Deadly storms sweep eastern Asia Advertisement

Deadly storms sweep eastern Asia

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Waves as high as 9m have been reported on China's south-east coast

Two strong storms across the western Pacific have left scores of people dead or missing.

At least 10 people have been killed in Japan in flash floods generated by the approaching tropical storm Etau.

Meanwhile Typhoon Morakot hit mainland China on Sunday, killing at least one child and prompting almost a million people to flee from coastal areas.

It had previously hit Taiwan, killing at least 12 people and causing the worst flooding in five decades.

Taiwanese rescue teams are still searching for more than 50 people registered as missing.

Typhoons and tropical storms are frequent in the region between July and September.

Swept away

Nearly 50,000 people in western Japan have been told to leave coastal areas after warnings of rain, floods and mudslides triggered by the approaching tropical storm Etau.

Animated guide: Typhoons

Eight people have died in Hyogo prefecture, including one man whose car was swept away by a swollen river and a woman who was found dead in a gutter.

Another woman was killed in a mudslide in Okayama prefecture.

The storm may hit central Japan on Tuesday, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Morakot dumped a record 2.5 metres (100 inches) of rain on Taiwan over the weekend, leaving at least 12 people dead, among them a group reportedly washed away from a makeshift shelter in Kaohsiung in the south.

In addition to the dead and missing, another 30 people were injured as Morakot buffeted the island with powerful winds.

In one incident, an entire hotel - empty at the time - was swept away by the waters.

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Taiwan hotel collapses after typhoon

The typhoon then went on to hit mainland China on Sunday afternoon, destroying more than 2,000 houses and causing at least one major river to burst its banks.

Chinese state media said the sky turned completely dark in Beibi, Fujian, when it made landfall.

Trees were uprooted as high winds and heavy rain lashed the coast.

Some 473,000 residents of Zhejiang province were evacuated before the storm struck, as well as 480,000 from Fujian, Xinhua news agency said.

In Zhejiang's Wenzhou City a four year-old child was killed when a house collapsed. Dozens of roads were said to be flooded and the city's airport was closed.

Rescuers used dinghies to reach the worst-hit areas; in one area only the tops of trees were said to be showing above the floodwater.

Although the storm is losing strength, violent rainstorms are expected across six eastern Chinese provinces and Taiwan over the next few hours.

Morakot has also contributed to heavy rains in the Philippines. At least 10 people were killed in flooding and landslides in the north of the country last week.

Bomb attacks in Iraq kill dozens

At least four bombs have exploded in Iraq, killing about 40 people and wounding more than 200.

Two truck bombs exploded in a Shia village near the northern city of Mosul, killing at least 23 people and injuring around 130.

Meanwhile, two bombs went off near construction sites in Baghdad, with 16 people killed and more than 80 wounded.

The attacks come a month after US troops pulled back from cities and handed over security to Iraqi soldiers.

At least 36 people were killed in a series of attacks on Shia areas on Friday.

Losing confidence

At about 0400 (0100 GMT) on Monday, truck bombs exploded nearly simultaneously in the village of Khaznah, 20km (13 miles) east of Mosul.

The blasts were so powerful that at least 30 houses in the village - home to the tiny Shia Shabak ethnic group - were completely destroyed.

Police say the death toll could still rise because many people are still buried under the rubble of their own homes.

Ethnically-mixed Mosul - Iraq's second city - is one of the last strongholds of al-Qaeda in Iraq, and still sees frequent attacks despite a decline in violence elsewhere in the country.

However, despite security gains in Baghdad, at least two bombs went off near construction sites in separate parts of the capital on Monday.

They appeared to be mainly targeting labourers who were gathering in the early morning looking for work.

One of the bombs was hidden in a pile of rubbish when it went off in the western district of Hay al-Amel, killing at least seven people and wounding 46.

Minutes later a second bomb went off in the northern area of Shurta Arbaa, killing at least nine people and wounding 35.

The Iraqi government has tried to send a positive message to Iraqis, saying they are in control and these attacks are caused by the remnants of the insurgency.

