Extensive damage has been reported after two major aftershocks in the New Zealand city within two hours Reports of building collapses and live rescues were emerging on Monday afternoon after Christchurch was hit by two large aftershock, less than four months after the New Zealand city was devastated by a massive earthquake that killed 181 people. There were no initial reports of fatalities from the latest quakes. The city’s mayor, Bob Parker, said he had received unconfirmed reports of injuries within the central city cordon, where major building works have been under way since the quake of February 22, which destroyed much of the central business district and killed people. Workers had been evacuated from the “red zone” following the first aftershock, he said, avoiding further casualties. The first of the aftershocks measured 5.5 magnitude and struck at 1pm New Zealand time, at a depth of 11km, 10km to the east of the city. The second, larger shake, was at 2.20pm, measured 6.0, and was centred 10km southeast of the city at a depth of 9km. A series of smaller shakes were also felt over a turbulent two-hour period. Graduate student James Macbeth Dann was cycling on Barbados Street, the border of the “red zone” when the second of the two major quakes began. “At first I thought my tire had blown, and then I looked up and the street lights were rocking backwards and forwards,” he said. The gravity of the quake was immediately clear, he said. “The road was moving, the buildings were moving.” The shakes were felt as far afield as Dunedin in the south and Wellington at the foot of the North Island. Building across the city were evacuated, including the city’s airport. More than 50,000 homes lost electricity. The city’s signature ChristChurch cathedral was reported to have suffered fresh damage. The central-city Hotel Grand Chancellor, which slumped dramatically in the February quake, had tipped further towards the ground, said witnesses. Fresh liquefaction emerged from the ground, with flooding reported in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs. Residents described damage to homes, sewage leaks, and gridlock on the roads. The prime minister, John Key, said: “It is another blow to Christchurch residents, who have already endured so much. However, today’s events in no way weaken the government’s long-term commitment to rebuilding Christchurch and surrounding areas.” He added: “The people of Christchurch should know that all New Zealanders are thinking of them and will continue to support and stand by them at this difficult time.” The region has been hit by dozens of earthquakes since a magnitude 7.1 shake in September last year, which caused widespread damage but no fatalities. New Zealand Natural disasters and extreme weather Toby Manhire guardian.co.uk
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Extensive damage has been reported after two major aftershocks in the New Zealand city within two hours Reports of building collapses and live rescues were emerging on Monday afternoon after Christchurch was hit by two large aftershock, less than four months after the New Zealand city was devastated by a massive earthquake that killed 181 people. There were no initial reports of fatalities from the latest quakes. The city’s mayor, Bob Parker, said he had received unconfirmed reports of injuries within the central city cordon, where major building works have been under way since the quake of February 22, which destroyed much of the central business district and killed people. Workers had been evacuated from the “red zone” following the first aftershock, he said, avoiding further casualties. The first of the aftershocks measured 5.5 magnitude and struck at 1pm New Zealand time, at a depth of 11km, 10km to the east of the city. The second, larger shake, was at 2.20pm, measured 6.0, and was centred 10km southeast of the city at a depth of 9km. A series of smaller shakes were also felt over a turbulent two-hour period. Graduate student James Macbeth Dann was cycling on Barbados Street, the border of the “red zone” when the second of the two major quakes began. “At first I thought my tire had blown, and then I looked up and the street lights were rocking backwards and forwards,” he said. The gravity of the quake was immediately clear, he said. “The road was moving, the buildings were moving.” The shakes were felt as far afield as Dunedin in the south and Wellington at the foot of the North Island. Building across the city were evacuated, including the city’s airport. More than 50,000 homes lost electricity. The city’s signature ChristChurch cathedral was reported to have suffered fresh damage. The central-city Hotel Grand Chancellor, which slumped dramatically in the February quake, had tipped further towards the ground, said witnesses. Fresh liquefaction emerged from the ground, with flooding reported in parts of the city’s eastern suburbs. Residents described damage to homes, sewage leaks, and gridlock on the roads. The prime minister, John Key, said: “It is another blow to Christchurch residents, who have already endured so much. However, today’s events in no way weaken the government’s long-term commitment to rebuilding Christchurch and surrounding areas.” He added: “The people of Christchurch should know that all New Zealanders are thinking of them and will continue to support and stand by them at this difficult time.” The region has been hit by dozens of earthquakes since a magnitude 7.1 shake in September last year, which caused widespread damage but no fatalities. New Zealand Natural disasters and extreme weather Toby Manhire guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The blogger behind “Gay Girl in Damascus” is not Amina Arraf, supposedly kidnapped last week in Syria , but a man who lives in Turkey. After the kidnapping story unraveled and led many to speculate the whole thing was a hoax , Tom MacMaster came forward today with a post on the…
Continue reading …One of the ways Egypt , Syria , and other regimes crack down on protesters is by shutting down telecommunications networks—but soon they may no long be able to do so. The New York Times takes a close look at the global effort, led by the US, to create “shadow” Internet…
Continue reading …If Congress doesn’t do something about No Child Left Behind, then Arne Duncan will. The education secretary promised to take steps to ease some of the sanctions for states that are trying to improve schools, if Congress doesn’t act on rewriting the 2002 law by the beginning of next school…
Continue reading …A Fox Business host is being accused of racism after declaring that President Obama likes to host “hoods” in the “hizzouse.” Eric Bolling initially referred to Obama’s Oval Office meeting with Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Thursday, then noted that “it’s not first time he’s had a hoodlum in the hizzouse”…
Continue reading …After Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, John Ensign, and now Anthony Weiner, a sex scandal involving a male politician is barely even shocking anymore. What would be shocking? A sex scandal involving a female politician. And research points to a reason for that other than the widely accepted “boys will be…
