South Africa: research shootings Marikana mine begins

BBC (Image)

A judicial commission of inquiry into the fatal shootings August 34 striking miners in the mine Marikana has opened.

The survey was created by South African President Jacob Zuma.

The investigation will determine the roles played by the police, the administration of platinum mine, Lonmin, unions and government.

Also be seen in the death of 10 workers in the other months before the day of the massacre on 16 August.
The commission, which consists of a three-member panel, headed by former Supreme Court of Appeals Judge Ian Farlam, is expected to complete its review within four months.

video evidenceMust submit its final report within one month of completing their investigation.

A total of 46 people died in violent protests that took place during the weeks of unrest in the platinum mine. However, only 44 deaths are investigating two deaths that are beyond the scope of the investigation.

The 16 August killings were the deadliest police action since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The trial was held in the Civic Centre Rustenburg, near the site of the shooting and 62 miles (100 km) northwest of Johannesburg.

There are plans to install giant screens Marikana near the scene of the shooting, to allow family and friends to follow the proceedings closely.

BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg, says that the video footage of police shooting at striking miners, who shocked the world, can be used as evidence during the hearing.

Last month, the striking miners in the mine Marikana agreed to return to work after accepting a pay rise of up to 22%.

But tens of thousands of miners others have refused to work in a wave of strikes throughout southern Africa since the violence at the mine.The case against the doctors has drawn international condemnation and has been seen as a test of the government's commitment to reform.

Bahrain court rejects appeal of physicians

BBC (Images)

Bahrain's highest court has upheld the prison sentences given to nine doctors for their alleged involvement in pro-democracy protests last year, officials said.

The Court of Cassation dismissed an appeal against their convictions for public incitement to hatred and contempt and participating in illegal gatherings.

Dr. Ali al-ekri was sentenced to five years and eight others received between one and three years.
Nine more doctors had their convictions overturned in June and two are hiding.

The case against the doctors has drawn international condemnation and has been seen as a test of the government's commitment to reform.