But this message is getting lost because of the violence, the BBC's Natalia Antelava in Baghdad says.

A car bomb exploded outside a mosque during a funeral service last Friday, killing 30 people.

Meanwhile in Baghdad on Friday, three bombs killed six people returning from a pilgrimage.

Congress OKs $2B refill of 'cash for clunkers'

WASHINGTON – Pedal to the metal, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for "cash for clunkers," the economy-boosting rebate program that caught the fancy of car buyers and instantly increased sales for an auto industry long mired in recession.

The Senate approved the money on a 60-37 vote after administration officials said an initial $1 billion had run out in only 10 days. The House voted last week to keep alive the program, which gives consumers up to $4,500 in federal subsidies if they trade in their cars for new, more energy-efficient models.

Without action, lawmakers risked a wave of voter discontent as they left the Capitol for a monthlong vacation.

"Cash for clunkers has been a proven success," Obama said in a written statement issued shortly after the vote. "The initial transactions are generating a more than 50 percent increase in fuel economy; they are generating $700 to $1000 in annual savings for consumers in reduced gas costs alone, and they are getting the oldest, dirtiest and most air polluting trucks and SUVs off the road for good."

Senate supporters of the program hailed its effect on the auto industry — which had its best month in nearly a year in July — as well as its claimed environmental benefits.

"The reality is this is a program that has been working. Consumers believe it's working. Small business people believe it's working. People who make steel and aluminum and advertisers ... and everyone who's involved in the larger economic impact of the auto industry believe it is working," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.

The legislation had its share of critics, though, most of them Republicans.

"What we're doing is creating debt. ... The bill to pay for those cars is going to come due on our children and grandchildren," said Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.

Officials said the program's initial $1 billion probably already has been spent, but a paperwork backlog prevented an accurate accounting. The additional $2 billion is enough to help consumers purchase a half-million more new cars, they added.

There was no suspense about the outcome in the Senate, where supporters of the legislation focused their energies on defeating all attempts at amending the measure. Passage of any changes would effectively scuttle "cash for clunkers," they said, since the House has already begun a summer vacation and is not in session to vote on revisions.

An attempt by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to limit the program to lower and middle-income consumers was jettisoned on a vote of 65-32. Gregg's call for Congress to offset the $2 billion with spending cuts elsewhere also failed, 51-46.

On the final vote, 51 Democrats, two independents and seven Republicans supported the bill, while 33 Republicans and four Democrats opposed it.

The Senate's debate capped an unusually swift response by lawmakers, who were informed scarcely a week ago that the program was quickly running short of money.

The government said Wednesday that more than $775 million of the original funds had been spent, accounting for the sale of nearly 185,000 new vehicles. Administration officials estimate the extra funding will last into Labor Day.

Under the program, passenger car owners are eligible for a voucher worth $3,500 if they trade in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for a new car getting at least 22 mpg. Vouchers of $4,500 are available for owners who trade in a passenger car getting 18 mpg or less for a model that gets at least 28 mpg.

There are similar guidelines for SUVs and pickup trucks.

Dealers are barred from reselling the trade-ins and are charged with ensuring their destruction.

Jeremy Anwyl, CEO of the auto Web site Edmunds.com, said the unintended result is that vehicle prices are climbing.

"What we've created now is a shortage for key models," he said. "Prices are going up dramatically."

Hyundai Motor Co. has added a day of production at its Montgomery, Ala., factory, while Ford Motor Co. and GM are considering following suit.

Tom Stephens, vice chairman of product development at GM, said in an interview that the company has had spot shortages of compact and midsize cars, which have been popular with consumers jettisoning their clunkers. The company also reported an increase in sales of the Chevrolet HHR small sport utility.

"Consumer confidence is really what you need here," Stephens said. "It's hard for them if they don't know if they have a job or a for-sure paycheck to go out and make a major purchase, so I think this is kind of jump-starting some things."

The longer-term impact of the program is less clear.