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Microsoft founder says PM’s decision to embrace UN overseas aid target is ‘absolutely fantastic’ Bill Gates, the philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, on Sunday praised David Cameron for his “absolutely fantastic” decision to embrace the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNI (gross national income) on overseas aid by 2013. “The UK government is taking a lead,” Gates said of Britain’s role in convening the London conference of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi). Speaking on a conference call organised by the charity Save the Children, he said that Britain’s lead contrasted with other EU countries. “They have been calling round and encouraging others to give. They’ve got a commitment to increasing aid which is absolutely fantastic.” Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched the Decade of Vaccines campaign, said that Britain, Norway, Sweden and Australia are expected to make generous commitments at the conference. But he was less sure about some EU countries. “Germany and France we are not sure how strong they will come in. A group of countries have been thinking how generous can they be for this cause.” Cameron will announce at the conference on Monday that Britain is to step up its commitment to vaccinate 80 million children and save 1.4m lives by 2015. Britain will pledge to vaccinate one child every two seconds for five years and to save one child’s life every two minutes. Britain will also pledge to vaccinate more children against preventable diseases than the population of England. The prime minister defended his decision to increase the aid budget in an article in the Observer amid unease among Tory MPs. “I don’t believe it would be right to ignore the difference we can make, turn inwards solely to our own problems and effectively balance our books while breaking our promises to the world’s poorest,” he wrote. Justin Forsyth, the chief executive of Save the Children, said other countries need to follow Britain’s lead on funding vaccinations. Save the Children is campaigning for world leaders to agree to fund in full vaccines for the world’s poorest children, helping to save 4 million lives. Speaking on the same conference call, Forsyth said: “We need, as Bill said, a few governments other than the UK and Norway to step up to the mark. We are looking for a little bit more from France and Germany. We are looking for some leadership from the EU, from the European Commission, to pledge a considerable amount of money. We are not quite sure yet what the US is going to pledge. So there is still a little bit of a way to go. But it does look like it is lining up – all this pressure and build up.” Forsyth, who worked as Gordon Brown’s director of strategic communications until the election, praised Cameron. “These meetings don’t just happen, it is all the build up to them. It is, firstly, David Cameron deciding to host it with Andrew Mitchell, the secretary of state for international development. That leadership really provides a crunch moment. And Bill has been going round the world urging leaders and governments endlessly to cough up the money and we have been doing our bit as NGOs.” Aid Bill Gates Foreign policy David Cameron Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Microsoft founder says PM’s decision to embrace UN overseas aid target is ‘absolutely fantastic’ Bill Gates, the philanthropist and founder of Microsoft, on Sunday praised David Cameron for his “absolutely fantastic” decision to embrace the UN target of spending 0.7% of GNI (gross national income) on overseas aid by 2013. “The UK government is taking a lead,” Gates said of Britain’s role in convening the London conference of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi). Speaking on a conference call organised by the charity Save the Children, he said that Britain’s lead contrasted with other EU countries. “They have been calling round and encouraging others to give. They’ve got a commitment to increasing aid which is absolutely fantastic.” Gates, who is co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which launched the Decade of Vaccines campaign, said that Britain, Norway, Sweden and Australia are expected to make generous commitments at the conference. But he was less sure about some EU countries. “Germany and France we are not sure how strong they will come in. A group of countries have been thinking how generous can they be for this cause.” Cameron will announce at the conference on Monday that Britain is to step up its commitment to vaccinate 80 million children and save 1.4m lives by 2015. Britain will pledge to vaccinate one child every two seconds for five years and to save one child’s life every two minutes. Britain will also pledge to vaccinate more children against preventable diseases than the population of England. The prime minister defended his decision to increase the aid budget in an article in the Observer amid unease among Tory MPs. “I don’t believe it would be right to ignore the difference we can make, turn inwards solely to our own problems and effectively balance our books while breaking our promises to the world’s poorest,” he wrote. Justin Forsyth, the chief executive of Save the Children, said other countries need to follow Britain’s lead on funding vaccinations. Save the Children is campaigning for world leaders to agree to fund in full vaccines for the world’s poorest children, helping to save 4 million lives. Speaking on the same conference call, Forsyth said: “We need, as Bill said, a few governments other than the UK and Norway to step up to the mark. We are looking for a little bit more from France and Germany. We are looking for some leadership from the EU, from the European Commission, to pledge a considerable amount of money. We are not quite sure yet what the US is going to pledge. So there is still a little bit of a way to go. But it does look like it is lining up – all this pressure and build up.” Forsyth, who worked as Gordon Brown’s director of strategic communications until the election, praised Cameron. “These meetings don’t just happen, it is all the build up to them. It is, firstly, David Cameron deciding to host it with Andrew Mitchell, the secretary of state for international development. That leadership really provides a crunch moment. And Bill has been going round the world urging leaders and governments endlessly to cough up the money and we have been doing our bit as NGOs.” Aid Bill Gates Foreign policy David Cameron Nicholas Watt guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The cyberattack on IMF was carried out by hackers thought to be connected to a foreign government, not hacker collective Anonymous, according to a security expert familiar with the incident. The hackers removed a “large quantity” of data that included emails and other documents, the source says. Bloomberg obtained internal…
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