Scorched marathoners recall wall of flame
Independent Newspapers An Australian cornered by a forest fire that left two other ultramarathoners fighting for their lives said he had to choose between certain death and being burned while running through a wall of flames. Sydney – An Australian cornered by a forest fire that left two other ultramarathoners fighting for their lives said on Monday he had to choose between certain death and being burned while running through a wall of flame. The two women, 35-year-old Kate Sanderson and 24-year-old Turia Pitt, sustained burns to 70 percent of their bodies on Friday when the fire trapped them in a gorge near the El Questro resort, in Western Australia’s remote Kimberley region. Michael Hull, 44, who along with another amateur Australian athlete received 20 percent burns, told national broadcaster ABC from his hospital bed in Perth that he was among eight runners encircled by the forest fire. “We had a quick choice of being a human fireball and burning and that was the end, or what we did, instantaneously, is just stop and run back through the wall of flame,” Hull said. “We knew the flame, while it was high, we knew on the other side of it there was nothing left to burn.” Police are investigating whether the fire was deliberately lit. The 100-kilometre run, part of the international Racing the Planet Series, attracted an international field of 40. The three-day event was called off when the casualties were reported.Author: Sid Astbury – Sapa-dpa
Man dies after shark tears off legs
sxc.hu Sydney – A shark bit the legs off a bodyboarder at a popular surfing spot in western Australia on Sunday, killing the man, police said. Authorities were searching for the shark as well as the man’s missing limbs. The man in his early 20s was bodyboarding with five friends when the shark attacked, a police spokesman said. He died at the scene in the surfing haven known as The Farm, off Bunker Bay near the western town of Dunsborough. The beach was closed after the attack. About 30 surfers were in the water when the shark attacked, according to a beachside cafe employee, Deb Pickett, who called police and an ambulance after hearing the disturbance. “We had some sharks spotted far out at sea a few months ago, but they never come this close to the shore,” Pickett said. She said helicopters were still searching the area for the shark late Sunday, while rescue staff searched for the man’s limbs, which she believed had been taken by the shark. Local official Ian Stubbs said it was the first shark attack in the area in more than 20 years. – Sapa-AP
Strauss-Khan comes home to frosty welcome
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his wife Anne Sinclair arrive at Charles-de-Gaulle airport in Roissy near Paris. Paris – Dominique Strauss-Kahn, his presidential hopes shattered by a sex assault scandal that rocked his homeland, returned on Sunday to France facing a frosty public reception and unease among his political allies. The former IMF chief arrived at Paris’s Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport at about 7am with his wife Anne Sinclair. Police escorts whisked the couple through the terminal, past waiting media, and into a car. Smartly dressed and smiling, Strauss-Kahn pulled up at his Parisian apartment in the chic Place des Vosges square an hour later. He waved, but made no comment as he pushed through a sea of flashing media cameras. “I am thinking about his joy, and that of Anne Sinclair, to be back here,” Jack Lang, a left-wing former education and culture minister and a neighbour of the couple, told reporters in the Place des Vosges. “What we owe him, as Socialists and friends, is to greet him here with warmth, friendship and joy.” But another bystander yelled, loudly enough to be heard by Strauss-Kahn and Anne Sinclair as they stood in the interior courtyard of their apartment building: “You are a disgusting creature. Go and get cured somewhere else.” Strauss-Kahn’s public relations adviser Anne Hommel told journalists outside he would not make any statement on Sunday. “You can all leave. He won’t come back out,” she said. His homecoming marks the end of a three-month struggle through New York’s criminal court system after he was charged with attempting to rape a New York hotel maid. The case was dropped after her credibility was thrown into doubt. His Socialist Party allies have cheered the withdrawal of charges against the man formerly tipped as a possible favourite to win the 2012 presidential election, but the damage to his image from the affair make his future unclear. “It’s a shame for France,” said a 50-year-old woman called Claude who lives near the Strauss-Kahns. “He was my candidate.” Francois Pupponi, an ally and mayor of the Paris…
21 killed in Chile plane crash
