World News joined 2

[OMEN]

Rescue workers have plucked more than 60 more survivors from the rubble following Monday's massive earthquake in southwestern China, as a strong new aftershock hit and the death toll rose to almost 30,000.

The United States Geological Survey reported a tremor of 6.1 magnitude early on Sunday centred 80km west of Guangyuan, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit Sichuan province.

The official Xinhua news agency said there was no immediate word of additional damage or casualties in the area.

In the provincial capital, Chengdu, some 200km south of the new tremor's epicentre, buildings swayed and people rushed out into the streets, risking a soaking from a passing storm.

At least 56 people were rescued in Yingxiu, close to the epicentre of Monday's 7.9 magnitude quake, but around 11,000 people are thought to remain trapped, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Soldiers engaged in relief work "have their hands stained with blood and earth after days of searches in the debris", Xinhua added.

"I was expecting to see my son's body. I never expected to see him alive," it quoted Long Jinyu, the mother of one of the survivors found in the rubble, as saying.

Other people were found alive in Beichuan county, also hard hit by the earthquake, Xinhua said.

Thousands of people have fled in the Beichuan area amid fears a lake could burst its banks, hampering rescue efforts after the deadliest earthquake in more than three decades.

At least one barrier lake, formed after rocks blocked a river, has burst its banks but caused no casualties, Xinhua said.

Rescue work has been complicated by bad weather, treacherous terrain and hundreds of aftershocks.

President Hu Jintao urged emergency workers not to give up efforts to find survivors. "We should put people first and saving people's lives is still the top priority of the relief work," he said.

Hu also praised international help given to China.

"I express heartfelt thanks to the foreign governments and international friends that have contributed to our quake-relief work," Xinhua quoted Hu as saying.

Offers of help have flooded in and rescue teams from Japan, Russia, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore have arrived. Donations from home and abroad have topped 6 billion yuan ($NZ1.1 billion).

China has said it expects the final death toll from the earthquake to exceed 50,000. About 4.8 million people have lost their homes and the days are numbered in which survivors can be found.

Premier Wen said the quake was "the biggest and most destructive" since before the Communist revolution of 1949 and the quick response had helped reduce casualties.

China has sent 150,000 troops to the disaster area, but roads buckled by the quake and blocked by landslides have made it hard for supplies and rescuers to reach the worst-hit areas.

Reuters

[OMEN]

ILL: US Senator Ted Kennedy has been hospitalised after suffereing a seizure
US Senator Edward Kennedy, a leading Democrat and patriarch of a prominent American political dynasty, has been hospitalised after suffering a seizure at his Cape Cod vacation home.

Kennedy, 76, was rushed from the family compound at Hyannisport, Massachusetts, to Cape Cod Hospital at 9am Saturday (1pm Sunday NZT), before being airlifted to Boston.

"He is undergoing a battery of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure," his office in Washington said in a statement.

"Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours," it added.

The Boston Globe reported Kennedy, youngest brother of assassinated US President John F Kennedy, suffered one seizure at his Cape Cod home and a second seizure aboard the helicopter transport flight to Boston.

The long-serving Massachusetts senator was joined by family members in Boston including his eldest son, Edward Kennedy Jr, 46, who was at the hospital, a Reuters photographer reported.

Kennedy, the second-longest serving member of the current US Senate, is a leading liberal voice in the United States and has actively campaigned for Barack Obama in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"As I've said many times before, Ted Kennedy is a giant in American political history. He's done more for the health care of others than just about anybody in history," Obama told reporters during a visit to a hospital in Eugene, Oregon.

"We are going to be rooting for him, and I, I insist on being optimistic about how it's going to turn out."

Campaigning in Kentucky, Senator Hillary Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, offered her wishes for the senator's quick recovery.

Kennedy has been a vocal critic of Republican President George W. Bush, particularly on his Iraq war, tax cuts for the wealthy and conservative nominees to the US Supreme Court who he fears will push the high court to the right.

But he also worked closely with Republicans on legislation including Republican presidential candidate John McCain on the controversial immigration issue.

"He is a legendary lawmaker," McCain said in a statement. "When we have worked together, he has been a skilful, fair and generous partner. I consider it a great privilege to call him my friend."

The white-haired senator has had other brushes with ill health. He had preventive surgery at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital in October to unclog a partially blocked carotid artery in his neck.

The blockage was discovered during a routine check of Kennedy's back and spine, doctors said. A blocked carotid artery can lead to a stroke and death, they said at the time.

Kennedy has suffered from back problems since a plane crash in 1964 in which the pilot and one of Kennedy's aides were killed and the senator was pulled from the wreckage with a punctured lung, broken ribs and internal bleeding.

