SURINAME
Seven killed in mine
Seven men were killed and two seriously injured when the sand walls of a gold mine collapsed at Money Hill, about 150km southeast of the capital, Paramaribo, police said on Sunday. Police inspector Bertrand Riedewald said the accident occurred late on Saturday when a mudslide eroded the open pit’s 20m walls and buried the miners, who were mainly from the indigenous Maroon community. “Three miners were able to escape during the collapsing, while two survivors got severely injured and were taken for medical treatment to the hospital,” Riedewald said. The mine belongs to the Surgold concession, a joint venture between US-based multinationals Alcoa and Newmont. The seven bodies were recovered early on Sunday, after the removal of dirt and debris.
IRAQ
TV reporter shot to death
Police say gunmen stormed the home of a TV reporter and shot him to death in front of his parents in Mosul. Eighteen-year-old Mazin Mardan was the third employee of the al-Mousiliyah satellite channel to be killed by insurgents. A hospital official in the city confirmed the slaying. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media. Reporters Without Borders says at least 230 media workers have been killed in the country since 2003.
UNITED STATES
Mrs Bush not high on Palin
Former first lady Barbara Bush doesn’t appear to think much of Sarah Palin’s White House aspirations, saying the former Alaska governor should stick to her home state. In an interview with CNN’s Larry King that was to air yesterday, Bush said she sat next to Palin once and “thought she was beautiful.” The outspoken wife of former president George H.W. Bush said Palin, who is considering a presidential run in 2012, seems “very happy in Alaska” but then added, “I hope she’ll stay there.”
UNITED STATES
St Louis heads wrong list
A national study found that St Louis overtook Camden, New Jersey, as the nation’s most dangerous city last year. The study released on Sunday by CQ Press found St Louis had 2,070.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, compared with a national average of 429.4. That helped St Louis beat out Camden, which topped last year’s list and was the most dangerous city for 2003 and 2004. Detroit, Flint, Michigan, and Oakland, California, rounded out the top five. For the second straight year, the safest city with more than 75,000 residents was Colonie, New York. The annual rankings are based on population figures and crime data compiled by the FBI.
MEXICO
Former governor killed
A group of gunmen opened fire on former Colima state governor Silverio Cavazos outside his home on Sunday, killing him in an attack that also wounded his wife, state authorities said. Rescue workers rushed to the scene after the gunmen shot at the couple as they left their home, the state prosecutor’s office said. They were taken to hospital where Cavazos died and his wife was in serious condition, it added. Cavazos finished his gubernatorial term in the Pacific coast state a year ago. President Felipe Calderon voiced a “strong condemnation” of the murder, in a statement from his office. Politicians current and former increasingly have been targeted. A candidate for governor of Tamaulipas state also was slain in June while campaigning. And at least 14 mayors have been murdered this year.
FRAYED: Strains between the US-European ties have ruptured allies’ trust in Washington, but with time, that could be rebuilt, the Michigan governor said China is providing crucial support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and could end the war with a phone call, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said. “China could call [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and end this war tomorrow and cut off his dual-purpose technologies that they’re selling,” Whitaker said during a Friday panel at the Munich Security Conference. “China could stop buying Russian oil and gas.” “You know, this war is being completely enabled by China,” the US envoy added. Beijing and Moscow have forged an even tighter partnership since the start of the war, and Russia relies on China for critical parts
Heavy rain and strong winds yesterday disrupted flights, trains and ferries, forcing the closure of roads across large parts of New Zealand’s North Island, while snapping power links to tens of thousands. Domestic media reported a few flights had resumed operating by afternoon from the airport in Wellington, the capital, although cancelations were still widespread after airport authorities said most morning flights were disrupted. Air New Zealand said it hoped to resume services when conditions ease later yesterday, after it paused operations at Wellington, Napier and Palmerston North airports. Online images showed flooded semi-rural neighborhoods, inundated homes, trees fallen on vehicles and collapsed
Two sitting Philippine senators have been identified as “coperpetrators” in former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes against humanity trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC), documents released by prosecutors showed. Philippine senators Ronald Dela Rosa and Christopher Go are among eight current and former officials named in a document dated Feb. 13 and posted to the court’s Web site. ICC prosecutors have charged Duterte with three counts of crimes against humanity, alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders as part of his “war on drugs.” “Duterte and his coperpetrators shared a common plan or agreement to ‘neutralize’ alleged criminals in the Philippines
In a softly lit Shanghai bar, graduate student Helen Zhao stretched out both wrists to have her pulse taken — the first step to ordering the house special, a bespoke “health” cocktail based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). “TCM bars” have popped up in several cities across China, epitomizing what the country’s stressed-out, time-poor youth refer to as “punk wellness,” or “wrecking yourself while saving yourself.” At Shanghai’s Niang Qing, a TCM doctor in a white coat diagnoses customers’ physical conditions based on the pulse readings, before a mixologist crafts custom drinks incorporating the herbs and roots prescribed for their ailments.
RSS