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74 killed as Typhoon Bopha hits Philippines
Iran captures US drone over Gulf waters
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Mursi leaves palace as police battles protesters
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74 killed as Typhoon Bopha hits Philippines Manila, December 4 Officials said rain from Typhoon Bopha accumulated atop a mountain and then burst down on Andap village in New Bataan town in hard-hit Compostela Valley province. The victims included villagers who had fled from their homes to a school and village hall, which were then swamped by the flash flood. An army truck carrying soldiers and villagers was washed away, according to army officials. "They thought they were already secure in a safe area, but they didn't know the torrents of water would go their way," an official said. He said the confirmed death toll in the town was likely to rise because several other bodies could not immediately be retrieved from floodwaters strewn with huge logs and debris. Bopha slammed into Davao Oriental province region at dawn, its ferocious winds ripping roofs from homes and its 500-km wide rain band flooding low-lying farmland. The storm, packing winds of 140 kmph and gusts of up to 170 kmph toppled trees, triggered landslides and sent flash floods surging across the region's mountains and valleys. Two entire provinces lost power and more than 100 domestic flights were cancelled. About 60,000 persons fled to emergency shelters. Twenty-three persons drowned or were pinned by fallen trees or collapsed houses in Davao Oriental province's coastal town of Cateel, which had the most deaths after New Bataan, Davao Oriental Gov Corazon Malanyaon said. Some towns in the province were so battered that no roofs remained on buildings, Malanyaon said. Three children were buried under a wall of mud and boulders that plunged down a mountain in Marapat village, also in Compostela Valley. — AP
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Iran captures US drone over Gulf waters Dubai, December 4 The incident highlighted tensions in the Gulf as both the Islamic Republic and the United States seek to demonstrate their military capability over the waterway amid a standoff over Iran's nuclear programme. Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz — the artery for 40 per cent of the world's seaborne crude oil shipments — if it comes under military attack. US commanders have said they will not let that happen. The compact ScanEagle drone was gathering information over the Gulf and had entered Iranian airspace when it was captured by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval unit, a statement on the Guards' website said. The drone was "captured" in the last few days, it
said, without specifying where the incident occurred and whether the unmanned spy plane was shot down or crashed. The IRGC released what it said was video of the ScanEagle being displayed and examined by military officials beneath a sign reading "We will trample the United States". A US Navy spokesman said military authorities were aware of the
reports and were looking into them. If confirmed, the latest incident seems to be part of an undeclared clandestine war over Tehran's nuclear programme that has featured assassinations, espionage and sabotage. The ScanEagle is manufactured by Boeing Co. According to the firm's website, the drone is four feet long and has a 10 foot wingspan. In November, the United States said Iranian warplanes shot at a US surveillance drone flying in international airspace.
— Reuters
No drone lost over Gulf: US Navy
DUBAI: No US drone has been lost in the Gulf recently, a US Navy spokesman said after Iran said on Tuesday it had captured a US intelligence-gathering drone in its airspace in the last few days. "The US Navy has fully accounted for all unmanned air vehicles (UAV) operating in the Middle East region. Our operations in the Gulf are confined to internationally recognised water and air space," a spokesman for US Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain said.
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Mursi leaves palace as police battles protesters Cairo, December 4 Officers fired teargas at up to 10,000 demonstrators angered by Mursi's drive to hold a referendum on a new constitution on December 15. Some broke through police lines around his palace and protested next to the perimeter wall. The crowds had gathered nearby in what organisers had dubbed “last warning” protests against Mursi, who infuriated opponents with a November 22 decree that expanded his powers. “The people want the downfall of the regime,” the demonstrators chanted. “The President left the palace,” a presidential source, who declined to be named, told Reuters. A security source at the presidency also said the president had departed. Mursi ignited a storm of unrest in his bid to prevent a judiciary still packed with appointees of ousted predecessor Hosni Mubarak from derailing a troubled political transition. Facing the gravest crisis of his six-month-old tenure, the Islamist President has shown no sign of buckling under pressure. Riot police at the palace faced off against activists chanting “leave, leave” and holding Egyptian flags with “no to the constitution” written on them. Protesters had assembled near mosques in northern Cairo before marching towards the palace.
— Reuters
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Strauss-Kahn’s hearing on December 10 New York, December 4 "If the case is settled, this will be announced in open court on that day," said Bronx Supreme Court Justice Douglas McKeon. The hearing is set for 2.00 pm. McKeon said he expects the maid, Nafissatou Diallo, to be present, and for Strauss-Kahn to skip the proceedings. If Strauss-Kahn (63) and Diallo (33) agree on the still undisclosed terms of the settlement, the one-time favourite for the French presidency would put to an end his sordid 18-month legal battle in the United States. Strauss-Kahn's lawyers have refused to give details of any pay-off, reported to reach some million dollars if Diallo drops her civil suit.— AFP
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Protest in B’desh leaves one dead Blast kills 1, injures 7 in Pak Fine for illegal export to Pak N-plant Now, flying tricycle to avoid traffic Cameron for setup of press regulator China garment factory fire kills 14
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At least 43 villagers and soldiers drowned in a southern Philippine town today when torrents of water dumped by a powerful typhoon cascaded down a
mountain.
Egyptian police battled thousands of protesters outside President Mohamed Mursi's palace in Cairo on Tuesday, prompting the Islamist leader to leave the building, presidency sources said.
Officers fired teargas at up to 10,000 demonstrators angered by Mursi's drive to hold a referendum on a new constitution on December 15.