Kennedy came to the Senate in November 1962 to fill a seat earlier held by his older brother, then President John Kennedy. He currently serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labour and Pensions.

He ran for the presidency in 1980 but lost the Democratic nomination to President Jimmy Carter who failed in his attempt at a second White House term.

He helped win an increase in the national minimum wage this year and worked with Republicans to produce broad immigration reform, which failed in the Senate after stiff opposition from conservative Republicans.

Edward Moore Kennedy is the youngest of four sons and five daughters born to millionaire businessman Joseph Kennedy and his wife Rose.

His oldest brother, Joseph Jr, died as a World War 2 flier when his bomber exploded over the English Channel. John became America's first and so far only Roman Catholic president in 1960 and was assassinated in 1963. Robert was assassinated during his 1968 presidential campaign.

Reuters

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for the news.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Interesting news, thanks.

[JohnCenaFan28]

That's awful...:sad:

[OMEN]

Fijian military leader Frank Bainimarama held talks on Monday with former prime minister Laisenia Qarase, the man he forced from office in late 2006.

The 45-minute private meeting was the first between the military premier and Qarase since Bainimarama took power in a bloodless coup.

Qarase, who is facing two sets of charges related to his time in power, said the meeting had been informal and casual, but he refused to comment on what had been said.

"We discussed one or two issues. It was a good meeting. We have agreed to meet again in future to continue dialogue. It is a positive development," Qarase told Fiji media.

The meeting comes as Bainimarama seeks backing from political leaders for a range of political reforms for the country ahead of a return to democracy. He has promised elections for early 2009.

But Qarase's SDL party has so far refused to be involved in the reform discussions or moves to draft a new constitution.

Fiji, an island chain with about 900,000 people, has been hit by four coups and a military mutiny since 1987. The country remains deeply divided between ethnic Fijians, and Fijians of Indian background who make up 38 per cent of the population.

Bainimarama forced Qarase out of office in December 2006, claiming his government was corrupt and too soft on people involved in a coup in 2000.

Qarase has pleaded not guilty to two sets of charges that he acted beyond his powers by ordering public funds to be held in trust, and that he spent public money on personal Christmas gifts.

Reuters

[OMEN]

Zimbabwe's opposition has accused the government's military intelligence division of plotting to assassinate party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is due to contest an election run-off with President Robert Mugabe.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Tsvangirai postponed his return to Zimbabwe on Saturday after his party said it had discovered a plot to assassinate him. Tsvangirai had spent more than one month abroad.

"We know there are 18 snipers, and the military intelligence directorate is in charge of this," Tendai Biti, secretary general for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, said before a news conference in Nairobi.

Tsvangirai was due to return from Europe on Saturday to campaign ahead of the June 27 presidential run-off, and Biti said he would still return "very soon."

Zimbabweans hope the June poll will help end political and economic turmoil which has brought 165,000 per cent inflation, 80 per cent unemployment, chronic food and fuel shortages and sent a flood of refugees to neighbouring countries.

Tsvangirai won the first round on March 29, but not by enough votes to avoid a second round against Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for nearly three decades.

Reuters

[OMEN]

A wave of xenophobic attacks spread through South African townships on Monday and mobs beat foreigners and set some ablaze in scenes reminiscent of apartheid era violence.

Two people were killed and more than two dozen shacks were torched in the Tembisa township near Johannesburg, the South African Broadcasting Corp. said. Police, struggling to restore order, said at least 13 people were killed over the weekend.

Immigrants from African neighbours are accused by many in the townships, among South Africa's poorest areas, of taking jobs and fuelling the high rate of violent crime. Local media report about 20 dead since trouble broke out a week ago.

The unrest is an embarrassment for a country that has vaunted its tolerance since the end of apartheid and an indicator of growing disaffection among South Africa's poor.

President Thabo Mbeki and ruling ANC party leader Jacob Zuma have called for an end to the violence, which threatens a new strain on an economy struggling with rising inflation, power outages and a skills shortage.

Hundreds of immigrants have taken refuge in police stations, churches and government offices.

"At the moment some of the people have been taken to the city hall as a place of safety, but some of them are still running around and do not know where to go," police spokesman Veli Nhlapo told SABC.

Police fired rubber bullets at gangs of youths, who patrolled unruly streets, armed with sticks, rocks and knives. Scores have been arrested in connection with the violence.

South African newspapers carried photos of a man who was set alight by a mob on the weekend. Callers to radio stations urged authorities to impose curfews and bring in the army to restore order in some of the most violent areas.