Merkel warns against hasty action amid euro worries

German customers crowd in front of a shop offering its summer sales in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the eurozone should not rush headlong into a banking union, amid signs Germany is being sucked into the abyss and fresh worries over Greece and Spain.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned the eurozone should not rush headlong into a banking union, amid signs Germany is being sucked into the abyss and fresh worries over Greece and Spain.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde has warned that delays in implementing Greece's bailout programme, including privatisations, had increased the country'sfinancing shortfall.
Tue, Sep 25 2012 CDT
by Richard Carter
BERLIN (AFP)
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Tuesday the eurozone should not rush headlong into a banking union, amid signs Germany is being sucked into the abyss and fresh worries over Greece and Spain.
Speaking at a conference in Berlin, Merkel rebuffed demands -- notably from the European Commission and France -- to create as soon as possible an EU bank supervisor which would eventually come to the aid of struggling banks.
"I support stronger bank supervision in the eurozone," she told the German Federation of Industry (BDI) in Berlin.
"But European surveillance must also be more binding -- I can't talk about the direct recapitalisation of banks in other countries if I have not yet created the right to intervene," she said to applause.
"That means (the approach must be) step-by-step and in the correct order and not hasty and not just so we can say 'we have something'," added the chancellor.
EU leaders agreed in June that the bloc's rescue funds could directly recapitalise struggling banks but only when a broad Europe-wide supervisor under the leadership of the European Central Bank had been established.
But a fresh crack in European unity has emerged, as Berlin sees a thorough approach as more important than haste whereas French President Francois Hollande said at the weekend it should happen "the earlier the better."
Merkel's comments came amid new evidence that her own economy, the most powerful in Europe, was increasingly being affected by the crisis and she cautioned that even Germany could not stay immune from the pain forever.
German consumer confidence is stagnating, market research company GfK said in a Tuesday poll, a day after the closely watched Ifo business survey declined for the fifth month in a row to the lowest level since February 2010.
"Germany is not an island but as a strong exporting nation ... (it) cannot decouple from the developments in the world and European economies," she warned as poor consumer and business confidence data have sparked recession fears.
"We have the duty to do as much as possible for domestic demand in Germany so that we can give ... a significant growth push to the eurozone," Merkel said.
Meanwhile, bond auctions in struggling Spain and Italy also gave little grounds for cheer, as borrowing costs in both countries rose as they issued new debt.
And French industrialists are also deeply gloomy about their business prospects, official data showed on Tuesday, putting their confidence at the lowest since 2010.
The downbeat data pushed most European markets into the red in morning trading, with France and Italy the worst hit, down close to half a percentage point.
Asian markets were mixed overnight, with Tokyo edging slightly higher but Sydney, Seoul and Shanghai all losing ground on fears that the spectre of the eurozone debt crisis had still not been exorcised.
Also weighing on markets were fresh problems in Greece, the origin of the crisis, as Greek unions prepared to bring the country to a standstill with strike action and a new warning from the IMF about the nation's dire finances.
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned on Monday that delays in implementing Greece's bailout programme, including privatisations, had increased the country's financing shortfall.
"As a result of the major delay in privatisation (...) and the limited revenue collection, there's a financing gap, especially if factoring in more time," Lagarde told an audience in Washington.
"We don't only need 11.5 billion euros of cuts; we need a series of cuts and additional revenues in order to fill in the fiscal gap," she said.
Lagarde was on Wednesday to hold talks with Merkel, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity after EU President Herman Van Rompuy warned against getting lulled into a false sense of security amid calmer markets.
Merkel and ECB chief Mario Draghi, arguably the two most influential players in the bloc's battle against the near three-year debt crisis, were to meet in Berlin later on Tuesday.
No public statement was expected after either meeting.
Meanwhile, the finance ministers of three of the most credit-worthy eurozone states, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands, meet in Helsinki to thrash out the best way to put out the flames that have tipped the bloc into recession.
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AFP journalists cover wars, conflicts, politics, science, health, the environment, technology, fashion, entertainment, the offbeat, sports and a whole lot more in text, photographs, video, graphics and online.

Israeli army cleared in Rachel Corrie death

An Israeli court has ruled in a civil case that the Israel army was not at fault in the bulldozer death of American pro-Palestinian activist Rachel Corrie nearly 10 years ago.

Corrie was 23 years old when she went to the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip as part of a group of activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM).

Al Jazeera's Cal Perry reports from Haifa.

WEBCAST: Strong Earthquake Hits El Savador

Also, Isaac hits the Keys; emergency declared in 3 states.

Thai girl inspires Buddhist nun programme

It is common practice for Buddhist boys to become monks as part of their adult development. Not many women, however, are ordained as Buddhist nuns and even fewer girls are allowed to join religious orders. Yet one young girl's calling in Thailand is making a difference. Al Jazeera's Florence Looi reports from Bangkok.

Neil Armstrong: A quiet hero who left his mark on history

Look tonight at the moon. And think of Neil Armstrong, reluctant hero, the quiet man whose footsteps still rest upon the moon and in history.

2012  Armstrong passed away at age 82 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Armstrong was a pilot first and foremost, and with the dust flying, craters looming and fuel running low on July 20, 1969, he never wavered. As everyone else on Earth held their breath on that day, his heartbeat never changed as he and co-pilot Buzz Aldrin made the first piloted landing upon the moon.

"Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed," Armstrong informed mission controllers at NASA's Johnson Space Center, with the restrained aplomb that marked his life. Two and a half hours later with the words, "That's one small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind," he stepped upon the moon for the first time.

