health: Lincoln Tribune

الأحد، 15 يناير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Qatari emir supports Arab troop presence in Syria
Egyptian opposition leader ElBaradei ends presidential bid
Stampede at shrine in central India leaves 12 dead
Bus plunges down ravine in southeastern Bangladesh, killing 17
Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years in Peru murder case

Qatari emir supports Arab troop presence in Syria

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 05:20 PM PST

DAMASCUS (BNO NEWS) -- The ruling Emir of the State of Qatar supports Arab troops being sent into Syria to end the deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters there, he said in an interview which is to be aired on Sunday.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani said he would be in favor of Arab troops being sent into Syria in order to stop the bloodshed that continues even as Arab League monitors tour the country. "For such a situation to stop the killing ... some troops should go to stop the killing," he told CBS News.

Qatar has, as of late, held a high position in the region and was the first to announce its support for the no-fly zone which was imposed on Libya last year. Hamad also heads up the Arab League's committee on Syria, which sent observers to the country last month.

Last month, the Syrian National Council (SNC), a Turkish-based opposition government in exile, urged the Arab League and the United Nations (UN) Security Council to take "the necessary measures" to protect civilians after nearly 250 people were said to have been killed in two days.

"[The Syrian National Council] stresses the need to take action to stop the bloody campaign targeting more cities and town during the military build-up by the system," the group said in a news release in December.

The SNC called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the regime's 'massacres' in the Zawyiyeh mountain, Idlib, and Homs and to issue an international condemnation therefore. It also urged the UN to declare cities and towns which are being attacked as 'safe zones' which enjoy international protection, forcing the regime's forces to withdraw from these areas.

The SNC further called for the intervention of the International Red Crescent and other relief organizations. It said it wants to declare the areas under attack as "disaster areas exposed to large-scale genocide and displacement operations by the Syrian regime's militias."

Syria has been part of the wider Arab Spring movement which began in early 2011 and has been riddled by violence ever since. Pro-democracy demonstrations have spread across the country since mid-March, resulting in a fierce government crackdown which has left at least 5,400 people killed.

The Syrian government has repeatedly claimed that violent acts against protesters have been carried out by 'terrorists dressed as soldiers,' although international observers have rejected these claims. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad previously admitted that mistakes were made, but claimed protesters were no longer being targeted.

Egyptian opposition leader ElBaradei ends presidential bid

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 04:55 PM PST

CAIRO (BNO NEWS) -- Egyptian opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei on Saturday withdrew from the presidential race ahead of the revolution's first anniversary, the Al-Ahram daily newspaper reported.

The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement that he made the decision in protest of the country's military rule. He said his decision does not mean a complete withdrawal from the political scene, but that he will continue serving society "outside any positions of power, freed from all the chains."

"My conscience will not allow me to nominate myself to the presidency or any formal position without the presence of a real democratic framework that uses the essence of democracy, not just its image," ElBaradei said, adding that he feels that "the [Mubarak] regime has not fallen yet."

Some observers believe ElBaradei chose to withdraw due to the decreasing popular support. ElBaradei used to enjoy wide support among Egyptians and was dubbed the "godfather" of the revolution for defying Mubarak's regime and predicting its fall in 2011, according to Al-Ahram.

Recently, the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest political group, retracted its support for him without a declared reason. In addition, ElBaradei's recent stances on the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has left many believing that his prospects of winning were low as it was unlikely the military would allow it.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner has recently been outspoken about rights violations which allegedly happened during recent clashes between the military and protesters. He also frequently condemned the use of violence by the police and the military as well as putting civilians before military trials.

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in June. The military council has been running Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year during a revolution.

Stampede at shrine in central India leaves 12 dead

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 04:37 PM PST

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- Twelve people were crushed to death on Saturday when thousands of people attempted to enter a Muslim shrine in central India, officials said. Several others were injured.