Members of the Chilean navy search for bodies and aircraft parts near Juan Fernandez Islands. Santiago – All 21 people aboard the Chilean air force plane that crashed into the Pacific on its way to a remote archipelago died instantaneously, the defence minister said on Saturday. “Based on observations and the search we carried out with the air force commander, we have reached the conclusion that the impact was such that it should have resulted in the instantaneous death of all of those who were aboard the aircraft,” Defence Minister Andres Allamand told reporters. A major search operation had been launched late on Friday in the waters around Robinson Crusoe island in the Juan Fernandez islands, some 700km west of the South American coastline, and some debris from the missing plane has been located in the sea. So far, only four bodies have been recovered. “We have found two female bodies and two male bodies; in none of the cases have they been identified,” said air force chief Maximiliano Larraechea. As Chile’s navy and air force headed the search, fishermen in their boats left the archipelago early on Saturday in the hope of turning up survivors. Allamand said the plane, a turboprop-powered Casa 212, made two attempts to land on the main island but failed, “after which contact was lost.” Strong winds were being blamed for causing the light aircraft to be blown off course, but it was unclear what had definitively caused the crash. The air force earlier said that as the aircraft was “getting closer to the island, radio communication with the plane was lost,” prompting the launch of the search effort. Government spokesman Andres Chadwick said the bodies identified were those of Erwin Nunez, an air force corporal; Galia Diaz, with the National Cultural Council; Roberto Bruce, a TVN network journalist; and Silvia Slager, a TVN producer. Among those whose bodies were not yet found were popular Chilean television host Felipe Camiroaga, who was part of a TVN crew heading to the archipelago to report on reconstruction efforts following a huge February 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Tributes poured in from across South America for the victims. Pope Benedict XVI said he was “deeply …
Body found after plane crash
A dead body has been found in the Pacific Ocean after a Chilean Air Force plane carrying 21 people disappeared on its way to the remote Juan Fernandez archipelago, the navy announced on Saturday. “We have information that the body of a woman has been discovered near Juan Fernandez,” Real Admiral Cristian de la Mesa told national television. He said the identity of the person had not yet been established. Debris from the missing plane had been found, and authorities now believe it crashed. Defense Minister Andres Allamand meanwhile said the plane, a turboprop-powered Casa 212, had attempted to land on the island on two occasions but failed and “after which, contact was lost.” The Air Force earlier said that as it was “getting closer to the island, radio communication with the airplane was lost,” prompting a search effort to be launched by Chile’s navy and air force. Among those onboard was a TV crew from TVN – including popular television host Felipe Camiroaga – who was heading there for a report on how the archipelago was rebuilding after being hit by a tsunami following the February 27, 2010 earthquake, radio station Cooperativa confirmed in a report. – Sapa-AFP
Air Force plane with 21 crashes
AP An official says a Chilean air force plane has crashed in the Juan Fernandez islands off Chile’s Pacific coast with 21 people aboard, including Felipe Camiroaga, one of Chile’s most popular television presenters. Santiago, Chile – A Chilean air force plane with 21 people aboard, including a popular local television host, crashed on Friday near the Juan Fernandez islands in the Pacific Ocean, authorities said. The CASA 212 military plane tried twice to land at the airport on the remote Chilean island but strong wind gusts buffeted the aircraft and it later was lost from sight, said Felipe Paredes, a local council member who was in the airport’s control tower at the time. Rescuers in boats were searching for the plane and survivors, but the mayor of Juan Fernandez, Leopoldo Gonzalez, said some luggage had been found in the water and it was clear the plane crashed. “We assume that there was an accident and that there are no survivors,” Gonzalez said. Rescue teams later found an intact door and several knapsacks in the water about 2,000 meters (yards) from the island’s airport, authorities said. President Sebastian Pinera expressed sadness. “This is a blow to our country. In these times of anguish and uncertainty is when unity is most needed,” he said. Defense Minister Andres Allamand called it a “particularly difficult” situation, but said that for now the plane was still listed as “missing.” Authorities said popular Chilean television personality Felipe Camiroaga was flying to the island to do a program on the reconstruction of Juan Fernandez island following the magnitude-8.8 earthquake and tsunami that wiped out its main town on Feb. 27, 2010. The 44-year-old TV presenter was one of five people from Television Nacional’s program “Good Morning Everyone” who were traveling to the island. Besides hosting the morning program, Camiroaga also hosted the popular program “Nocturnal Animal” and co-hosted the Vina del Mar music festival in 2009 and 2010. “We are extremely upset,” said TVN executive director Mauro Valdes. Also on board was businessman Felipe Cubillos, a brother-in-law of the defense minister who had been working on post-earthquake reconstruction. The remote Chilean archipelago, about 830 kilometres west of Chile’s coast, is known for possibly having inspired the novel Robinson Crusoe. The
Tropical Storm Lee inches toward Louisiana