• PHOTOS: Neil Armstrong's life and career

  
  

• STORY: Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon, dies

  
  

• INTERACTIVE: Florida Today Storify shows social media condolences

  
  

Armstrong, 82, died Saturday after surgery earlier this month for blocked arteries. A fighter pilot in the Korean War, a test pilot and an engineering professor, he will also be remembered as the astronaut who fulfilled the goal that President John F. Kennedy set out — to put a man on the moon by end of the 1960's — and the first among equals in the pantheon of astronauts from the moon race.

"Neil was among the greatest of American heroes — not just of his time, but of all time,"President Obama said in a statement. "When he and his fellow crew members lifted off aboard Apollo 11 in 1969, they carried with them the aspirations of an entire nation."

Armstrong became the symbol of the dream not just of one country but of a whole world to reach beyond our own planet . "Even though we were farther away from earth than two humans had ever been, we were not alone," Aldrin said in a statement on Saturday. "Virtually the entire world took that memorable journey with us. I know I am joined by millions of others in mourning the passing of a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew."

Armstrong flew dangerous mission attacking bridges during the Korean War, piloted the experimental X-15 rocket plane that ascended to the edges of space and once returned to the office after ejecting from a crashed test lunar lander, famously to complete paperwork.

"A lot of people couldn't figure out Armstrong," the author Tom Wolfe wrote in his novelization of the space race, The Right Stuff. Maybe that was because there was nothing to figure out, he was exactly who he said he was, a pilot and an engineer.

"He had nerves of steel. If anyone ever had the 'Right Stuff', it was Neil Armstrong," says space historian Roger Launius of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. "But he was a dignified, quiet man. He could have had the world at his feet but he went back to teaching, that was what was important to him."

Armstrong taught engineering at University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1979, after retiring from NASA. He served on the presidential commission that investigated the 1986 loss of the space shuttle Challenger, living quietly in Ohio until recent years, when he spoke out against NASA's current plans to not pursue a return to moon landings and to rely upon private spacecraft.

"He wasn't political in his concerns. He was speaking out from his experience ," say John Logsdon, author of John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon. "He avoided the public spotlight as the first man on the moon. But his name will be famous forever. He is gone but his footprints are still up there and will be remembered centuries from now."

British soldier killed on sentry duty in Afghanistan

A soldier from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has been killed in Afghanistan while on sentry duty.

The soldier was serving in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand Province when he was killed by "enemy action" on Friday, according to the Ministry of Defence.

The death brings the total number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 425.

Under MoD policy, the soldier will not be named for at least 24 hours but his family and next of kin have been informed.

A spokesman for the MoD said: "It is with great sadness I must inform you that a soldier from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards has been killed whilst on sentry duty in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province.

"The thoughts and prayers of everyone in the Task Force are with his family and friends at this very difficult time."

Three British soldiers have now been killed in Helmand this month and all were expected to return home to the UK in next few weeks.

Last week Lieutenant Andrew Chesterman, a member of the 3rd battalion The Rifles, was killed while leading a vehicle patrol in the Nad'Ali district of central Helmand after the lead vehicle was damaged by an improvised explosive device.

His death came just weeks before he was due to return home at the end of his six-month tour.
The following day a soldier from 26 Engineer Regiment, Royal Engineers, was killed by enemy action in the same district while carrying out a construction task.

The long awaited withdrawal from Afghanistan is due to begin next month and an increase in the number of attacks against members of the International Security and Assistance Force has been predicted, especially in the south of the country.

Source: Telegraph.UK

US drone kills 6 militants in Pakistan: officials

A US drone attack on Saturday killed at least six militants in a remote Pakistani tribal town near the Afghan border as local people celebrated the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr, security officials said.

The attack was the first since Pakistan's spymaster, Lieutenant General Zaheer ul Islam, held talks with his CIA counterpart in Washington earlier in August in which drone strikes were said to have been discussed.

The drone fired two missiles on a compound in Shuwedar village in Shawal district of the troubled North Waziristan region, considered a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaeda linked militants.