"Once these clunker rebates expire, it is over," predicted economist Richard Yamarone of Argus Research. "Consumers are not going to keep buying cars. It is a temporary one-time gimmick, not a long-lasting tonic for the recovery."

In the program so far, GM's share of cars sold is largest, accounting for 18.7 percent of new sales. Toyota Motor Corp. followed with 17.9 percent, while Ford had 16 percent. Detroit automakers represented 45.3 percent of the total sales, while Toyota, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., all Japanese firms, totaled 36.5 percent.

Toyota also has the best-selling new model for traders of clunkers, the Corolla. The Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Toyota Camry are also favorites. There is one SUV on the list, the Ford Escape, which also comes in a hybrid model that can get up to 32 mpg. Six of the top-10 selling vehicles are built by foreign manufacturers, but most are built in North America.

UK hostages 'likely to be dead'

The five hostages were taken in May 2007

Two more of the British hostages held in Iraq are now thought "very likely" to be dead, the BBC has learned.

Security guards Alan McMenemy, from Glasgow, and Alec Maclachlan, from south Wales, were kidnapped in 2007 along with three other Britons.

The bodies of two of the other men were found last month with gunshot wounds.

The condition of the fifth man, Peter Moore, is not known. The Foreign Office says all efforts are being made to secure the hostages' release.

Mr Moore had been working for American management consultancy Bearingpoint in Iraq, while the other men were security contractors employed to guard him.

The group were captured at Baghdad's Ministry of Finance in May 2007 by about 40 men disguised as Iraqi policemen.

They are understood to belong to an obscure militia known as Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq.

There's not much we can do - we feel so helpless Edna Moore, grandmother of hostage Peter Moore

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said the Foreign Office told the families of Mr McMenemy and Mr Maclachlan last week that the men had most likely died while in captivity.

And he revealed the kidnappers told the British government a month ago they had two more bodies.

"At the time the hostage-takers handed over the bodies of the two other security guards - Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst - they let it be known that they had two more bodies," he said.

"They have made many claims and counter-claims and that couldn't be verified immediately. The Foreign Office is now pretty certain that it's true."

Government sources had told him that the focus was now on negotiating the release of IT consultant Mr Moore.

The last proof of life sent by his kidnappers was a video handed over in March, but it is not known when the film was made or if he is still alive today.

'Only hope'

His grandmother, Edna Moore, 84, of Wigston, Leicestershire, said the family could "only hope" for Mr Moore's safe return.

"God help the other families. There's not much we can do, we feel so helpless.

"It's terrible, you try to look on the bright side and that's hammering at your brain all the time."

Rev Pauline Barnett, who knows Mr MacLachlan's family, said: "This is dreadful news. If this is true then we are devastated, it's an awful conclusion.

"We've been praying for the family and hoping there would be a good ending to this story."

The bodies of Jason Creswell and Jason Swindlehurst were found in June

The Foreign Office refused to comment on the specifics of the case, saying it did not discuss operational details.

However, a spokeswoman said: "We continue to work intensively for the release of the hostages still held in this highly complex case and are extremely concerned for their safety."

The bodies of Mr Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Mr Creswell, from Glasgow, were flown back to the UK last month.

News of their deaths came shortly after speculation that a deal to free all five men alive could be close.

Security experts understood there had been positive diplomatic moves behind the scenes, including the release of a prisoner whose freedom was being demanded by the hostage-takers.

But Mr Gardner said: "All the time [the kidnappers] were carrying on these discussions, cynically, they already knew they had dead bodies on their hands - two, possibly four."

Little is known about the captives because of a media blackout during a large period of their captivity.

The blackout originally came on the instruction of the hostage-takers who said they did not want publicity.

This has been Britain's longest running hostage crisis for nearly 20 years.

Hunt for Nigerian Islamist sect

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The aftermath of gun battles in Bauchi on Sunday and suspected militants

Nigerian troops are tracking down members of an Islamist sect who went on a killing spree in northern cities.

Soldiers are searching areas near the home of sect leader Mohammed Yusuf in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

On Tuesday the army shelled the compound, exchanging heavy gunfire with militants. At least 140 people have been killed in three days of violence.

