theSun | MONDAY JULY 20 2009 9

news without borders

EARTHREPORT
Week Ending July 17
Media: Police shot
dead Urumqi ‘mobsters’
Swine flu ‘unstoppable’
THE World Health Organisation an- BEIJING: Chinese police “The police showed as
nounced that the new H1N1 strain shot dead 12 “mobsters” much restraint as possible
of swine flu is “unstoppable” and during unrest in Urumqi on during the unrest,” chair-
every country should vaccinate July 5, state media reported man Nur Bekri was quoted
its citizens against the virus. The yesterday, quoting a local saying, adding police had
statement came as New Zealand official saying the action initially fired shots into the
researchers announced that H1N1 was taken to prevent further air but that had failed to dis-
has replaced seasonal influenza bloodshed. perse “extremely vicious”
as the dominant strain during that Three died on the spot thugs.
country’s current wintertime flu and nine after unsuccessful The Uighurs, many of
season. Sue Huang, head of New treatment, the official Xin- whom have complained of
Zealand’s influenza centre, said it’s hua news agency reported, repression under China’s
the most contagious bug she has citing the chairman of the 60-year rule in the huge
ever seen. Recent reports point to regional Xinjiang govern- mountainous region of
older people having a relative immunity to H1N1 due to expo- ment. Xinjiang, have accused
sure to similar strains when they were younger. But the virus’s The report did not give Chinese forces of opening
effect on younger people can sometimes be life-threatening. details of the ethnicity of the fire on peaceful protests.
Several companies are currently rushing to produce vaccines in deceased or those involved Thousands of Han Chi-
time for the Northern Hemisphere’s winter flu season. in the unrest, but blame for nese went on the rampage
the violence in the Xinjiang in the following days,
Perpetual drought regional capital that day arming themselves with
A NEW Australian government report says that global warm- was previously pinned on makeshift weapons and
ing appears to be occurring faster than earlier thought likely, ethnic minority Uighurs. marching through Urumqi
and the country’s protracted drought is probably here to stay. Chinese authorities had vowing vengeance against
Climate Change 2009: Faster Change and More Serious Risks said the “riot” on July 5 the Uighurs in some of the
draws on findings made since the Intergovernmental Panel on left 192 people dead, most worst ethnic violence in
Climate Change’s 2007 Fourth Assessment Report. Author Will from China’s dominant China in decades.
Steffen writes that critical risks for Australia due to climate ethnic group, the Han, but The Xinhua report
change also include sea-level rise, the drying trends in major Xinhua’s report said the made no mention of ethnic
parts of Australia and the likely increase in extreme weather death toll now stood at 197 violence and said the unrest
events such as heat waves, floods and bush fires. “Climate – “most of them were in- had initially started as a
change is with us now, and unless we act now, it will only get nocent residents”. “student parade”. – AFP
worse in the life of our children,” Australian Minister for Climate
Change and Water Penny Wong said in response to the report.

Irregular monsoon
THE late and weak arrival of this summer’s monsoon rains US television legend
across northern India has forced the country to divert much of
its limited hydroelectric power to farmers so they can pump Cronkite dies
water into their fields at a critical point in the growing season.
Hydrogeneration is running at only 40% percent of capacity NEW YORK: Former have included rebroad-
due to depleted reservoirs. A month-long delay in the arrival CBS News anchor casts of his coverage of
of the monsoon in neighbouring Nepal is causing fears of food Walter Cronkite (pix), the moon landing.
shortages there as well. Despite the drought fears in the north whose authoritative “He was the consum-
of India, the commercial capital of Mumbai was swamped by delivery of news mate television news-
downpours while flash floods drowned a dozen people in the events from the John man,” said Don Hewitt,
eastern state of Orissa. F. Kennedy assassina- a longtime CBS News
tion to the Apollo moon executive and creator
Philippine rumblings landing and Vietnam of the 60 Minutes news
THE Philippines’ most active volcano began spewing steam and War, made him “the programme. “He had all the
rumbling due to what vulcanologists say is rising magma within most trusted man in America”, credentials to be a writer, an
the cone-shaped mountain. The country’s seismological agency, died on Friday at age 92. editor, a broadcaster.”
PHIVOLCS, said it recorded five brief tremors and observed Cronkite died in New York For nearly 20 years, millions
glowing in the evenings at Mayon volcano’s crater, which it after an illness. His family is- of Americans tuned in to The
says indicates a sustained amount of lava rising to the top of sued a statement weeks ago CBS Evening News to hear the
the volcano. Despite stern warnings from officials to stay away that he had been suffering for day’s major events as reported
from Mayon, foreign and local tourists were rushing to areas some years with cerebrov- by Cronkite, whose avuncular
near it that had been declared danger zones. ascular disease and was not manner and deep voice made
expected to recuperate. his show the top-rated news
Tropical cyclones His death coincided with programme from 1969 until
TROPICAL Storm Soudelor brought locally heavy rain and strong the 40th anniversary of the he retired in 1981. – Reuters
winds to China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces before dis- Apollo 11 mission, which took
sipating over far northern Vietnam. the first astronauts to the
• Tropical Storm Carlos briefly attained hurricane force off moon. An-
Mexico’s Pacific coast. Tropical Storm niversary
Dolores formed in its wake. – Uni- celebra-
versal Press Syndicate tions