Gadhafi forces killed detainees, survivors say

Associated Press, Tripoli | Mon, 08/29/2011 12:10 PM

Retreating loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi killed scores of detainees and arbitrarily shot civilians over the past week, as rebel forces extended their control over the Libyan capital, survivors and a human rights group said.

In one case, Gadhafi fighters opened fire and hurled grenades at more than 120 civilians huddling in a hangar used as a makeshift lockup near a military base, said Mabrouk Abdullah, 45, who escaped with a bullet wound in his side. Some 50 charred corpses were still scattered across the hangar on Sunday.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Sunday that the evidence it has collected so far "strongly suggests that Gadhafi government forces went on a spate of arbitrary killing as Tripoli was falling." The justice minister in the rebels' interim government, Mohammed al-Alagi, said the allegations would be investigated and leaders of Gadhafi's military units put on trial.

So far, there have been no specific allegations of atrocities carried out by rebel fighters, though human rights groups are continuing to investigate some unsolved cases.

AP reporters have witnessed several episodes of rebels mistreating detainees or sub-Saharan Africans suspected of being hired Gadhafi guns. Earlier this week, rebels and their supporters did not help eight wounded men, presumably Gadhafi fighters, who were stranded in a bombed out fire station in Tripoli's Abu Salim neighborhood, some pleading for water.

Crowds gather in NYC, DC after bin Laden killed

Associated Press, New York | Mon, 05/02/2011 12:20 PM | World

Hundreds of people were gathering in New York City at the World Trade Center site, where the twin towers fell on Sept. 11 nearly 10 years ago, hours after President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed.

Many were waving American flags or taking pictures early Monday. The group broke into spontaneous, jubilant cheers and song, including a rendition of "I'm Proud to be an American."

Farther uptown in Times Square, dozens stood together on the clear spring night, making calls and snapping photos. An FDNY SUV drove by and flashed its lights and sounded its siren, and the crowd broke into applause.

And in Washington, D.C., a large group gathered in front of the White House, chanting "USA! USA!" and waving American flags. Among them was legislative aide Will Ditto. He called bin Laden's death "huge."

3 killed in shooting in Australia

Associated Press, Adelaide | Fri, 04/29/2011 8:24 AM | World

Police say three people have been killed and two officers injured in a siege involving a lone gunman in the southern city of Adelaide.

They say a teenager was also seriously injured in the incident that began early Friday at a house in the suburb of Hectorville.

A police statement says the gunman remains holed up inside a house in the suburb.

One of two officers who responded to an emergency call was shot in the face when the gunman opened fire. The other injured officer received a minor knee injury.

Police say they found the bodies of two men and a woman at the scene.

Police are trying to negotiate with the gunman.

Bogor husband and wife killed crossing train tracks

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/02/2011 12:41 PM | Jakarta

A husband and wife were killed on Tuesday morning after they were struck by an electric train plying the Jakarta-Bogor route.

According to eyewitnesses, Rusdi Rozali, 58 and Nurhayati, 50, were crossing the railroad tracks between Kebon Pedes and Kedung Badak.

“The accident happened at 10:30 a.m. I was riding my motorcycle near the crossing. I tried to warn them by honking but I guess they didn't hear,” Wahyu, 30, an eyewitness, said as quoted by wartakotalive.com.

Wahyu said that Rusdi had crossed the tracks but returned to help his wife when they were struck by the train.

"It seemed like the woman's leg was stuck in the tracks and the man tried to help. I saw that the man managed to hold his wife's hand when the train came,” he said.

The pair was propelled by the train into a concrete wall, Wahyu added.

Rusdi and Nurhayati, both retired civil servants, were residents of Cilebut Timur, Sukaraja in Bogor, West Java. Their bodies were taken to PMI Bogor Hospital.

Nine killed in Pantura collision

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 01/27/2011 12:55 PM | Archipelago

Nine people died instantly when a van carrying workers from Tegal collided with a cargo truck on the Northern Java coastal highway in Carubah village, near Cirebon, West Java, in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The remains of the victims were taken to nearby Arjawinangun hospital.

The collision occurred when van driver Ruslan, 49, lost control of the vehicle because of a flat tire. The van veered over into the oncoming lane, where it was hit head-on by a cargo truck.

Aust. flood crisis woens; 8 killed, 72 missing

The Associated Press, Brisbane | Tue, 01/11/2011 8:08 AM | World

At least eight peope were killed and 72 left missing after the latest downpour to hit Australia's flood-wracked Queensland state sent raging torrents rushing through several towns, washing away cars and houses, officials said Tuesday.

Emergency services officers plucked more than 40 people from houses isolated by the torrent that hit the Lockyer Valley with little warning on Monday, but thunderstorms and more driving rain were keeping helicopters from reaching an unknown number of other people still in danger on Tuesday morning.

Queensland state Premier Anna Bligh said there were "grave concerns" for at least 11 of the missing.

"This has been a night of extraordinary events," Bligh told reporters Tuesday. "We've seen acts of extreme bravery and courage from our emergency workers. We know they're out on the front line desperately trying to begin their search and rescue efforts, and we know we have people stranded and people lost."

Queensland has been in the grip of its worst flooding for more than two weeks, after tropical downpours across a vast area of the state covered an area the size of France and Germany combined. Entire towns have been swamped, more than 200,000 people affected, and coal and farming industries virtually shut down. Monday's deaths took the death toll since late November to at least 18.

Until Monday, the flood crisis had been unfolding slowly as swollen rivers burst their banks and inundated towns as they moved downstream toward the ocean.

But Monday's flash flooding struck without warning in Toowoomba, a city of some 90,000 people nestled in mountains 2,300 feet (700 meters) above sea level. Bligh said an intense deluge fell over a concentrated area, sending a 26-foot (eight-meter), fast-moving torrent crashing through Toowoomba and smaller towns further down the valley.

On Tuesday, the water was still pushing its way downstream, flooding river systems as it moved toward the coast. Hundreds were being evacuated from communities in the water's predicted path and residents in low-lying regions of the state capital of Brisbane - Australia's third-largest city - were urged to sandbag their homes.

"We have a grim and desperate situation," Bligh said.

Rescue workers were battling more bad weather Tuesday. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the region for most of the day, which could lead to more flash flooding, the Bureau of Meteorology warned.

Deputy Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said rescue efforts were concentrated on towns downstream of Toowoomba, including hardest-hit Murphy's Creek and Grantham, where about 30 people sought shelter in a school isolated by the floodwaters.

News video from late Monday showed houses submerged to the roof line in raging muddy waters, with people clambering on top. A man, woman and child sat on the roof of their car as waters churned around them with just inches (centimeters) to spare.

Among the dead were a mother and her two children, Bligh said.

In Toowoomba, the waters disappeared almost as fast as they arrived, leaving debris strewn throughout downtown and cars piled atop one another.

The flooding in recent weeks has cut roads and rail lines across Queensland, the state's coal industry has been virtually shut down, and cattle ranching and farming across a large part of the state are at a standstill.

Queensland officials have said the price of rebuilding homes, businesses and infrastructure, coupled with economic losses, could be as high as $5 billion.