AP Sharal Blanchard, manager of CW Rod Too on Barrow Street in Houma, Louisiana, puts shutters on her windows in preparation for the encroaching Tropical Storm Lee. Miami – Tropical Storm Lee inched toward Louisiana on Saturday, threatening to dump heavy rains and trigger dangerous flash floods along the Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States. Oil companies evacuated workers from offshore rigs ahead of the arrival of Lee while Louisiana’s governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency, urging residents to “prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” The slow-moving storm could bring the same kind of flooding that residents in the northeast are still grappling with after Hurricane Irene tore up the east coast last weekend, officials warned. Irene affected more than 40 million people, was blamed for nearly 50 deaths, triggered historic flooding and caused what one risk assessment firm estimated to be more than $10 billion in damage before blowing itself out over Canada. The biggest danger from Tropical Storm Lee – the 12th named storm of the Atlantic season, which is already dumping rain across coastal Louisiana – could be in the Appalachians. “If we get the five to 10 inches that come out into a tropical storm in that kind of terrain, the flash flooding is fast and it’s violent,” Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, told reporters. Lee was 165 miles (265 kilometres) west south-west of the mouth of the Mississippi River early on Saturday, packing sustained winds of 45 miles (75 kilometres) an hour. It was forcast to arrive to the Louisiana coast late in the day. With some areas forecast to receive up to 20 inches of rain over the Labor Day holiday weekend, residents in low-lying areas from Louisiana and Mississippi all the way up to Kentucky and Tennessee should prepare themselves for extensive flooding, he cautioned. It could also bring isolated tornados. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency in several counties, urging residents to prepare well in advance. “Do not underestimate the impact of this system of tropical weather,” he said. The weather service is also monitoring the strengthening of Hurricane Katia, which had been downgraded to a tropical storm earlier in the week but regained hurricane status Friday after passing over warmer
Teen killed in ‘unstable’ Tunisia
Tunis, Tunisia – Tunisia’s state news agency says a teenage girl has died and four people have been injured during a melee between police and marauding youths – a sign of continuing instability in the nation after its pro-democracy revolution. TAP agency on Friday cites an unidentified Interior Ministry official as saying youths pillaged in the central town of Sbeitla overnight, setting fire to a police station and a train station, and ransacking a local hospital. Police and soldiers moved in and fired warning shots – sparking a stampede in which the 17-year-old girl died and the others were injured. The self-immolation and death of a street vendor in the nearby town of Sizi Bouzid last year sparked street protests that eventually drove longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from power in January – the first in a wave of popular upheaval across the Arab world. – Sapa-AP
Tropical Storm Lee takes aim at Gulf Coast
Matthew Borghese – AHN News Contributor Jackson, MS, United States (AHN) – A severe weather system in the Gulf of Mexico has strengthened into Tropical Storm Lee and is now poised to make landfall along the Mississippi and Louisiana coastlines. The National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL, confirms Lee has sustained wind speeds of 40 mph (65 km/h) and is expected to approach Louisiana by this weekend. Officials say some oil rigs in the Gulf are experiencing 60 mph winds. Experts warn Louisiana will see “extensive flooding” after 10-15 inches of rain are dumped in the southern states. There are also flash flood warnings, storm surge concerns and tornado alerts in much of the region. Despite the warnings, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says the state is prepared to handle another crisis. Jindal spoke to reporters after a meeting with state officials at the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. “The system is expected to affect south and southeast Louisiana with the most rainfall, however many areas that are susceptible to backwater flooding are also expected to be impacted by the high rainfall,” Jindal warned. “The National Weather Service told us that the center of this storm system is very broad, unlike the narrow center you see in a hurricane formation. This is what they call a ‘hybrid’ system with rain and some bands of tropical storm force winds with squalls spinning out of the center.” “It is important for people to stay updated throughout the holiday weekend. Pay attention to the weather in your area and also the flash flood warnings from local officials. This storm is not expected to become a hurricane at this point, but we are reminded yet again to always prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Jindal added. In Mississippi, Gov. Haley Barbour has declared a state of emergency in George, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Marion, Pearl River and Stone counties. “Do not underestimate the impact of this system of tropical weather,” Barbour said. “While it is not a hurricane, this weather system is expected to cause tremendous flooding. Make preparations now to protect your family and your property.” Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved
Taliban kidnaps 30 Pakistani boys – officials
Khar, Pakistan – Taliban militants have kidnapped more than 30 Pakistani boys who had mistakenly crossed the unmarked border in the country’s lawless northwest into Afghanistan, officials said Friday. They said the incident took place on Thursday after the group of boys, aged between 12 and 18-years-old, visited the area of Gharkhi in Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal region for celebrations marking the Muslim Eid holiday. – Sapa-AFP