The stampede happened at the Muslim shrine of Hussain Tekri in the Ratlam District of Madhya Pradesh state when thousands of people were participating in an annual Muslim celebration known as Chehallum, which is observed 40 days after the mourning month of Muharram.

Witnesses said there was only a single gate to access the shrine and several people were trampled when people started pushing each other. Among the twelve people killed were at least four women, a district official said.

In the last decade alone, more than 1,000 people have died as a result of stampedes at religious ceremonies in India. In August 2011, at least sixteen Hindu pilgrims were killed and more than 50 others were injured in a stampede during a religious ceremony in the northern city of Haridwar.

Months earlier, in January 2011, at least 104 people were killed in a stampede during a pilgrimage in the southern state of Kerala.

Bus plunges down ravine in southeastern Bangladesh, killing 17

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 03:31 PM PST

DHAKA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 17 people were killed early Saturday morning when a passenger bus plunged down a ravine in southeastern Bangladesh, police said. Dozens more were injured.

The accident happened at around 8 a.m. local time when the vehicle plunged down a 500 feet (150 meters) deep ravine in Bandarban, a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh. The bus, which was heading towards Bandarban town, was carrying more than 40 people.

A police spokesman said about a dozen bodies were recovered from the scene, while several others died at a nearby hospital, bringing the death toll to 17. About twenty-five others were also rushed to nearby hospitals, including some who were reported to be in a critical condition.

Service members from the Bangladesh Army as well as police forces took part in the rescue operation and were assisted by locals. The bus was carrying students and their guardians who were returning to various schools after their annual vacation.

Police said visibility in the area was poor as a result of dense fog and may have caused the accident.

Road accidents are common in Bangladesh and many are blamed on reckless driving, poor road conditions and old vehicles. It is estimated that road accidents claim at least 13,000 lives a year and leave hundreds of thousands injured in the Asian country.

In July 2011, at least 53 people were killed when the driver of a truck lost control and plunged into a pond in the southeastern region of Bangladesh. The truck was carrying around 80 school children who were returning home after winning a district inter-school football championship.

Van der Sloot sentenced to 28 years in Peru murder case

Posted: 14 Jan 2012 02:52 PM PST

LIMA, PERU (BNO NEWS) -- Dutchman Joran Van der Sloot was sentenced to 28 years in prison on Friday for the murder of a young woman he met at a casino in Peru, prosecutors said. Van der Sloot is also a suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

Van der Sloot, 24, appeared in court wearing a green T-shirt. During the lengthy reading of the verdict, taking more than two hours as an interpreter translated it to Dutch, he appeared to be nervous, confused, sweating and in disbelief as he wiped out some tears.

The Dutchman is also a suspect in the disappearance of American teenager Natalee Holloway, who went missing on May 30, 2005, during a high school graduation trip to Aruba. Despite international media attention, her body was never found and a court in Alabama ruled her legally dead on Thursday.

Exactly 5 years after Holloway's disappearance, on May 30, 2010, Van der Sloot took 21-year-old Peruvian woman Stephany Tatiana Flores to his hotel room in Lima after meeting her at a local casino. She was found dead there several days later after being strangled to death, and Van der Sloot was eventually arrested in Chile and deported to Peru to face trial.

The court in Peru sentenced Van der Sloot to 28 years in prison and ordered his deportation after he completes his prison time on June 10, 2038. He was also ordered to pay a 200,000 soles ($74,200) fine, which will be paid to Flores' family.

Van der Sloot earlier pled guilty to killing Flores after she apparently looked at his laptop and found out he was linked to the disappearance of Holloway. Although Van der Sloot said he was sorry for what happened, the three judges did not believe his apology was sincere.

Van der Sloot's lawyer, Jose Luis Jimenez, said they would appeal the sentence.

After Van der Sloot is released in 2038, he could face deportation to the United States where a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2010 after he allegedly tried to extort $250,000 from Natalee Holloway's mother in exchange for the location of her remains and the circumstances surrounding her death.

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الأحد، 15 يناير 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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