"US drones fired two missiles into a militant compound. Six bodies have been recovered from the compound so far," a security official told AFP.

Residents and local intelligence officials confirmed the attack and the casualties. The missiles also destroyed a car parked at the compound, they said.

The attack came as people in the deeply religious region were celebrating the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr, they said.

It was the third drone attack since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

It was not immediately clear if the missiles targeted any senior militant leader.

Attacks by unmanned American aircraft are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, which says they violate its sovereignty and fan anti-US sentiment, but US officials are said to believe the attacks are too important to give up.

The al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network in North Waziristan, blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan, is one of the thorniest issues between Islamabad and Washington.

Washington has long demanded that Pakistan take action against the Haqqanis, whom the United States accused of attacking the US embassy in Kabul in September 2011 and acting like the "veritable arm" of Pakistani intelligence.

Pakistan has in turn demanded that Afghan and US forces do more to stop Pakistani Taliban crossing the Afghan border to relaunch attacks on its forces.

Many in Pakistan accuse the Americans of demanding a Pakistani offensive to mask their own failings in the 10-year war in Afghanistan.

Washington regards Pakistan's semi-autonomous northwestern tribal belt as the main hub of Taliban and al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

The latest attack, which came after a lull of about three weeks, was in the same region where a drone strike on June 4 killed 15 militants, including senior al-Qaeda figure Abu Yahya al-Libi.

There has been a dramatic increase in US drone strikes in Pakistan since May, when a NATO summit in Chicago could not strike a deal to end a six-month blockade on convoys transporting supplies to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

On July 3 however, Islamabad agreed to end the blockade after the United States apologised for the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers in botched air strikes last November.

Islam's trip to Washington this month signalled a thaw in relations beset by crisis since US troops killed Osama bin Laden near Islamabad in May 2011.

In protest at US drone attacks, local Taliban and Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur have banned vaccinations in North and South Waziristan, putting 240,000 children in the region at risk.

They have condemned the immunisation campaign as a cover for espionage. In May, a Pakistani doctor was jailed for 33 years after helping the CIA find bin Laden using a hepatitis vaccination programme as a cover.

Inside Story - South Africa's mine shooting: Who is to blame?

Police who shot and killed 34 striking miners say they fired in self-defence. But what was behind this brutal police crackdown and how will it play out politically in South Africa? Guests: Patrick Craven, David Wilson, and Zweli Mnisi.

Inside Story - Is an armed conflict looming in East Asia?

Japan has decided to deport the Chinese activists who landed themselves in the middle of a territorial dispute. At the heart of it is a chain of islands under Japanese control that is also claimed by Taiwan. Commerce and energy needs are among the key factors driving the dispute. How will this affect relations between Asia's two biggest economies? Guests: Andrew Leung, Bruce Klingner, Brett Bull.

South Africa's Lonmin Marikana mine clashes killed 30

At least 30 people were killed when police clashed with striking miners at South Africa's Marikana mine on Thursday, the police minister has said.

According to witnesses, police opened fire on strikers armed mostly with clubs and machetes.

The Lonmin-owned platinum mine has been at the centre of a violent pay dispute, exacerbated by tensions between two rival trade unions.

Violence during the strike had already killed 10 people.

Speaking to local radio, police minister Nathi Mthethwa confirmed the death toll, adding: "A lot of people were injured and the number keeps on going up."

The incident is one of the bloodiest police operations since the end of the apartheid in South Africa.

'Senseless violence'

Police were sent to intervene after several thousand miners gathered at Marikana, which lies about 100 km (62 miles) north-west of Johannesburg, to call for a pay rise of more than $1,000 (£636) a month.

The circumstances that led police to open fire remain unclear, but reports from eyewitnesses suggest the shooting took place after a group of demonstrators rushed at a line of police officers.

One witness, Molaole Montsho, of the South African news agency Sapa, said police had first used water cannon, tear gas and stun grenades in an attempt to break up the protest.