President Umaru Yar'Adua said the army had acted to nip a potentially dangerous problem in the bud.

Nigeria's 'Taliban' enigma Eyewitness: Nigeria attacks Fear and tension after attack

Nigeria's security services have been flooding into Maiduguri, the city worst affected by the violence, the BBC's Caroline Duffield reports.

Maj Gen Saleh Maina told the Associated Press news agency that troops were hunting for sect members in homes and a mosque and near the railway station. He said the operation was being carried out "to prevent further loss of lives and property".

Residents and civilians have been told to leave the area.

Mr Yusuf's group, known as Boko Haram, is being blamed for attacks on police stations and government buildings in four states in Nigeria.

Many civilians were also shot dead or stabbed at random.

Boko Haram is against Western education. It believes Nigeria's government is being corrupted by Western ideas and wants to see Islamic law imposed across Nigeria.

State of alert

Late on Tuesday, explosions and gunshots could be heard from the Doidamgari area of Maiduguri, where Mohammed Yusuf's home is situated and the Boko Haram have their spiritual headquarters.

President Umaru Yar'Adua ordered Nigeria's national security agencies to take all necessary action to contain and repel attacks by the extremists.

"It is the government that has moved to nip a potentially dangerous problem in the bud," he said before leaving on a visit to Brazil.

"These people have been organising, penetrating our societies, procuring arms, learning how to make explosives and bombs to disturb the peace and force abuse on the rest of Nigerians.

"And I believe the operation we have launched now will be an operation that will contain them once and for all."

Outside Maiduguri, there is a heightened state of alert across the northern states:

• In the city of Kano, police arrested 53 people after an attack on a police station outside the city on Monday; police also shot and killed three suspected militants as they tried to reach Maiduguri

• In Sokoto, in the far north-west, police arrested five men said to have been caught in the act of planning an attack

• In Bauchi, scene of the first bloodshed on Sunday, 176 people remain under arrest

President Yar'Adua said 'a potentially dangerous problem' had been tackled

A BBC reporter counted about 100 bodies of residents and militants in the streets of Maiduguri on Monday.

Maiduguri police said 103 had died in the violence in the city, including 90 members of Boko Haram, eight police officers, three prison officials and two soldiers.

At least 39 people were killed in the violence in Bauchi.

Sharia law is in place across northern Nigeria, but there is no history of al-Qaeda-linked violence in the country.

The country's 150 million people are split almost equally between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.

US urges Iran reply by September

Mr Gates reaffirmed 'the strong commitment of the US to the security of Israel'

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has urged Iran to respond to US diplomatic overtures by September.

His Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak indicated that military action remained an option on Iran, following talks with Mr Gates in Jerusalem.

Senior US officials are engaged in a drive to breathe new life into faltering regional peace moves.

US envoy George Mitchell met Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, as well as Israel's president and the Palestinian leader.

He has already been in Syria, drumming up regional support for the new US initiative.

Both Mr Mitchell and Mr Gates - as well as two other senior US envoys - are meeting Israeli leaders as part of the bid to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which has been stalled for six months.

US-Israeli relations have become strained since US President Barack Obama demanded a halt to all Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank.

Iran warned

Shortly after coming to office in January, Mr Obama made an overture to Iran, saying that if it and countries like it were "willing to unclench their fists, they will find an extended hand from us".

Tim Franks, News, Jerusalem The public rhetoric is all about "discussions among friends". But the background noise has a different tone. When it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was keen to stress the American offer to bring Iran into talks - albeit an offer that was not open-ended. In contrast, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak emphasised an implied military threat to Iran. There has been unease in Israel over Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comments about a regional "defence umbrella", should Iran acquire a nuclear weapon. The Israeli formula is to say that such a prospect is "unthinkable". The Israelis have also been feeling American heat over the continued building of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Reports are circulating of a possible deal - which might allow as many as 2,000 apartments in the West Bank to be completed. The Palestinians have said they would accept no such compromise. And they say they have a question for the visiting American officials: if the Israelis don't budge, what exactly are you going to do about it?

