Hopes fade for trapped Indonesians

Jakartha, 03 oct 2009: Rescuers are continuing to dig through rubbles of collapsed buildings on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, several days after a deadly earthquake struck the region, but officials say hopes of finding survivors alive were rapidly diminishing.

Up to 4,000 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble following Wednesday’s earthquake, the United Nations estimates.

Tens of thousands in Philippines flee new typhoon

Manila, 02 Oct 2009: Tens of thousands of villagers fled the likely path of a powerful typhoon bearing down Friday on the Philippines, as the government braced for the possibility of a second disaster just days after a storm killed more than 400.

Heavy rain drenched mountainous coastal regions in the northeast as Typhoon Parma tracked ominously toward heavily populated areas still saturated from the worst flooding in 40 years.

Desperate search for Sumatra victims

Jakartha, 02 Oct 2009: The number of people killed in the Sumatra earthquake has continued to climb, as rescue efforts gather pace in and around the devastated city of Padang.

According to the United Nations, latest figures suggest more than 1,000 people have died, although the Indonesian government’s own death toll is lower, at 777 confirmed killed and 440 seriously wounded.

Death penalty for importing virginity-faking kit: Egyptian scholar

Cairo, 30 Sept. 2009: An Egyptian scholar has demanded death penalty for anyone importing a virginity-faking kit saying it spreads perversion in the society and goes against the ethos of Islam.

The gadget enables women to release a liquid that resembles blood, and is used by new bride to make it appear like her hymen has been ruptured.

More than 120 killed as tsunami hits Samoas

Tokyo, 30 Sep 2009: Dozens of people have been reported killed in the Samoan islands after a powerful earthquake triggered a tsunami in the Pacific ocean.

The extent of the damage is still unclear but 22 people are confirmed dead in American Samoa and 14 in neighbouring Samoa, with unconfirmed reports of scores more missing and feared dead following the 8 to 8.3 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Saudi ’sex braggarts’ go on trial for kiss-and-tell TV show

Jeddah, Sep 28: Four Saudi Arabian men have gone on trial in Jeddah for boasting about their sexual conquests on a TV talk show, a media report said Monday.

The charges against the men are believed to be connected to a July edition of the Bold Red Line show on the LBC satellite channel, in which Mazen Abdel-Jawad, 32, along with three unnamed others, told the show about his premarital sexual adventures.

Feds Investigate Facebook Poll on Obama

New York, 29 Sept. 2009: The social networking site Facebook on Monday pulled a third-party application that allows users to create polls after a site member built a poll asking if President Obama should be killed.
The U.S. Secret Service, the agency assigned to protect the president, has launched an investigation, agency spokesman James Mackin said.

Guinea rally death toll nears 130

Conakry, 29 Sept. 2009: At least 128 people were killed when Guinean troops opened fire on opposition protesters on Monday, rights groups and opposition figures claim.

Earlier police said 87 people had died, but local activists say hospital sources confirmed a much higher toll.

Human rights groups say they have had reports of soldiers bayoneting people and women being stripped and raped in the streets during the protest.

Iran Test-Fires Its Longest-Range Missiles

Tehran, 28 Sept. 2009: Iran has successfully test-fired some of the longest range missiles in its arsenal, state media say.

The Revolutionary Guards tested the Shahab-3 and Sajjil rockets, which are believed to have ranges of up to 2,000km (1,240 miles), reports said.

Iran test-fires missiles amid nuclear tension

Tehran, 27 Sept.: Iran test-fired missiles on Sunday to show it was prepared to head off any military threat, four days before the Islamic Republic is due to hold rare talks with world powers worried about its nuclear ambitions.

The missile maneuvers coincide with escalating tension in Iran’s nuclear row with the West, after last week’s disclosure by Tehran that it is building a second uranium enrichment plant.