"And then in the commotion - we were about 800m (2,600ft) from the scene - we heard gunshots that lasted for about two minutes," he said.

Police ministry spokesman Zweli Mnisi said an investigation into the incident had begun.

Speaking on Thursday, President Jacob Zuma said he was "shocked and dismayed at this senseless violence".

"We call upon the labour movement and business to work with government to arrest the situation before it deteriorates any further," he said.

"I have instructed law enforcement agencies to do everything possible to bring the situation under control and to bring the perpetrators of violence to book."

California cities struggle with fiscal pressure

California has started to see a bankruptcy domino effect among its cities.

In June this year Stockton was the largest city in the US to declare insolvency. San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes followed.

The financial downturn has also affected the city of Compton, which is expected to run out of funds next month.

Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from the city.

Thousands continue to flee Indian cities

The exodus of people from India's north-eastern states living in the southern city of Bangalore continues with more migrant workers fleeing.

There are reports of people from the region fleeing the the cities of Chennai (Madras) and Pune as well.

PM Manmohan Singh has appealed for calm and said peace "must be maintained at any cost".

Officials have blamed the exodus on "rumour mongering" linked to clashes in the north-eastern Assam state.

More than 300,000 people fled after fighting between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in Assam.

Fresh violence between the two sides was reported on Thursday when a mob set fire to a bus and a road bridge, reports say. At least nine people were reported to be injured in clashes.

The main railway station in Bangalore was flooded with migrant workers from north-eastern states for a second successive day on Thursday to catch three special trains to the north-east.

A senior Bangalore official told the BBC that nearly 15,000 people from the region had left the city since Wednesday, when the rumours broke out.

'Nothing has happened'

There are 250,000 people from the north-east living and working in Bangalore, which is often referred to as the Silicon Valley of India.

Many of them are students, security guards and workers in the hospitality sector.

A minister in the local government S Suresh Kumar told the Press Trust of India that the exodus was "not due to a threat factor, but due to the anxiety [of the people leaving] to be with their parents when Assam has been gripped by violence".

The rumours of attacks have spread to neighbouring Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, and Pune in Maharashtra to the north-west, reports say.

Workers and students from the north-east - mostly from Assam - living in Chennai arrived at the railway station to board to special trains to take them home, one report said.

"Nothing has happened till now, but we are very sure something really bad is going to happen. Our Bangalore friends have said we have to leave," Bishnu, a migrant worker from Assam, told The Hindu newspaper.

Reports of a similar exodus are being reported from western Pune city, where many north-east people working in the city are reported to have fled.

The rumours of attacks have been spread through text messages and the social media. There have been a few reports of people being threatened to leave.

"We must work together to ensure that all people from other states do not feel threatened by rumour mongering and text messages," PM Manmohan Singh said.

Many young people from the restive north-east region have migrated to the cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore in search of better jobs and education.

Pakistani panel to probe airbase attack

Islamabad: The Pakistan Air Force has formed a five-member committee to probe the terror attack at Kamra airbase, a media report said Friday.

Pakistan Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafiq Butt, formed the five-member committee to look into the terror strike under the chairmanship of Air Marshal Ather Hussain Bukhari, reported Geo News.

A Pakistan Air Force spokesperson said the other four members of the committee are experts in various fields.

Nine militants and a soldier were killed in the brazen attack at Kamra airbase in Punjab province Thursday morning. An intense gunfight broke out between the militants and security personnel in Attock, a district that is considered to be one of the areas where Pakistan stores its nuclear arsenal. The attack took place a year after a terror strike at the Karachi airbase.

IANS

Nation all set to celebrate 66th Independence Day

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani nation is all set to celebrate its 66th independence day with full pomp and show on August 14 14 across the country including USA, UK, France and other countries of the world with tribute to its founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah who single-handedly attained this motherland after going through sheer hard work and struggle.

