Disaster | GlobalPost

4 more bodies recovered, bringing death toll from collapse at US-owned Indonesian mine to 21

The Canadian PressMay 20, 2013 08:47

TIMIKA, Indonesia - Rescuers recovered another four bodies from a collapsed underground room at a giant U.S.-owned gold and copper mine in Indonesia, bringing the confirmed death toll to 21, mine officials said Tuesday. Seven others were believed buried under the rubble. The Big Gossan underground training facility at the PT Freeport Indonesia mine collapsed last week when 38 workers were undergoing safety training. Ten injured miners were rescued. A statement from the company said recovery efforts were continuing around the clock.

Asia-Pacific leaders warn of water conflict threat

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 08:00

Fierce competition for water could trigger conflict unless nations cooperate to share the diminishing resource, leaders from Asia-Pacific nations warned Monday. From Central to Southeast Asia, regional efforts to secure water have sparked tensions between neighbours reliant on rivers to sustain booming populations. Breakneck urbanisation, climate change and surging demand from agriculture have heaped pressure on scarce water supplies, while the majority of people in Asia-Pacific still lack access to safe water despite strong economic growth.

Pakistan court grants Musharraf bail in Bhutto murder

Agence France-PresseMay 20, 2013 07:30

A Pakistani court Monday granted bail to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf over the murder of Benazir Bhutto, an official said, but the retired general remains under house arrest. Musharraf has been detained in his farmhouse on the edge of Islamabad since April 19 on charges of conspiracy to murder two-time prime minister Bhutto, who was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack in 2007 in Rawalpindi. "General Musharraf's bail has been confirmed" by an anti-terrorism court in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, next to Islamabad, court official Mohammad Aslam Joya told AFP.

opposition party-river project

Yonhap News AgencyMay 20, 2013 04:32

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party on Monday launched a fact-finding committee to look into alleged irregularities surrounding a highly controversial government project to refurbish the nation's four major rivers. The team, headed by Rep. Lee Mi-kyung, will be tasked with preparing for a parliamentary investigation into allegations that the project was launched out of political considerations, despite strong warnings by environmentalists, party officials said.

Chinese premier tells Indian business leaders of need for greater economic ties

The Canadian PressMay 20, 2013 03:45

NEW DELHI - China's premier has told Indian business leaders that the two Asian giants need to establish stronger economic ties. Li Keqiang said Tuesday that China and India are both enormous markets with major potential for growth. He said the two nations' strengths complement each other and that strengthening economic co-operation will lead to growth in both countries. Li was speaking to an Indian business group in New Delhi. He was to address Indian CEOs in Mumbai later in the day.

opposition party-river project

Yonhap News AgencyMay 20, 2013 03:33

Hundreds of tons of New Zealand meat stranded at Chinese ports over certification dispute

The Canadian PressMay 20, 2013 02:45

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - Hundreds of tons of frozen mutton, lamb and beef from New Zealand have been stranded on Chinese docks after China halted their import due to a certification dispute. China is New Zealand's largest export market and its largest consumer of sheep meat. China has blocked all New Zealand frozen beef and sheep meat that has arrived there in the past two or three weeks, said Dan Coup, trade and economic manager for the Meat Industry Association of New Zealand.

Tunisia PM links Ansar al-Sharia Islamists to 'terror'

Agence France-PresseMay 19, 2013 16:00

Tunisia's Prime Minister Ali Larayedh accused the hardline Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia that fought street battles in the capital with security forces on Sunday of being "involved in terrorism". "Ansar al-Sharia is an illegal organisation... it has ties to and is involved in terrorism," Larayedh told state television. The Islamists clashed earlier with security forces in Tunis and the central city of Kairouan after the government banned Ansar al-Sharia from holding its annual congress. One protester was killed and 11 policemen wounded in the confrontations.

Ford should directly address allegations of drug use in video scandal: expert

The Canadian PressMay 19, 2013 13:01

TORONTO - A public relations expert suggests Rob Ford's decision not to host his weekly radio show on Sunday may indicate the Toronto mayor has yet to fully figure out how to respond to allegations he was recorded on video appearing to smoke crack cocaine. Queen's University Professor Monica LaBarge said Ford should come out and directly say whether the alleged drug use the video reportedly appears to show is true — something she says Ford could have used this week's edition of his Toronto talk radio show to do.

Coast Guard investigates Shell barge that ran aground in Alaska; hearing could last 2 weeks

The Canadian PressMay 19, 2013 13:01

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Coast Guard will kick off hearings Monday on how a Royal Dutch Shell PLC drill barge used for Arctic Ocean exploratory drilling ended up aground off a remote Alaska island. The Kulluk was under tow and bound from the Aleutian Islands' Dutch Harbor to a Seattle shipyard when it ran into rough Gulf of Alaska water. It broke from its towing vessel, and after four days of futile attempted hookups, ran aground New Year's Eve in shallow water off Sitkalidak Island, near Kodiak Island.