Among the immigrants are an estimated 3 million Zimbabweans who fled economic collapse at home. The immigrants say they more often the victims of crime than perpetrators.

The Zimbabweans, like others on the continent, have been lured by work in South Africa's mines, farms and homes, and by one of the world's most liberal immigration and refugee policies.

Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said the situation in the townships now amounted to a humanitarian crisis.

Reuters

[OMEN]

The Iranian authorities has detained six members of the Baha'i faith, an offshoot of Islam considered heretical by Iran's Shi'ite Muslim establishment, members of the religious group have said.

Five men and one woman were detained on May 14 and taken to Tehran's Evin prison, the Baha'i International Community said on its news website.

A relative of 57-year-old Behrouz Tavakkoli, one of those detained, said in an e-mail that intelligence agents who came to Tavakkoli's house took Baha'i books, papers and documents, and also other items such as computers and CDs.

Subsequently, the relative said Tavakkoli's wife obtained a reference number for her husband's case from Iran's Revolutionary Court, which handles cases that include issues considered a threat to national security.

It was not immediately clear what charges were levelled against the six Baha'is, whose members say they face discrimination and persecution in the Islamic Republic.

In Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said any such cases were a judicial matter when asked for details at a news conference. There was no immediate comment from the judiciary.

Baha'is say hundreds of their faith have been jailed and executed since Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. The government denies it has detained or executed people for their faith.

The Baha'i faith originated in Iran 150 years ago and Baha'is say the faith has 5 million adherents worldwide, including an estimated 300,000 or more in Iran.

The Baha'i International Community said the six people detained were members of a committee that tends to the needs of Baha'is in Iran. It said a seventh member, a woman, was detained in March in the eastern city of Mashhad.

Reuters

[OMEN]

FLASH HARRY: Police are investigating claims that Prince Harry was involved in a 160kmh car chase on a British motorway.
A convoy taking Prince Harry to a London nightclub was involved in a 160kmh car chase that placed lives at risk, says a motorist who was "intimidated" by one of the cars.

The Daily Mail reports that police were investigating claims that the Prince and his bodyguards took part in the high-speed chase on the way to Boujis nightclub last Saturday.

A company director, Tim Williams, told the paper the lives of his family, which includes an eight-month-old baby, were put at risk by the convoy's driving.

Mr Williams had been driving in the middle lane of the UK's M4 motorway at about 110kmh when he claims he was tailgated by Royal protection officers, who forced him to accelerate to speeds of 160kmh.

"It was about 8pm on Saturday, and we were driving from Marlborough in Wiltshire to London in the middle lane," he told the paper.

"I was about to pull out when I saw an Audi R8 in my mirrors. It came from nowhere. I let it pass. It was going a hell of a speed at least 100mph (160kmh).

"I then pulled into the outside lane. Immediately a Range Rover came right up behind us.

"It was very close. I thought they were going to nudge me. It was frightening. The middle lane was busy so I couldn't pull back in.

"I accelerated because the Range Rover was so close, ridiculously close. I thought perhaps the Range Rover was racing with the Audi. It really did scare us. It was intimidating.

"He then started flashing his lights, obviously wanting me out of the way.

"Then the blue flashing lights came on. I realised it must be an unmarked police car. I couldn't understand why he hadn't had his blue lights on when I first saw him if it was an emergency.

"I had no option but to accelerate, forcing me well over the 70mph limit to speeds I was uncomfortable with.

"As the Range Rover passed, the angry passenger in the front shook his fist and his mobile phone at me. They were doing well over 100mph."

A short while later, Mr Williams caught up with both cars at a traffic light. He saw Prince Harry in the passenger seat of the stationary Audi R8, he said. In the driver's seat was a man wearing a baseball cap speaking into his mobile phone.

Prince Harry tried to hide his identity by putting on sunglasses and placing his hands over his face, he said.

Later in the same evening, the Prince was seen partying at Boujis nightclub in Kensington until 3.30am, the paper said.

"How dare they put the lives of motorists at risk," Mr Williams told the paper.

"They intimidated me and my family. It was really dangerous and I'm furious that they think they can drive like this just because of who they are.

"Surely if the police have to tail Prince Harry, then that's all the more reason for his mate to drive slowly, or at least within the speed limit."

It was not clear who owned the Audi, but the Royal Family enjoyed a special deal with the car-maker, the Daily Mail reported.

Prince Charles has an Audi A8 limousine and two Audi estate cars, Prince William has an Audi S4 V8 saloon and Harry has an Audi A3 turbo-diesel, the paper said.

Thames Valley Police confirmed it had received a complaint from Mr Williams which had been passed to Scotland Yard, the paper said.

SMH