Pakistan's appearance on the map of the world was his great achievement for which our great Quaid would be remembered forever in the hearts of all communities of Pakistan.

Preparations in this regard are in full swing in all cities and districts of the country to celebrate independence day with traditional zeal and enthusiasm.

Despite fasting and the scorching heat the passion of the people has not dulled to mark the day.

People, especially children, are enthusiastically purchasing national flags, buntings, posters, stickers and candles to decorate their homes on the day.

A number of social, cultural and literary organizations and educational institutes have chalked out various programs to mark the day.

All important government buildings, including the Parliament House, Supreme Court of Pakistan, PM's House, Presidency, Pakistan Secretariat and Faisal Mosque have been illuminated as part of the Independence Day celebrations.

"This is the freedom day of Pakistan. On this day, the Muslim nation of the sub-continent got freedom from the British. This is very valuable day of the Pakistan history. So the entire nation of Pakistan celebrates this day with great zeal ana passion.

August 14, 1947, represents the victory of those politicians who burned the mid-night oil and freed the Muslims from the repression of the British. Men, women and children from all over Pakistan celebrate Independence Day to pay their respect to those patriotic leaders because of whom this nation is breathing an air of freedom. On this day, people from all religions come together as one and celebrate this important moment of their history.

Two killed as Mumbai protests turn violent

Security has been stepped up Mumbai, after two people were killed and dozens injured in a protest denouncing ethnic riots. Demonstrators took to the streets in reaction to alleged attacks on Muslims in Myanmar before the chaos ensued. Al Jazeera's Stephanie Scawen reports.

Sinai: Egypt army 'kills gunmen in village raid'

Egypt has deployed extra troops, tanks and other armoured vehicles in the Sinai

At least six suspected militant gunmen have been killed by the Egyptian army in the Sinai peninsula, officials say.

They were killed during raids on hideouts in a village near al-Arish town in the north of the region, AP news agency reports.

An offensive against Islamist militants in Sinai was launched last week after 16 border guards were killed.

It was the most brazen attack against Egyptian troops in the Sinai region for years.

Sunday's killings in al-Ghora village, some 30km (19 miles) south of al-Arish, are the first reported casualties among the suspected militants since the military operation began.

A security source told the AFP news agency the suspected militants were armed with rocket launchers, grenades and automatic weapons.

State television, which gave no details of the fighting, said three soldiers had also been killed.

Analysts say that the security situation in the Sinai has deteriorated following the fall of Egypt's long-time President Hosni Mubarak last year, which Islamist extremists appear to have exploited.

The area in Sinai where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza meet has also become a hotbed of smuggling - through tunnels into Gaza.

On Friday, Bedouin leaders in the Sinai agreed to help the army in its offensive and they also backed plans to destroy the smuggling tunnels into Gaza.

Iran earthquake relief efforts begin after 250 killed

Officials said dozens of villages had been severely damaged by the quake

Relief operations are under way in Iran after two strong earthquakes in the north-west left at least 250 people dead and more than 2,000 injured.

The 6.4 and 6.3 quakes struck near Tabriz and Ahar on Saturday afternoon, with more than 55 aftershocks reported over the following hours.

More than 100 villages are damaged - thousands of people spent the night in emergency shelters or in the open.

Relief agencies are providing survivors with tents, bread and drinking water.


The BBC's Mohsen Asgari, in the capital Tehran, says hundreds of people were rescued overnight but that the aftershocks made the operation exhausting work.

'Mass grave'

On Sunday, Hassan Ghadami, Iran's deputy interior minister, said that "all those under debris have been rescued and the quake-stricken people are now being provided with their basic needs," the official Fars news agency reported.

"We hope that the death toll will not increase any more."


Local officials said all the reported deaths have been in rural areas, an indication of the poorer quality of housing outside urban areas.

"This village is a mass grave," said Alireza Haidaree, who had been searching for survivors in his home of Baje Baj.