But Israel says Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions remain its number-one concern and in recent weeks the US has expressed dismay about Iran's suppression of protests over disputed presidential elections.

Iran denies claims it wants to build nuclear weapons, saying it is enriching uranium for a civilian energy programme.

On Monday, Mr Gates said the US offer to Iran was "not open-ended", echoing comments by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this month.

Mr Obama was hoping for a response by the time of the UN General Assembly in September, Mr Gates added.

Mr Barak cautioned that "no option" had been removed in its handling of Iran - suggesting military force remained a possibility - though "priority should be given still to diplomacy and sanctions".

The two men struck a conciliatory tone, with Mr Gates speaking of a "good meeting" with Mr Barak and reaffirming America's "strong commitment" to Israel's security.

Mr Barak said he was "extremely thankful for US support [on defence] - financial and technological".

Mr Gates later held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader's office said in a statement that he had emphasised the need to use "all available means" to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.

Mr Gates then travelled to Jordan for a meeting with King Abdullah, with the Palestinian issue and defence ties on the agenda.

Palestinian division

In Cairo, Middle East envoy George Mitchell met President Hosni Mubarak - a day earlier than initially scheduled, apparently at Mr Mubarak's request.

US OFFICIALS' WEEK OF DIPLOMACY Special envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell (to Syria, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Bahrain) Defence Secretary Robert Gates (to Israel, Jordan) National Security Adviser James Jones (to Israel) Envoy to the Gulf states Dennis Ross (to Israel)

Their talks came ahead of Mr Mitchell's meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

The Egyptians seemingly had plenty to discuss, reports the BBC's Christian Fraser in Cairo.

They are currently brokering reconciliation talks between the deeply divided Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas.

Despite several rounds of talks, the two Palestinian factions are still at odds on the most sensitive issues, such as the shape of a future unity government, the remit of the joint security force and the system that would be implemented for any upcoming elections.

Palestinian leaders have also refused to meet their Israeli counterparts until settlement activity ceases.

All settlements are illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. Israel has settled more than 450,000 Jews in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

In a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, Mr Mitchell advised him that Israel could improve the climate by "dealing with difficult issues like settlements and outposts".

Mr Mitchell is due to meet the Israeli prime minister on Tuesday.

In Damascus on Sunday, the US envoy met Syrian President Bashar Assad for what he called "very candid and positive" discussions on restarting long-stalled peace talks between Syria and Israel.

He said Mr Obama was determined to reach a comprehensive peace between Israel and all its Arab neighbours in order to guarantee "stability, security and prosperity".

Other senior US officials - National Security Adviser James Jones and the US envoy to the Gulf states, Dennis Ross - are also due to visit the region this week.

US charges seven with terrorism

The FBI arrested the seven men in North Carolina

Seven US men have been charged with conspiring to provide support to Islamic militants and conspiring to murder and kidnap people abroad.

Officials say one of the men, Daniel Boyd, 39, trained in Afghanistan and fought there between 1989 and 1992.

When he returned to the US, he recruited others to engage in terrorism and provided weapons training, the Justice Department alleged.

The men were arrested by the FBI in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area.

There has been no reported response from the defendants.

'Military practice'

"The indictment alleges that Daniel Boyd is a veteran of terrorist training camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan who, over the past three years, has conspired with others in this country to recruit and help young men travel overseas in order to kill," said David Kris, of the US Department of Justice.

According to the indictment, from late 2006 until at least July 2009, Mr Boyd and the other defendants engaged in a conspiracy to advance violent jihad abroad.

They arranged weapons training, funding and travel for others who wished to fight overseas, the indictment alleges.

It says Mr Boyd and several other defendants travelled to Israel in June 2007 in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to engage in violent jihad.

Another defendant, Ziyad Yaghi, 21, allegedly travelled to Jordan in October 2006 to commit violent acts.

The defendants allegedly practiced military tactics in North Carolina in June and July 2009.

All seven of the men face life sentences if convicted conspiracy to murder, kidnap, maim and injure persons abroad.