ve lost friends, and we’re just waiting for more – children, loved ones,” she said.

The town of Marysville, with about 500 residents, was said to have been burned to the ground.

Local fire officer Greg Esnouf said: “We’re starting to get some reports in now that are very saddening. This latest report says Marysville possibly one building left standing – that’s just shocking.”

Residents were reported to be safe after they sheltered from the blaze in a local park.

‘Tragic day’

Tens of thousands of firefighters are trying to contain blazes in two other states – New South Wales and South Australia – but the fires there were largely contained or burning away from residential areas.

The fire service is using water-bombing aircraft to contain fires and thousands of volunteers are using water hoses.

“It’s obviously a tragic day and a tragic week in our history,” Mr Brumby said.

He said he was considering an offer from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to send the army in to relieve overstretched emergency crews.

Bushfires are common in Australia, but the current blazes are the most deadly since 1983, when 75 people died on a day that became known as Ash Wednesday.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Australia fires rage with 25 dead

Continue reading »]]> SUVA, Fiji (AP) — Authorities rushed on Monday to deliver clean drinking water and other supplies to thousands of villagers who fled flooding from tropical storms that have killed at least eight people on this Pacific island nation.

The government declared a state of emergency in the western districts that were the hardest hit and are also home to most of the country’s international resorts. There have been no reports of tourists in trouble.

Fiji’s largest airport in Nadi, on the main island of Viti Levu, remained open but the city was flooded and some tourists were being turned back to their points of origin.

Tourists still at resorts were advised by the National Disaster Office to hunker down in preparation for more rough weather.

“We’d planned this holiday for a year, but it’s just turned into absolute hell,” Jane Bullock, an Australian tourist, told the Australian Associated Press news agency by telephone from the Sheraton resort on Denarau Island. “It’s scary stuff, and there’s more than a mild panic setting in.”

Floodwaters were slowly subsiding Monday in some of the worst hit villages, the government said, but forecasters predicted more heavy rain later this week.

“There’s another depression heading toward Fiji within the next two days and that will bring an additional threat,” Aisea Qumihajelo, the acting chief of disaster management, told The Associated Press on Monday.

Four days of torrential rains have flooded the towns of Nadi, Ba, Sigatoka and Labasa and many rural villages on Viti Levu, he said. Sugar cane crops have been washed out, roads severed and bridges submerged by surging floodwaters.

Authorities said six people drowned in floodwaters and two were killed in a landslide.

More than 6,000 people have been forced into emergency shelters in schools and other public buildings.

The military ruler, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, declared an emergency in parts of Veti Levu, allowing authorities to impose night curfews to deter looting.

New Zealand announced $59,000 (NZ$100,000) in funding to assist relief efforts by the Fiji Red Cross.

The Associated Press: Floods in Fiji kill 8; thousands seek shelter