"There are so many other villages that have been completely destroyed," he told AFP. Locals said 33 of the villages 414 residents had died.

"The quake has created huge panic among the people," one resident of Tabriz told the BBC. "Everyone has rushed to the streets and the sirens of ambulances are everywhere."

The towns of Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in north-western Iran were among those that suffered casualties, local crisis committee chief Khalil Saei told state TV according to the Associated Press.

Fars reported that about 110 villages had been damaged, at least four totally flattened and 60 others sustained extensive damage.

Reports say phone lines to many villages were cut off, confining rescuers to radio contact.

A resident of Tabriz told Reuters that a local hospital he visited to give blood was struggling to cope with the number of injured people, most of whom had been taken there by their families.

Arash, a resident of Ahar, told Reuters the hospital there was full, and that the road between the two towns was jammed with people trying to find medical help.

Stadium shelter
Sixty-six rescue teams have been sent to the affected region, along with about 200 ambulances and five helicopters.

Dozens of families spent the night outdoors in parks, and television showed footage of bodies lying on the floor of a morgue in Ahar, including those of children.

The BBC's Mohsen Asgari says many people were in their homes when the earthquake struck and that is why the death toll is rising

As morning came, search teams with sniffer dogs began working through the wreckage in Tabriz.

There were reports that in some areas many of the victims were women, who had been inside homes preparing evening meals to break the Ramadan fast.

One farmer from the village of Qanbar Mehdizade said he and his family survived because they had been working in the open fields at the time.

"I was working on my farm, on my tractor, and I felt the earth shake and I was thrown off the vehicle," he told AFP.

A Red Crescent has provided 3,000 tents, blankets, tonnes of food and blood supplies, it also took over a sports stadium to provide emergency shelter to about 16,000 people who had fled their homes.

A provincial official warned people to stay outdoors overnight because of the risk of aftershocks.

The Turkish Red Crescent said it was sending a truck full of emergency supplies to the border.

Iranian politician Mohammad Hassan-Nejad said relief groups had still not been able to reach the more remote areas, which take several hours to access under normal conditions, and warned the death toll could rise.

"Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air," he told the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA).

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office posted a statement on its website expressing condolences to those in the disaster zone and calling on authorities to "mobilise all efforts to help the affected populations," AFP reports.


The first quake struck 23km (14 miles) south-west of Ahar and 58km (36) miles north-east of Tabriz at 16:54 local time (12:23 GMT) on Saturday, said the US Geological Survey.

The second earthquake struck just 11 minutes after the first, slightly closer to Tabriz.

Iran straddles a major geological fault line, making it prone to seismic activity. In 2003 an earthquake in the city of Bam left more than 25,000 people dead.

Flood deaths climb to 66

MANILA, Philippines—Authorities rushed to bring food and other emergency provisions Saturday to more than two million people affected by widespread flooding, as the death toll rose to 66, an official said.

The flooding that submerged 80 percent of Manila early in the week has largely subsided, allowing people to return to their homes, but low-lying farming regions to the north remained under water.

Civil defense chief Benito Ramos told Agence France-Presse the huge displaced population, including 441,000 people crammed in crowded evacuation camps, would need to be fed and taken care of for at least another seven days.

“The government has a month’s worth of relief goods if necessary. We have substantial emergency supplies,” Ramos said.

Volunteers are helping the government pack rice and other food items into 100,000 grocery bags to replenish supplies at some of the camps, he said.

Nearly two weeks of monsoon rains across the Philippines’ main island of Luzon peaked with a 48-hour deluge earlier this week that battered Manila and surrounding regions.

The government’s disaster co-ordination council said Saturday that 66 people had been confirmed killed, up from 60 on Friday.

It put the number of people affected by the floods at 2.68 million, from 2.44 million on Friday.

The Philippines endures about 20 major storms or typhoons each rainy season. But this week’s rains were the worst to hit Manila since Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) killed 464 people in 2009.